Vocal Vocab

Question 1

A cappella

Answer 1

choral music with no instrumental accompaniment

Question 2

Alto

Answer 2

A low ranged female voice

Question 3

Aria

Answer 3

A beautiful manner of solo singing, accompanied by orchestra with a steady metrical beat

Question 4

Art Song

Answer 4

a musical setting of artistic poetry for solo voice accompanied by piano (or orchestra )

Question 5

Baritone

Answer 5

A utterly low male voice and range between a tender and a bass

Question 6

Bass

Answer 6

The lowest male voice

Question 7

Belcanto

Answer 7

Is an Italian term meaning beautiful singing, popular opera technique

Question 8

call and response

Answer 8

A traditional African process in which a leaders phrase is repeatedly answered by chorus. This process became an important aspect of a many Afro-American styles.

Question 9

Cantata

Answer 9

A composition in several movements written for chorus, soloist, and Orchestra traditionally these are religious works

Question 10

Chorale

Answer 10

A Lutheran liturgical melody. A four part hymn like chorale harmonization.

Question 11

Chorus

Answer 11

they fairly large coral group. And jazz a single statement of the main harmonic/melody pattern.

Question 12

Hymn

Answer 12

Song of praise

Question 13

Imitation

Answer 13

A polyphonic texture in which material is presented, then echoed from voice to voice

Question 14

Falsetto

Answer 14

A vocal technique that allows a male to seeing in a much higher lighter register by vibrating only half of the vocal cords

Question 15

Leitmotif

Answer 15

A short musical signature tune associated with a person or concept in a Wagnerian music drama

Question 16

Libretto

Answer 16

The song/spoken text of an opera/musical theater

Question 17

Madrigal

Answer 17

A composition on a short secular poem, sung by a small group of unaccompanied singers

Question 18

Melisma

Answer 18

A succession of many pitches song while sustaining one syllable of text

Question 19

Mezzo

Answer 19

In Italian prefix that means medium

Question 20

Mezzo-soprano

Answer 20

A dramatic woman’s voice that combines the power of an alto with a primary high range of a soprano. G3-E5

Question 21

Motet

Answer 21

A polyphonic vocal piece set to a sacred Latin text that is not from the Roman Catholic mass

Question 22

Musikdrama

Answer 22

A type of ultra dramatic German operatic theater developed by Richard Wagner in the mid/late romantic era

Question 23

nationalism

Answer 23

Music styles that include folk, songs, dances, legends, language, or other national imagery relating to a composer’s native country

Question 24

Opera

Answer 24

A large scale, fully staged, dramatic theatrical work involving solo, singers, chorus, and Orchestra

Question 25

Opera buffa

Answer 25

Comic Italian opera usually in 2 acts

Question 26

Opera seria

Answer 26

Serious Italian opera usually in 3 acts

Question 27

Oratorio

Answer 27

A large scale sacred work for solo singers, chorus, and Orchestra that is not staged

Question 28

Organum

Answer 28

A type of early French medieval polyphony dating from 1000 to 1200 featuring a slow non-metered chant and the lowest voice with one or more faster metrical voices sung above (in melismatic style- mini note sung on each syllable of text)

Question 29

overture

Answer 29

A one movement orchestra introduction to an opera (Wagner visit and other composers after 1850 use the term prelude instead to show Germanic unity between the overture and the the theatrical drama that follows it)

Question 30

rap

Answer 30

A style of popular music developed by Afro-Americans in the 1970s in which the lyrics are spoken over rhythm tracks

Question 31

Recitative

Answer 31

A speech like style of singing with a free rhythm over a sparse accompaniment

Question 32

Song

Answer 32

A small scale musical work that is song (A German song is a “Lied”, in French song is a chanson, an Italian song is a Canzona)

Question 33

song cycle

Answer 33

A set of poetically, unified songs (for one singer accompanied by either piano or Orchestra)

Question 34

Soprano

Answer 34

The highest range women’s voice or a high prepubescent boys voice. The highest sounding instrument of an instrumental family.

Question 35

Strophic Form

Answer 35

A song form featuring several successive verses of text song to the same music

Question 36

Tenor

Answer 36

A high range, male voice

Question 37

Tone color

Answer 37

The unique character characteristic sound of a musical instrument or voice

Question 38

Verismo

Answer 38

A style of true life, Italian opera that flourished at the turn of the 20th century

Question 39

Word-painting

Answer 39

in vocal music, musical gestures that reflect the specific meaning of words, a common aspect of the Renaissance Madrigal