Music Appreciation: Ch 2 - Exam 1
the temporal aspect of sound; can be described as the pattern of "on" and "off" states exhibited by any sound as time passes
rhythm
the "highness" or "lowness of a sound; can be represented as a frequency or a note name
pitch
the loudness or quietness of sound; can be specified in terms of amplitude (specific) or dynamic marking (contextual)
volume
The manner in which a pitch is begun, sustained, and released
articulation
The quality of a sound, determined by its overtones
timbre
the organization of a musical work in time; can be mapped using terms or letter names
form
a regularly-spaced rhythmic emphasis; synonymous with "beat"
pulse
the rate at which the pulse is felt
tempo
the grouping of pulses into stable units usually containing two, three, or four pulses
meter
a unit determined by meter that contains the basic grouping of pulses (e.g. a measure in triple time will contain three beats)
measure/bar
the first beat in a measure or bar
downbeat
the distance between two pitches
interval
the distance between low and high pitches
melodic range
the use of high or low pitches
register
using notes beyond those included in the major or minor scale
chromatic pitch set
a sequence of pitches containing the principle notes that can be used to compose or improvise in a given key. this is characterized by the intervals between the notes, which are usually major or minor seconds but can also be thirds
scale
a coherent sequence of notes that, if embedded in a complex texture, is clearly of primary importance
melody
the pitches that support the melody; can refer generally to non-melodic voices or specifically to chords
harmony
when the melody pimarily moves up and down the scale
conjunct melody
when the melody contains larger intervals and leaps
disjunct
a collection of pitches, usually three or four, that belong to the same mode, are separated by intervals of a third, and are often sounded simultaneously to support a harmony
chords
a sequence of chords; certain ones are common, while others are unusual and might sound displeasing
chord progression
the loudness or softness of a musical passage
dynamic level
the process of gradually getting louder
crescendo
the process of gradually getting softer
decrescendo/diminuendo
a very loud dynamic, louder than forte
fortissimo
a loud dynamic
forte
a medium-loud dynamic
mezzo forte
a medium-quiet dynamic
mezzo piano
a quiet dynamic
piano
a very quiet dynamic, quieter than piano
pianissimo
an articulation that is short and accented
staccato
a smooth, connected form of articulation
legato
a sequence of higher-pitched frequencies that are activated every time a pitch is produced
overtone series
a higher-pitched frequency that is activated when a pitch is produced
overtones
describes how layers of sound within a piece of music interact
texture
having a single melodic line with no accompaniment or countermelodies
monophonic
a musical texture in which all melodic instruments/voices perform essentially the same melody at the same time, but with individual variations determined by the capabilities of the instrument
homophonic
a musical texture in which no single voice has the melody and all are equally important
polyphonic
the relationship between two identical musical passages
repitition
the relationship between two musical passages that share recognizable melodic, harmonic, or rhythmic features, but that are not identical. also, a compositional technique in which a foundational piece of music is altered in was that distinguishes it from the source while leaving the source recognizable
variation
the relationship between two musical passages that do not share recognizable melodic, harmonic, or rhythmic features
contrast
a repeating melodic or rhythmic figure
ostinato
a way of categorizing musical works based on perceived characteristics, use, or market
genre
a means of dividing musical genres into increasingly specific subcategories
subgenre
same rhythm
homorhythmic
a musical work the contents of which are firmly established ahead of performance by a composer. every performance of a fixed composition will be recognizable as a performance of the same work
fixed composition
composition during the act of performance. this is usually guided by norms and practices that belong to a given tradition
improvisation