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Flashcards in Midterm Deck (48)
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1
Q

a tempo

A

An directive to return to the original tempo after a deliberate deviation

2
Q

accelerando

A

Gradually accelerating or getting faster. Abbreviated by accel.

3
Q

adagio

A

A slow tempo marking between largo and andante

4
Q

al fine

A

An indication to the performer to repeat sections of a composition either from the beginning (da capo), or from the dal segno symbol, to the place marked fine (the end of the composition)

5
Q

allegro

A

A fast tempo marking between allegretto and vivace

6
Q

andante

A

A moderate tempo marking between largo and moderato. This tempo typically has between 76 and 108 beats per minute.

7
Q

animato

A

A directive to a musician to perform a selected passage of a composition in an animated or spirited manner.

8
Q

arpeggio

A

Playing the notes of a chord consecutively (harp style). A broken chord in which the individual notes are sounded one after the other instead of simultaneously.

9
Q

attack

A

The method or clearness of beginning a phrase; important part of articulation

10
Q

break strain

A

A device used in marches and piano rags to introduce a contrast in style and break the flow of the composition with a loud and intense musical statement.

11
Q

caesura

A
  1. Break or interruption in music, notated by two diagonal lines often refered to as railroad tracks. The break can be of any length at the discretion of the conductor.
12
Q

cantabile

A

Singing or performing in a melodious and graceful style, full of expression.

13
Q

chant

A
  1. A sacred song, usually harmonized in four parts to which scripture passages are set, part of the words being recited ad libitum, and part sung in strict tempo.
14
Q

chorale

A

A hymn of the Lutheran church, usually written for four voice harmony.

15
Q

coda

A
  1. The closing few measures of a composition, usually not a part of the main theme groups of the standard form of a composition, but a finishing theme added to the end to give the composition closure; in sonata form, the coda is anything that occurs after the recapitulation
16
Q

con brio

A

A directive to perform the indicated passage with vivacity or spirit

17
Q

con fuoco

A

A musical directive to the performer to play a particular passage with vehement energy, fire or fervid emotion.

18
Q

concert band

A

An instrumental ensemble ranging from forty to eighty musicians or more, consisting of woodwind, brass and percussion instruments.

19
Q

conducting patterns

A

Arm and hand movements by the conductor that create patterns to communicate to the performers the specific beat and meter of the music.

20
Q

da capo

A

A directive to the performer to go back to the beginning of the composition. This directive is abbreviated: D.C.

21
Q

dal segno

A

A mark in a composition which informs the performer to repeat a specific section of the composition marked by a dal segno sign. This directive is abbreviated: D.S.

22
Q

embouchure

A
  1. The position of the lips and mouth when playing a wind instrument.
23
Q

etude

A

A study or an exercise (typically a short composition) designed to train a musician technically as well as musically (1).

24
Q

fermata

A

A notation marking directing the performer or ensemble to sustain the note of a composition affecting all parts and lasting as long as the artistic interpretation of the conductor allows. The fermata is marked above the note or rest to be held.

25
Q

fine

A

An indication of where a composition ends when there is a repeat of some section of the composition in such a way as to make locating the ending confusing.

26
Q

forte

A

A directive in music to perform the indicated passage loudly. Forte is typically notated by the letter “f”.

27
Q

F clef (bass clef)

A

F clef is used to indicate pitches below middle C. The pitch “f” is indicated by placing a note on the 4th line.

28
Q

G clef (treble clef)

A

A symbol located at the beginning of a staff to indicate the pitches of the notes placed on the lines and spaces of the staff.

29
Q

grand/general pause

A

The general pause or the long pause serve the same function, and are identical in function to the fermata when used over a rest or barline. The function of these pauses is to create a silence for a period of time at the discretion of the performer (or conductor with an ensemble).

30
Q

ictus

A

In music, the term ictus is used in conducting to denote the specific point in a visible pattern of beat points that articulates the pulse of the music to the ensemble. This is typically the lowest point in the conducting patterns.

31
Q

interval

A

The distance between two pitches.

32
Q

key signature

A

The sharp, flat, or natural signs placed at the beginning of a staff indicating the tonality of the composition.

33
Q

key

A

A specific scale or series of notes defining a particular tonality. Keys may be defined as major or minor, and are named after their tonic or keynote. T

34
Q

l’istesso tempo

A

The same tempo. An indication in a composition that directs that the beat remains constant when the meter changes.

35
Q

largo

A

A slow and solemn tempo marking, having between 40 and 60 beats per minute.

36
Q

legato

A

A directive to perform the indicated passage of a composition in a smooth, graceful, connected style, as opposed to staccato.

37
Q

leger lines

A

The short, horizontal lines added to the top or the bottom of a staff for the indication of notes too high or too low to be represented on the staff proper.

38
Q

maestoso

A

A directive to perform the indicated passage of a composition in a stately, dignified, majestic fashion.

39
Q

march

A

A processional or military air especially suited to parades, processions, or martial affairs. It is generally written in 2/4, 6/8, or 4/4 time.

40
Q

meno mosso

A

Less motion or with a slower tempo.

41
Q

moderato

A

A directive to perform the designated passage of a composition in a moderate tempo; moderately, restrained.

42
Q

non troppo

A

A directive to perform a certain passage of a composition “moderately” or combined with other directives to mean “not too much.”

43
Q

octave

A

An interval spanning seven diatonic degrees, eleven semitones. An octave above C would be C. The frequency of a note one octave above another will have exactly twice as many Hertz as the frequency of the note an octave below it.

44
Q

passacaglia

A

A continuous variation form. The basis for the form is a four bar ostinato over which variations are written in the other voices. It is similar to the chaconne and is moderately slow in triple meter.

45
Q

pesante

A

A directive to a musician to perform a certain passage in a heavy, ponderous fashion, with importance and weight, impressively.

46
Q

piu

A

Italian term for more. Typically used to modify tempo markings as in “più mosso” meaning “more motion.”

47
Q

presto

A

A directive to perform the indicated passage of a composition very quickly.

48
Q

rallentando

A

A directive to perform a certain passage of a composition with a gradual slowing of the tempo. The abbreviation is rall.