| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Nepotism | Putting relatives in positions of church power |
| Simony | Buying church office |
| Hocket | A single melody is shared between two voices such that alternately one voice sounds while the other rests |
| Isorhythmic | When a piece has the same rhythm throughout |
| Aria | A sung solo |
| Arioso | A miniature sung solo |
| Recitative | Half music, half speech, used in opera |
| Basso Continuo | A part played by a harpsichord or organ that doubles the bass part already |
| Ground Bass | A bass with a small, repeating motif |
| Iconography | The study of subject matter or symbolism in a piece |
| Humanism | Putting the emphasis on the individual, the body, and classical references |
| Sfumato | Smoky, a blending of colors with low contrast |
| Chiaroscuro | The use of light and dark, shadows |
| Forced Chiaroscuro | A high amount of contrast bringing the audience's eye to the most important part of the piece |
| Pyramidal Composition | When the focuses of the piece form an equilaterlal triangle |
| Orthogonals | Lines in scientific perspective that meet at one vanishing point |
| Medium | What materials are used in the piece |
| Patronage | Who paid for the piece |
| Grisaille | "Painted Architecture" |
| Putti | Cherubs; Baby Angels |
| Rustication | When the bricks themselves show through |
| Contrapossto | A natural position (unsymmetrical, dispersed weight) |
| Cadence | The end of a musical phrase, marked by a pause (i.e. a period) |
| Octave | An 8 note interval |
| Homophony | When two or more parts move together in harmony |
| Polyphony | When two or more parts are distinct and independent |
| Monophony | When one or more parts are together and on the same note |
| Composition | How forms are placed; the layout |
| Nave | Center isle of a church |
| Apse | Semi-circular area beyond the altar |
| Capital | The top of a column |
| Metope | The space in between small reliefs in a Doric building |
| Tuscan Order Column | A Roman version of an ionic column |
| Entasis | The bulge half way up a greek column that makes it appear straight |
| Pediment | A tympanum-like space on a greek temple |
| Tympanum | The space above an entryway, often sculpted in relief |
| Relief | A statue partially raised from a flat plane |
| Sculpture in the round | A sculpture meant to be viewed from all angles except below the base |
| Disguised Symbolism | When aspects of art hold hidden meanings (Common in the Northern Renaissance.) |
| Plainchant (Gregorian Chant) | Unaccompanied, monophonic music for voice |
| Reciting Tone | The Pitch on which the text is sung with the exception of small variations at the beginnings and ends of phrases |
| Antiphon | A musical genre where the piece is a response to a traditional plainchant piece. |
| Sequence | A series of short notes sung twice with some variation (A A' B B' C C'...) |
| Drone | A single two-note chord running continuously |
| Troubadours | Noble Poet-composers and performers of court songs |
| Strophic | Different words but the same general melody |
| Estampies | One line pieces in triple meter where similar musical phrases are repeated many times in varied forms |
| Organum | A Traditional plainchant with another melody in counterpoint being sung simultaneously |
| Motet | A sacred vocal composition |
| Madrigal | The main secular vocal genre of the Renaissance |
Combine with other sets
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace