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Flashcards

GCSE musical terms

Deleted user User has deleted their subject information English 112 cards

Cards in this deck (112)

  1. 1AnacrusisUp-beat, an accented note or group of notes before the first strong beat of a phrase
  2. 2BeatRegular pulse that can be clapped to
  3. 3Simple timeWhen the main beats of the bar can be divided into two equal portions
  4. 4Compound timeWhen the main beats in a bar can be divided into three equal portions
  5. 5Harmonic rhythmHow often the harmony changes in a piece of music
  6. 6OffbeatSounds in between the main beats of a piece of music
  7. 7PolyrhythmMore than one rhythm played at the same time
  8. 8RestA moment of silence (when someone is not playing)
  9. 9Swing rhythmWhen two quavers are played as a triplet crotchet and a quaver
  10. 10SyncopationAccenting the weak notes of a bar
  11. 11TripletThree notes played in the time normally taken by two of the same type
  12. 12AccentEmphasis on one particular note or chord
  13. 13ArcoUse the bow (string instruments)
  14. 14LegatoSmoothly
  15. 15Pizzicato (or pizz)Plucked (string instruments)
  16. 16StaccatoPlayed in a detached way
  17. 17VibratoChanging the pitch of a note very fast to give resonance (on strings this means wobbling the finger on the string)
  18. 18Binary formWith an A section followed by a B section
  19. 19Ternary formWith a contrasting section in between two similar ones (ABA)
  20. 20Rondo FormA main melody alternates with contrasting sections (ABACADA)
  21. 21CanonThe melody in one part is repeated by the others while the original continues (also known as a round)
  22. 22CodaSection of music that ends a piece
  23. 23FugeA main theme is taken up and developed by each of the parts in turn
  24. 24Chamber musicMusic written for small groups
  25. 25ConcertoMusic for instrument soloist and orchestra (often in three movements)
  26. 26EnsembleGroup of musicians performing together
  27. 27OperaLarge secular musical theatre composition with orchestra, choir, and soloists
  28. 28OratorioLarge sacred composition with an orchestra, choir, and soloists, while an opera is theatre an oratorio is solely a concert piece
  29. 29SonataPiece for soloist or duet in three or four movements
  30. 30SymphonyType of orchestral composition, usually in four movements.
  31. 31BaroqueMusical period - 1600-1750 E.g. Bach, Handel
  32. 32ClassicalMusical period - 1750-1820 E.g. Mozart, Haydn
  33. 33RomanticMusical period - 1820-1900 E.g. Brahms, Schubert
  34. 34ModernMusical period - 1900-present E.g. Glass, Williams
  35. 35LargoBroadly
  36. 36AdagioSlow and stately
  37. 37AndanteAt a walking pace
  38. 38ModeratoModerately
  39. 39AllegrettoModerately fast
  40. 40AllegroFast, lively and bright
  41. 41VivaceLively and fast(er than allegro)
  42. 42PrestoVery fast
  43. 43AccelerandoSpeeding up
  44. 44AllargandoBroadening (get a bit slower and perhaps louder)
  45. 45Rallentando/RitenutoSlowing down
  46. 46RubatoWith some freedom (lit: "Robbed") of time
  47. 47StrophicEvery verse of a song is set to the same melody
  48. 48Through-composedEvery verse of a song is set to a different melody
  49. 49Outro/CodaEnding section of a piece of music
  50. 50MelismaWhen a singer slurs/spreads out a sylable over more than one note
  51. 51VirtuosoHighly skilled performer
  52. 52CadenzaSolo section within a piece for the soloist to show off their virtuosity, sometimes improvised sometimes not
  53. 53ConductorPerson who leads an orchestra by keeping them in time and directing dynamics and tempo
  54. 54MovementSelf-contained section within a larger piece
  55. 55BreakA solo by an instrumentalist (jazz)
  56. 56ImprovisationMaking it up as you go along
  57. 57ffFortissimo (very loud)
  58. 58fForte (loud)
  59. 59mfMezzo-forte (moderately loud)
  60. 60mpMezzo-piano (moderately quiet)
  61. 61pPiano (quiet)
  62. 62ppPianissimo
  63. 63cresc.Crescendo (get louder)
  64. 64dim./decresc.Diminuendo/ decrescendo (getting quieter)
  65. 65ArpeggioA broken chord (when the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 8ve notes are played after each other rather than at the same time)
