Cadence
Harmonic conclusion of a phrase
Cadential Extension
Prolonging or delaying cadence with additional material.
coda
Demarcation of a section of music be skipped to after repeating another section
Call and Response
a song style in which a singer or musician leads with a call and a group responds
Dynamics
The volume of the music
Crescendo
gradually louder
Diminuendo
gradually softer
Terrace Dynamics
Dynamics change abruptly from phrase to
phrase, rather than gradually
Pianissimo (pp)
very soft
Codetta
a brief conclusion of a piece consisting of a authentic cadence that may be repeated multiple times
Contour
the general aural form of a line of music, often used to refer to the melody
Countermelody
An accompanying melody sounded against the principal melody, following the rules of counterpoint
Elision (phrase elision)
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Inconclusive Cadence
Any cadence not ending on the tonic chord
Augmented Triad
Triad built of a major third and an augmented fifth
Plagal Cadence (PC)
IV- I motion occurring at the end of a phrase
Phrasing
A musical sentence
Tempo
speed of music
Adagio
slow
Allegro
fast
Andante
walking pace
Andantino
slightly faster than andante
Grave
very slow, solemn
Largo
slightly slower than lento
Lento
slightly slower than adagio
Moderato
moderate
Presto
Fast (slightly faster than allegro)
Vivace
lively and fast
Accelerando
gradually faster
Ritardando
gradually slower
Ritenuto
immediately slower
Rubato
Tempo at the will of the conductor
Tremolo
rapid repetition of one or two tones or chords, without apparent breaks, to express emotion
Trill
A rapid alternation between two adjacent notes
Articulation
The way a notes are sounded or articulated
Arco
with the bow
Legato
smooth and connected
Marcato
marked, accented
Pizzicato
pluck the string
Slur
Smoothly connects two or more notes of different pitches by a curved line over or under the notes
Staccato
short and detached
Tenuto
sustain full value-articulation
Improvisation (Improvisatory)
the spontaneous performance of music without previous preparation or any written notes
Phyrgian Half Cadence
Half Cadence that consists of a iv6-V progression
A Major Key Signature
W, W, H, W, W, W, H
Forte (f)
loud
Fortissimo (ff)
very loud
Sforzando (sfz)
Sudden strong accent
Piano (p)
soft
Mezzo Piano (mp)
moderately soft
Mezzo Forte (mf)
moderately loud
Antiphonal
A type of music in which two or more groups of voices or instruments alternate with one another
Half Cadence (HC)
A cadence that ends on V
Deceptive Cadence (DC)
Cadence in which V (or V7) moves to a root-position vi (or VI) instead of the expected I.
Chromatic
by semi-tones or half steps
Key signature
sharps or flats placed at the beginning of a selection indicating its key
Conclusive Cadence
Any cadence ending on the tonic chord
A minor key signature
w, h, w, w, h, w, w
Perfect Authentic Cadence (PAC)
The most stable cadence, consisting of V or V7 moving to I, ending with scale degree 1 in the melody (soprano)
Imperfect Authentic Cadence (IAC)
Somewhat unstable cadence, consisting of V or V7 moving to I, ending with scale degree 3 or 5 in the melody (soprano)
Diatonic
Notes involving the given key without the use of accidentals
Accidental
Note modified by a flat, sharp, or natural on the staff.
Elision (phrase elision)
where the end of one phrase of music acts as the beginning of the next phrase, can be a note or more.
Fragment (fragmented motive)
small, but logical section of a larger motive
Introduction
section of a piece of music that opens it up before the introduction of the first theme
bridge
section of music used to reflect on prior material or build to the climax
chorus
section of music after verses that is repeated throughout the song
Song form
(AABA) most popular structure of contemporary music
turnaround
a passage of music at the end of a section that leads to next section.
Twelve-bar blues
one of the most common chord progressions in popular music and jazz (I I I I, IV IV I I,
Accent
Emphasize the note
Agogic accent
Accent by longer duration of a note
Dynamic accent
Accent using a louder sound or stronger articulation
Metrical accent
Accent by being on a stronger beat of the measure
anacrusis (pickup; upbeat)
a note or series of notes that comes before the first complete measure of a composition; an introductory (and optional) measure that does not hold the number of beats expressed by the time signature
Asymmetrical meter
meters that have an odd number of subdivisions, measure cannot be divided into equal beats (ex. 5/8)
Bar line
Separates measures
Beat
The rhythmic movement of a piece of music
Compound time
The beat is divided into groups of three.
Simple time
time signatures in which each beat contains two subdivisions
Beat type
how the beat is divided or grouped
Changing meter
A shift of metrical groupings, manifested through changes of time signature.
Cross rhythm
The simultaneous use of two or more different rhythmic patterns.
