 | Term | Definition |
| |
Pitch |
Relative highness or lowness of a sound |
| |
Dynamics |
Degrees of loudness or softness in music |
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Timbre |
Quality of sound that distinguishes one instrument or voice from another |
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Coloratura Soprano |
Very high range |
| |
Lyric Soprano |
Rather light voice |
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Dramatic Soprano |
Full, powerful voice |
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Lyric Tenor |
Relatively light, bright voice |
| |
Dramatic Tenor |
Powerful voice; is capable of heroic expression |
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Basso Buffo |
Takes comic roles |
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Basso Profundo |
Very low range |
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Percussion Instruments of Orchestra |
Timpanis, cymbals, bass drum, and snare drum |
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Woodwind Instruments of Orchestra |
Flutes, piccolos, oboes, clarinets, and bassoons |
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String Instruments of Orchestra |
Violins, violas, cellos, Double basses, harp |
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Brass Instruments of Orchestra |
French horns, trumpets, trombones, tuba |
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Rhythm |
The flow of music through time |
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Beat |
Regular, recurrent pulsation that divides music into equal units of time |
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Meter |
Organization of beats into groups |
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Measure |
A group containing a fixed number of beats |
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Tempo |
Speed of the beat |
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Melody |
Series of single tones that add up to a recognizable whole |
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Harmony |
How chords are constructed and how they follow each other |
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Chord |
Combination of three or more tones sounded at once |
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Monophonic Texture |
Single melodic line without accompaniment |
| |
Polyphonic Texture |
Performance of two or more melodic lines of relatively equal interest at the same time |
| |
Homophonic Texture |
Term describing music in which one main melody is accompanied by chords |