  66. 66Blues scaleA hexatonic (6-note) scale with a flattened 3rd, 5th, and 7th
  67. 67GlissandoA slide from one pitch to another
  68. 68IntervalThe distance between two notes
  69. 69IntonationTuning/ accuracy of pitch
  70. 70KeyThe scale that a section of music is based on
  71. 71MelodyA tune
  72. 72ModalModes are scales that differ from normal major or minor scales, e.g. play a scale using only white notes starting and finishing on D (dorian mode)
  73. 73RangeThe gap between the highest and lowest notes in a piece
  74. 74OctaveThe interval between notes 12 semitones apart e.g. middle C to the C above it
  75. 75OrnamentsSmall musical additions that decorate a melody e.g. turn, trill
  76. 76PentatonicScale made of 5 notes, the tonic, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 6th
  77. 77PitchHow high or low a note is
  78. 78ScaleSequence of notes that moves by steps either upwards or downwards
  79. 79SemitoneThe smallest interval between two notes
  80. 80TonalityWhether a piece is in a major or minor key
  81. 81ToneAn interval of two semitones
  82. 82TrillA rapid alternation of two pitches (type of ornament)
  83. 83Bass lineThe lowest pitched line in a piece of music
  84. 84Call-and-responseA pair of phrases, often performed by different musicians, in which the second phrase is heard as a reply to the first.
  85. 85ImitationA melodic idea in one part is copied by another part at a different pitch.
  86. 86InstrumentationThe choice of instruments for a piece of music
  87. 87InversionWhen the intervals in a melody are turned upside down e.g. a rising 5th (C to G) becomes a falling 5th (C to F)
  88. 88LeitmotifA recurring motif used in a piece to represent the same person, idea, or place
  89. 89OstinatoA repeated pattern of notes heard throughout a section of music.
  90. 90SequenceImmediate repetition of a melody at a different pitch
  91. 91TimbreThe individual sound characterisic of a particular instrument or voice
  92. 92Walking bassA bass line in which all the notes are on the beat and move by small steps
  93. 93AtonalA piece of music that is not in any key, with clashing harmonies
  94. 94CadenceThe last two chords of a musical phrase, creating musical punctuation
  95. 95ChordTwo or more notes played at the same time, creating a particular quality e.g. major, minor, seventh
  96. 96Chromatic notesNotes that do not belong to the scale of the key that the music is currently in
  97. 97Diatonic notesNotes that belong to the scale that the music is currently in
  98. 98DissonanceA combination of notes that produces a clashing sound when played together
  99. 99DominantThe 5th note of a scale
  100. 100DroneA sustained note
  101. 101Major and MinorDifferent types of intervals, chords, and keys
  102. 102ModulationChanging key
  103. 103Relative major/minorKeys that have the same key signature but a different tonic
  104. 104SubdominantThe 4th note in a scale
  105. 10512 bar bluesChord sequence used in Blues and Jazz made of the 1st, 4th, and 5th chords of a key
  106. 106TextureThe relationship between different lines of a piece of music
  107. 107AccompanimentMusic that supports a main performer or melody
  108. 108HeterophonyDifferent versions of the same melody are heard at the same time (as in Gamelan)
  109. 109HomophonicAll parts move in a similar rhythm, creating a chordal effect
  110. 110MonophonicOne melodic line
  111. 111Parallel motionWhen parts are moving in the same direction, keeping the same interval between them
  112. 112Polyphonic/Contrapuntal/CounterpointTwo or more significant melody lines are played at the same time

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User has deleted their subject information Flashcards on GCSE musical terms, created by Deleted user on 28/09/2016.
Created by
Deleted user · Sep 2016
Updated
Dec 28, 2016
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music
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  • Created by f.conboy1 · Oct 26, 2013
  • Copied by Natalie Robbins · Sep 28, 2016
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