Diminution
A form of embellishment in which a long note is divided into a series of shorter, more melodic values
Dot, double dot
A dot after a note indicates to play the duration of that note plus half of the duration of that note (ex: a dotted quarter would be played as one and a half beats instead of just one)
A double dot means to play the full value of the note plus half of the
Dotted rhythm
rhythm in which the beat is unequally subdivided into a long dotted note and a short note.
Duplet
Two notes in the time of three notes of the same value
Duration
How long a note lasts
Hemiola
a shift of the rhythmic pulse from a division of 2 to a division of 3
Irregular meter
asymmetrical groupings with different numbers of beats per measure
Meter
Shows how beats are divided within a piece of music
Duple
2 beats per measure
Quadruple
4 beats per measure
Triple
3 beats per measure
Note value
length of a note
Polyrhythm
a rhythm that makes use of two or more different rhythms simultaneously
Pulse
The natural beat of the music
Rhythm
Pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables
swing rhythm
Rhythm where eighth notes with equal written time values are performed with unequal durations, usually as alternating long and short
Syncopation
The accenting of a weak or usually unaccented beat
diminution
act of dividing melody notes into groups of shorter notes
disjunct
disjointed or disconnected voice leading with many leaps
extension, phrase extension
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Tempo
speed of music
Triplet
Three notes played in the same amount of time as two notes of the same value
Alto
Third highest within SATB format
Close position
Chordal arrangement in which notes are
placed as close together as allowed by chord
structure; i.e., the distance between the
soprano and tenor is less than an octave.
The bass note can be in any octave.
Bass
The lowest voice in SATB format
Scale Modes
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Minor Triad
Built with a minor third and a Perfect Fifth from the root
Major Triad
A major third and a Perfect Fifth above the root
Tie
a line connecting notes of the same pitch
Natural Minor Scale
similar to a major scale with lowered 3, 6 and 7.
Time signature (meter signature)
notation used to indicate meter; top number is the number of beats per measure, while the bottom indicate the note value of the beat
Diminished Triad
Built on two minor thirds above the root
Augmentation
Statement of a melody in longer note values, often twice as slow as the original.
Harmonic Minor Scale
a minor scale with a raised 7th scale degree
Melodic Minor Scale
a minor scale with raised 6th and 7th scale degrees ascending, but back normal descending
conjunct
smooth, connected voice leading that moves principally by small intervals
Ionian scale
same as major scale
Dorian scale
major scale starting on the second scale degree
phrygian scale
A modal scale that starts and ends on 3
lydian scale
Major scale with raised 4th
Mixolydian Mode
Major scale starting on the 5th scale degree
Aeolian Mode
natural minor scale
Locrian Mode
Scale starting on the 7th scale degree of a major scale
parallel keys
major and minor keys with same tonic (ex. C major and c minor)
relative keys
Major and minor keys that share the same key signature
tonic
1st scale degree
Scale degrees
tonic, supertonic, mediant, subdominant, dominant, submediant, leading tone
Supertonic
2nd scale degree
Mediant
3rd scale degree
Subdominant
4th scale degree
Dominant
5th scale degree
Submediant
6th scale degree
leading tone
7th scale degree
Pentatonic
5 note scale
Tetrachord
Series of four notes having a pattern of whole step, whole step, half step
Tonal
relating to pitch or sound
Tonality
All notes in a scale related to one central tone
whole tone scale
six consecutive whole steps within the range of an octave
Lyrics
the words of a song
Melismatic
more than one note per syllable
Stanza
a poem set to music with a recurring pattern of both rhyme and meter
Syllabic
one note per syllable
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
chordal accompaniment
The underlying harmonic support for a melody; chords may be blocked or broken.
contrapuntal
having two or more independent but harmonically related melodic parts sounding together
counterpoint
The art of combining in a single texture two or more melodic lines.
Imitation
melodic part that is played through different sections in order to mimic the first version melody that was played
imitative polyphony
technique in which each phrase of a composition is addressed by all the voices, which enter successively in imitation of each other
nonimitative polyphony
two or more melodic lines playing distinct melodies
counter melody
An accompanying melody sounded against the principal melody.
fugal imitation
Imitation of the subject which enters at a different pitch level, usually the fourth or fifth.
heterophony, heterophonic
one melodic line being improvised upon
homophony, homophonic
Melody supported by accompaniment.
chordal homophony
The same, or almost the same rhythm is applied to all voices of the musical texture, like a hymn.
chordal texture
A texture in which the musical material is concentrated into chords with relatively little melodic activity.
