Flashcards in Midterm Terminology Deck (88):
1
Gregorian chant (plainsong)
a large body of unaccompanied monophonic vocal music, set to Latin texts, composed for the Western Church over the course of fifteen centuries, from the time of earliest fathers to the Council of Trent (1545-1563)
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syllabic singing
a style of singing in which each syllable of text has one, and only one, note; the opposite of melismatic singing
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melismatic singing
many notes sung to just one syllable
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organum
the name given to the early polyphony of the Western Church from the ninth through the thirteenth centuries
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tenor
the highest male vocal range
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Mass
the central religious service of the Roman Catholic Church, one that incorporates singing for spiritual reflection or as accompaniment to sacred texts
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Proper of the Mass
the sections of the Mass that are sung to texts that vary with each feast day
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Ordinary of the Mass
the five sung portions of the Mass for which the texts are unvariable
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vielle
medieval fiddle
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humanism
Renaissance belief that people have the capacity to create many things good and beautiful; it rejoiced in the human form in all its fullness, looked outward, and indulged a passion for invention and discovery
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motet
a composition for choir or larger chorus setting a religious, devotional, or solemn text; often sung a cappella
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a cappella
a term applied to unaccompanied vocal music; originated in the expression "a cappella Sistana", "in the Sistine Chapel" of the pope, where instruments were forbidden to accompany the singers
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imitation
the process by which one or more musical voices, or parts, enter and duplicate exactly for a period of time the music presented by the previous voice
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pavane
slow, gliding Renaissance dance in duple meter performed by couples holding hands
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galliard
fast, leaping Renaissance dance in triple meter
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madrigal
a popular genre of secular vocal music that originated in Italy during the Renaissance, in which usually four or five voices sing love poems
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word painting
the process of depicting the text in music, be it subtly, overtly, or even jokingly, by means of expressive musical devices
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madrigalism
a device, originating in the madrigal, by which key words in a text spark a particularly expressive musical setting
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Baroque
term used to describe the arts generally during the period 1600-1750 and signifying excess and extravagance
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Renaissance
literally "rebirth"; historians use the term to designate a period of intellectual and artistic flowering that occurred first in Italy, then in France, and finally in England, during the years 1350-1600; music historians apply the term more narrowly to musical developments in those same countries during the period 1450-1600
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Medieval
term used to refer to the thousand years of history between the fall of the Roman Empire (476) and the dawn of the Age of Discovery (mid-1400s, culminating in the voyages of Christopher Columbus)
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Classical
the music of the period 1750-1820
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monody
a general term connoting solo singing accompanied by a "basso continuo" in the early Baroque period
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basso continuo
a small ensemble of at least two instrumentalists who provide a foundation for the melody or melodies above; heard almost exclusively in Baroque music
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basso ostinato
a motive or phrase in the bass that is repeated again and again
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ground bass
the English term for "basso ostinato"
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walking bass
a bass line that moves at a moderate pace, mostly in equal note values, and often stepwise up or down the scale
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lament bass
a chromatic walking bass
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figured bass
in musical notation, numerical shorthand that tells the player which unwritten notes to fill in above the written bass note
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terraced dynamics
a term used to describe the sharp, abrupt dynamic contrasts found in the music of the Baroque era
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opera
a dramatic work in which the actors sing some or all of their parts, it usually makes use of elaborate stage sets and costumes
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libretto
the text of an opera
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recitative
musically heightened speech, often used in an opera, oratorio, or cantata to report dramatic action and advance the plot
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simple recitative
recitative accompanied only by a basso continuo or a harpsichord, and not the full orchestra
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aria
an elaborate lyrical song for solo voice
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arioso
a style of singing and a type of song midway between an aria and a recitative
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vocal ensemble
in opera, a group of four or more solo singers, usually the principles
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chamber music
music, usually instrumental music, performed in a small concert hall or private residence with just one performer on each part
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cantata
a term originally meaning "something sung"; in its mature state, it consists of several movements, including one or more arias, ariosos, and recitatives; cantatas can be on secular subjects and intended for private performance or on religious subjects
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chamber cantata
a cantata performed before a select audience in a private residence; intimate vocal chamber music, principally of the Baroque era
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idiomatic writing
musical composition that exploits the strengths and avoids the weaknesses of particular voices and instruments
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orchestra
the large instrumental ensemble that plays symphonies, overtures, concertos, and the like
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overture
an introductory movement, usually for orchestra, that precedes an opera, oratorio, or a dance suite
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French overture
an overture style developed by Jean-Baptiste Lully with two sections, the first slow in duple meter with dotted note values, the second fast in triple meter and with light imitation; the first section can be repeated after the second
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sonata
originally, "something sounded" on an instrument as opposed to something sung (a "cantata"); later, a multi-movement work for solo instrument, or instrument with keyboard accompaniment
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chamber sonata
a suite for keyboard or small instrumental ensemble made up of individual dance movements
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solo sonata
