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Part 1 Elements

Terms in this set (92)

Timbre is synonymous with
tone color
Degrees of loudness and softness in music are called
Dynamics
the relative highness or lowness of a sound is called
Pitch
The distance between the lowest and highest tones that a voice or instrument can produce
Pitch Range
The Italian dynamic marking traditionally used to indicate very soft, loud, and very loud.
Pianissimo, forte, fortissimo
The pitch of a sound is decided by the ___ of its vibrations
frequency
the distance in pitch between any two tones is called
An interval
When two different tones blend so well when sounded together that they almost seem to merge into one tone, the interval is called
Octave
The frequency of vibrations is measured in
Cycles per second
A dynamic accent occurs in music when a performer
Emphasizes a tone by playing it more loudly than the tones around it
A gradual increase in loudness is known as a
Crescendo
In music, a sound that has a definite pitch is called a
Tone
The symbol > indicated to the performer that the music should
Gradually decrease in loudness
Music can be defined as
An art based on the organization of sounds in time
In general, the smaller the vibrating element the __ its pitch
higher
A thin piece of cane, used singly or in pairs by woodwind players, is called
reed
the strings of a violin are tuned
by tightening or loosening the pegs
The lowest instrument in the orchestra is the
contrabassoon
Systems of electronic components which generate, modify, and control sound are called
synthesizers
A part of an instrument's total range is called a
register
It is difficult to sing well because __ than in speaking
singing demands a greater supply and control of breath, wider ranges of pitch and volume are used, and vowel sounds are held longer
The bow which string players usually use to produce sound on their instruments is a slightly curved stick strung tightly with
horsehair
the highest woodwind instrument in the orchestra is the
piccolo
Plucking the string with the finger instead of using a bow is called
pizzicato
Symphonic bands differ from symphonic orchestras in that they
do not contain a string section
A hollow, funnel-shaped piece of wood or plastic that brass players use to alter the tone of their instruments is called a
mute
Woodwind instruments are so named because they
were originally made of wood
The range of a singer's voice depends up
training
The very high pitched tones that are produced when a string player lightly touches certain points on a string are called
harmonics
stress or emphasis on a note
accent
regular, recurrent pulsation that divides music into equal units of time
beat
first or stressed beat of the measure
downbeat
unit or group containing a fixed number of beats
measure
organization of beats into regular groupings
meter
device that produces ticking sounds or flashes of light at any desired musical speed
metronome
particular arrangement of note lengths in a piece of music; the ordered flow of music through time
rhythm
putting an accent in music where it would not normally be expected
syncopation
rate of speed of the beat of music
tempo
unaccented pulse preceding the downbeat
upbeat
gradual speeding up of tempo
accelerando
slow
adagio
fast
allegro
moderately slow, a walking pace
andante
very slow; broad
largo
much
molto
not too much
non troppo
as fast as possible
prestissimo
gradual slowing down of tempo
ritardando
lively
vivance
a series of single tones that add up to a recognizable whole is called a
melody
the emotional focal point of a melody is called the
climax
A resting place at the end of a phrase is called
cadence
A part of a melody is called a
phase
Legato refers to playing or singing a melody
in a smooth, connected style
A melody that serves as the starting point for a more extended piece of music is called a
theme
A melody is said to move by steps if it moves by
adjacent scale tones
A short, detached style of playing a melody is known as
staccato
A combination of three or more tones sounded at the same time is called
a chord
Harmony refers to
the way chords are constructed and how they follow each other
The triad built on the fifth step of the scale is called the
dominant chord
Resolution refers to
consonant chord moving to a dissonant chord
___ in music adds support, depth, and richness to melody
harmony
When the individual tones of a chord are sounded one after another, the result is called
arpeggio
A combination of tones that is considered unstable and tense is called a
dissonance
Traditionally, a composition would almost always end on a
dominant chord
A series of chords is called
progression
A combination of tones that is considered stable and restful is called a
consonance
Key refers to
a central tone, scale, and chord
Another term for key is
tonality
In traditional western music, the __ is the smallest interval between successive tones of a scale
half step
A shift from one key to another within the same composition is called
modulation
The central key around which a musical composition is organized is called the
tonic
musical texture refers to
how many different layers of sound are heard at the same time
when a melodic idea is presented by one voice or instrument and then restated immediately
imitation
A round is an example of
strict imitation
When there is one main melody accompanied by chords, the texture is
homophonic
The texture of a single melodic line without accompaniment is
monophonic
Performance of a single melodic line by more than one instrument or voice is described as playing or singing in
unison
An example of homophonic texture could be a
folksinger accompanied by a guitar
When two or more melodies of equal interest are performed simultaneously, the text is
polyphonic
retaining some features of a musical idea while changing others is called
variation
Three part form can be represented as
ABA, ABA', statement, contrast, return
The organization of musical ideas in time is called
form
Repetition is a technique widely used in music because it
creates a sense of unity, helps engrave a melody in the memory, provides a feeling of balance and symmetry
The form consisting of a musical statement followed by a counterstatement would be called
binary
the concertmaster of the modern orchestra
is the principal first violinist, sits on the conductors immediate left, and performs most solo violin passages in the music
Before the nineteenth century the time beat was
given by the first violinist, the keyboard player, or both
A virtuoso is a person who has
developed an extraordinary technical mastery
Most of the conductor's work
is done in the rehearsal
Many conductors use a thin stick called a __ to beat time and indicate pulse and tempo
baton
Changes in musical style from one historical period to the next are usually
continuous
We know little about the music of very ancient civilizations because
hardly any notated music has survived from these cultures
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