melody with accompaniment
most common texture in Western music; comprised of one part that has the melody with the other parts forming a background of harmonic accompaniment
Doubling
The act of giving the same note to two different voices
First inversion
A chord in which the third is in the bass
Inversion, inversions of chords
When a chord is not built off the root
Open position
wide intervals between parts
Root
The note that a chord is built off of
Root position
chord with the root in the bass
Second inversion
when the fifth of the chord is in the bass
Soprano
The highest voice in SATB format
Tenor
the second lowest voice in SATB format
Third inversion
A seventh chord voiced so that the chordal seventh is in the bass.4/2
Compound interval
An interval greater than an octave
Half step (semitone)
The smallest interval possible; from one tone
to the next possible tone
Interval
The distance between two notes
Inversion, inversion of an interval
A compound interval simplified to be less than an octave (ex: a ninth simplified to a second)
Numerical names (i.e., third, fifth, octave)
Names given to go from one note to another within a scale (ex: from A to C# in A major would be a third)
Quality or type (e.g., perfect, major, minor, diminished, augmented)
The brightness or darkness compared from the root of the scale to the note in question
Perfect intervals consists of Fourths, fifths, and octaves within the major scale
If these notes were raised with a natural or sharp, then they would be considered augm
Tritone
The devil's interval. It is an augmented fourth or diminished fifth
Unison (prime)
An interval when the note does not change
whole step (whole tone)
comprised of two half steps (semitones)
Arpeggio, Arpeggiation
The root, third, and fifth of a chord not being played at once
Chromatic
A scale consisting of only semitones
Common Practice Style
obeys two different kinds of musical norms: first, it uses conventionalized sequences of chords, such as I-IV-V-I. Second, it obeys specific contrapuntal norms, such as the avoidance of parallel fifths and octaves.
Consonance
When the harmonies are complimentary and blend
Diatonic
notes within a given scale or key
Dissonance
clashing voices or notes
Figured Bass
in musical notation, a numerical shorthand that tells the player which unwritten notes to fill in above the written bass note
Flatted fifth
diminished fifth (dissonant)
Lead sheet
sheet containing words and melody for a song written in simple form
Picardy third
suddenly ending a minor composition in a major triad
Resolution
when tense chords or notes move to a more stable chord or note
Common tone
In a chord progression, a note which belongs to both chords
Contrary motion
voices move in opposite directions
Cross relation (false relation)
a harmonic clash that occurs when a note in one part occurs at the same time as or immediately before its chromatic alteration in another part
Crossed voices (voice crossing)
occurs when a lower voice part is placed above a higher part or vice versa
Direct fifths (hidden fifths)
results when the outer parts move in the same direction into a P5, with a leap in the soprano
Direct octaves (hidden octaves)
outer parts move in the same direction into a perfect octave with a leap in the soprano
Oblique motion
one voice stays the same, the other moves
Overlapping voices
when an upper voice is lower than a voice lower than it, and vice versa
Parallel motion
when two voice parts move in the same direction and the same interval
Parallel intervals
Two or more adjacent intervals made by parallel motion.
Objectionable parallels
P5, P8
parallel fifths
when two parts move in the same direction, staying in fifths
parallel octaves
when two parts move in the same direction, staying in octaves
Similar motion
both voices move in the same direction but different intervals
Tendency tone
note that tends to move in one direction or another
Unresolved leading tone
when the leading tone isn't resolved up to the tonic
Unresolved seventh
when the seven in a chord isn't resolved down by step
Voice exchange
When voice parts exchange notes in order to prolong a chord: For example, a I chord moving to a I6 chord could exchange the root and the third with the bass and soprano voices.
Melodic Inversion
practice of inverting the intervals between the notes of a melody
literal repetition
Repetition of a passage of music indicated by a repeat sign, da capo, or al segno
motivic transformation
Alteration of a motive throughout a piece of music
Seventh Chord (M7)
A triad with another 3rd added above the 5th of the triad. The added note is a 7th above the root.
Major-Minor Seventh Chord
Major triad with minor seventh/dominant 7th
Minor Seventh Chord
Minor triad with minor third on top
Half-Diminished Seventh Chord
Chord formed from root note, a minor third, a diminished fifth, and a flat seventh
Fully-Diminished Seventh Chord
A four-note chord consisting of a diminished triad and a diminished 7th
Arpeggiating 6/4
A 6/4 created by arpeggiation of the triad in the bass
Passing 6/4
Harmonizes the second note of a three-note ascending or descending scale fragment in the bass; that is, it harmonizes a bass passing tone. The usual metric placement is on an unaccented beat and the motion of the upper voices is ordinarily by a step.
Neighboring or pedal 6/4
Occurs when the third and fifth of a root position triad are embellished by their respective upper neighbor tones while the bass is stationary, usually occurring on a weak beat.
Cadential 6/4
a I 6/4 preceding the dominant, often at a cadence. Although it has the notes of a tonic triad, it does not exercise a tonic function.
Dominant Seventh Chord
A seventh chord built on scale degree five (written as V7)