a work, usually in three or four movements, for keyboard or other solo instrument; when a solo melodic instrument played a sonata in the Baroque era, it was supported by the "basso continuo"
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concerto grosso
a multi-movement concerto of the Baroque era that pits the sound of a small group of soloists (the concertino) against that of the full orchestra (the tutti)
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concertino
the group of instruments that function as soloists in a concerto grosso
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tutti
(Italian for "all") the full orchestra or full performing force
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ritornello form
Italian for "return" or "refrain"; form in a Baroque concerto grosso in which all or part of the main theme (ritornello) returns again and again, invariably played by the tutti, or full orchestra
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Brandenburg Concertos
set of six concerti grossi composed by J. S. Bach between 1711 and 1720, and subsequently dedicated to Margrave Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg
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The Art of Fugue
Bach's last project (1742-1750), an encyclopedic treatment of all known contrapuntal procedures, set forth in nineteen canons and fugues
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fugue
a composition for three, four, or five parts played or sung by voices or a subject in imitation in each part and continues with modulating passages of free counterpoint and further appearances of the subject
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exposition
in a fugue, the opening section, in which each voice in turn has the opportunity to present the subject, in sonata-allegro form, the principal section, in which all thematic material is presented
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episode
a passage of free, nonimitative counterpoint found in a fugue
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subject
the term for the principle theme in a fugue
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pedal point
a note, usually in the bass, sustained or continually repeated for a period of time while the harmonies change around it
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cadenza
a showy passage for the soloist appearing near the end of the movement in a concerto; usually incorporates rapid runs, arpeggios, and snippets of previously heard themes into a fantasy-like improvisation
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chorale
the German word for the hymn of the Lutheran Church; hence a simple religious melody to be sung by the congregation
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da capo form
ternary (ABA) form for an aria, so called because the performers, when reaching the end of B, "take it from the head" and repeat A
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dance suite
a collection of instrumental dances, each with its own distinctive rhythm and character
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opera seria
a genre of opera that dominated the stage during the Baroque era, making use of serious historical or mythological subjects, da capo arias, and lengthy overtures
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opera buffa
Italian for "comic opera"; a genre of opera featuring light, often domestic subjects, with tuneful melodies, comic situations, and happy endings
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Singspiel
German for "singing play"; a musical comedy originating in Germany with spoken dialogue, tuneful songs, and topical humor
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oratorio
a large-scale genre of sacred music involving an overture, arias, recitatives, and choruses, but sung, whether in a theater or a church, with-out costumes or scenery
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pastoral aria
aria with several distinctive musical characteristics, all of which suggest pastoral scenes and the movement of simple shepherds attending the Christ Child
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Alberti bass
a pattern of accompaniment whereby, instead of having the pitches of a chord sound all together, the notes are played in succession to provide a continual stream of sound
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Enlightenment
eighteenth-century period in philosophy and letters during which thinkers gave free rein to the pursuit of truth and the discovery of natural laws
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pianoforte
the original name for the piano
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Viennese School
group of Classical composers, including Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert, whose careers all unfolded in Vienna
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Freemasons
fraternity of the Enlightenment who believed in tolerance and universal brotherhood
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ternary form
a three-part musical form in which the third section is a repeat of the first; hence ABA
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relative major
the major key in a pair of major and minor keys; relative keys have the same key signature
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minuet
a moderate dance in 3/4, though actually danced in patterns of six steps, with no upbeat but with highly symmetrical phrasing
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trio
an ensemble, vocal or instrumental, with three performers; also, a brief, self-contained composition contrasting with a previous piece, such as a minuet or a mazurka; originally, the trio was performed by only three instruments
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serenade
an instrumental work for a small ensemble originally intended as a light entertainment in the evening
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sonata-allegro form
a dramatic musical form that originated in the Classical period involving an exposition, development, and recapitulation, with optional introduction and coda
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transition
in sonata-allegro form, the unstable section in which the tonality changes from tonic to dominant (or relative major) in preparation for the appearance of the second theme
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development
the center-most portion of sonata-allegro form, in which the thematic material of the exposition is developed and extended, transformed, or reduced to its essence; often the most confrontational and unstable section of the movement
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recapitulation
in sonata-allegro form, the return to the first theme and the tonic key following the development
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coda
Italian for "tail"; a final and concluding section of a musical composition
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theme and variations
a musical form in which a theme continually returns but is varied by changing the notes of the melody, the harmony, the rhythm, or some other feature of the music
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rondo form
classical form with at least three statements of the refrain (A) and at least two contrasting sections (at least B and C); placement of the refrain creates symmetrical patterns such as ABACA, ABACABA, or even ABACADA
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symphony
a genre of instrumental music for orchestra consisting of several movements; also, the orchestra ensemble that plays this genre
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string quartet
a standard instrumental ensemble for chamber music consisting of a single first and second violin, a viola, and a cello; also, the genre of music, usually in three of four movements, composed for this ensemble
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scherzo
Italian for "joke"; a rapid, jovial work in triple meter often used in place of the minuet as the third movement in a string quartet or symphony
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