Modulation
A change in key or tonality
Timbre
The distinctive sound of a voice or instrument
Assimilation
The process whereby immigrant groups gradually adapt the characteristics of the host society
Form
The way a musical piece is organized in terms of overall structure; the way major sections of the piece relate to each other
Rhythm
The way music is organized and grouped in time; the way the beat is organized
Acoustics
The science of sound and sound waves
Motive
Short melodic fragment that is repeated enough to become recognizable
Ethnomusicologist
A scholar of music in culture and world music
Dynamics
The volume of the music, and any changes in volume, whether sudden or gradual
Dissonance
Sounds which are considered harsh or unstable, which provide musical tension
Harmony
They way sounds are combined to form chords and how they progress from one to the next; also, two or more pitches sounding at the same time
Genre
A type or category of music, such as a symphony, hymn, song, march, or opera
Texture
The layers of musical sound in a piece of music and how they relate to each other
Melody
A series of single musical tones that add up to a recognizable musical whole or idea; also, the main tune
Pitch
The highness or lowness of musical sound
indigenous
native to a culture or region
oral tradition
the passing down of music by word of mouth (or ear) from one generation to the next
gospel music
protestant religious music usually associated more with rural, folk roots than with urban, European traditions
psalter
hymn books consisting of musical settings of songs, sometimes with words only and sometimes with hymn tunes and words
strophic
a musical form in which the same music is used for each stanza of a ballad, song, or hymn
vibrato
an oscillating variation in pitch that enhances a tone, providing richness and warmth to the timbre
blues
a style of music which expresses hardship and uses a repetitive 12-bar structure
shape-note system
a method of teaching note reading by using different shaped note heads
folk music
music of unknown origin and enjoyed by the general population
singing schools
schools originally established to improve the state of hymn singing in colonial America by teaching note-reading
rubato
a term from musical notation which indicates the music should use a flexible pulse, with variation in the tempo
fuging tune
a four-part hymn with a short, middle section in which each voice enters with the same melody, but at a different time
rhythm and blues
a style of black popular music that originally featured a boogie-woogie style of piano accompaniment, but later referred to a wide spectrum of black popular music
lining out
the practice of congregational singing in which a leader sings one line at a time and the congregation sings it back
melisma
in vocal music, the practice of singing one syllable of text to many different notes
honkey-tonk
a type of western popular music performed on piano and played in small-town saloons
riff
short melodic and rhythmic embellishments which serve as background to the melody
lead
the soloist in Jazz and rock and roll
Motown
a style of black, popular music designed to be more popular among both black and white audiences than other styles had been previously
improvisation
the process of making up the music as you go along, significant especially in jazz
minstrel show
a type of 19th century variety show that featured white performers in blackface doing songs, dances, and comical acts
chorus
a standardized section of a jazz tune, consisting of 32 bars in 4 8-measure phrases
standard
a song that has sustained popularity through decades and generations, transcending changing styles and tastes
rockabilly
the form of popular music that resulted from the influence of hillbilly singers on rock and roll
syncopation
the occurance of musical emphasis in unexpected places, usually on what are normally the weaker parts of the beat
western swing
a style of country music that became popular in the Southwest and featured a larger instrumental ensemble like the one used in swing jazz
comping
the syncopated chords and melodic figures played by a jazz pianist while accompanying a solo improvisation
ragtime
a style of piano music of the first two decades of the 20th century which served as a formative element in the creation of jazz and is characterized by melodic syncopation and a stride bass
vaudeville
an early 20th century variety show of unrelated acts by singers, dancers, comedians, and more
boogie-woogie
a piano jazz style popular from the late 1920's through the present, characterized by a left hand ostinato figure and based on the standard 12-bar blues chord progression
Tin Pan Ally
a period (therefore, a style) of popular songwriting in early 20th century in which popular songs where written using the piano and sheet music was produced
walking bass
a jazz bass line played on each beat, frequently with some embellishment and emphasizing the main tones of the underlying chord
hillbilly music
a style of popular song derived form rural, southern folk tradition which served as one of the root elements of modern country music
head" arrangement
jazz arrangements that are worked out in rehearsal and played that way in performance by memory, without improvisation
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
the Beatles album that marked a new popularity of rock and roll in 1967
salsa
a popular dance and entertainment music of Latin America that has characteristics of rhythm and blues, jazz, and rock
raga
the melodic patterns used in classical Indian music which convey the mood and form the basis for melodic improvisation
acculturation
the process by which one culture assimilates or adapts to the characteristics or practices of another
reel
a type of traditional Irish dance music which uses a meter that groups the beats into 2s and 4s
vocables
in some native music, sung sounds which have no meaning, but are intended only as musical sounds
mariachi
a popular Mexican folk music ensemble that includes a harp, violins, guitars, and trumpets
gagaku
an instrumental music genre of Imperial courts of Japan
vernacular
the most familiar and most used language of the people of a nation, region, or sub-group
jig
a type of traditional Irish dance music, which uses a meter that groups the beats in 3s
bossa nova
a popular music of Brazilian origin that is rhythmically related to Samba, but with complex harmonies and improvised jazz-like sections
tex-mex (tejano)
a popular Mexican-based dance music originating in southern Texas
gamelan
an Indonesian orchestra composed of various-sized drums, metal xylophones, and gongs
pentatonic scale
a scale using only 5 notes
klezmer
a type of traditional Jewish music which uses a small combo of instruments including clarinet accordion, and fiddle
afro-pop
a popular music from Africa which combines traditional elements with Western-pop and rock
tala
the basic rhythmic patterns used in classical Indian music, involving cycles of counts
mestizo
natives of Central and South America having mixed Indian and Spanish ancestory
glissando
producing a sliding of the pitch sound either vocally or instrumentally
zydeco
a popular dance and entertainment music of the Cajun culture of Louisiana
reggae
a synthesis of rock, rhythm and blues, and Caribbean styles which originated in Jaimaca