Music

• begins with the vibration of an object
• vibrations are transmitted by a medium, which is usually air

relative highness or lowness that we hear in a sound and is determined by the frequency of its vibrations

• a sound that has a definite pitch
• it has a specific frequency, such as 440 cycles per second

the distance in pitch between any two tones

when tones are separated by this interval, they sound very much alike

the disntance between the lowest and highest tones that a voice or instrument can produce

the degree of loudness or softness in music

an emphasis on a tone by playing it more loudly than the tones around it

• the quality that distinguishes one instrument from another
• it can be descrived in words such as bright, dark, mellow, rich...etc

part of the total range

• plucked string
• the musician plucks the string usually using a finger on the right hand

a violin player plays 2 notes at ones by drawing the bow across 2 strings

• when a violin player produces a throbbing, expressive tone by rocking the left hand while pressing the string down
• it causes small pitch fluctuations that make the tone warmer

• violinist rapidly repeats tones by quick up and down strokes of hte bow
• can create a sense of tension when loud, or a shimmering sound when soft

• when a violinist plays a high-pitched tones, like a whistle
• produced when a musician lightly touches certain points on a string

produce vibrations of air with a tube that traditionally was made of wood

keyboard instrument that has strings that are plucked by a set of plectra (little wedges of plastic, leather or quill) and are controlled by one or two keyboards

• has many sets of pipes controlled from several keyboards, including a pedal keyboard at musician's feet
• the keys control valves from which air is blown across or through openings in the pipes

• has free steel reeds that are controlled by a treble keyboard w/ piano keys, played by the right hand, and a bass keyboard w/ buttons played by the left hand
• the reeds are caused to vibrate by air pressure from a bellows

the main tool of composers of electronic music during the 1950's

systems of electronic components that generate, modify, and control sound

• the flow of music through time
• the particular arrangement of note lenghts in a piece of music

a regular, recurrent pulsation that divides music into equal units of time and can be represented by marks on a timeline

a group containing a fixed number of beats

when a measure has 2/3 beats

when a accented note comes where we normally would not expect one (when a weak beat is accented)

the speed of the beat

a gradual quickening of tempo

a gradual slowing of tempo

a system of writing music so that specific pitches and rhythms can be communicated

placed at the beginning of a staff to show the pitch of each line and space

adding a dot to the right of a note increases its duration by 1/2

• a dotted note that is followed by one that is much shorter
• it strongly emphasizes the beat

shows the music for each instrumental or vocal category in a performing group

• a series of single tones ethat add up to a recognizable whole
• moves in small intervals called steps or by larger ones called leaps

smooth, connected style

performed in a short, detached manner

melodies are made up of these shorter parts

• a ending point of arrival, resting place at the end of a phrase
• incomplete cadence: the first phrase, which sets up expectations
• complete cadence: gives an answer and sense of finality

a repetition of a melodic pattern on a higher or lower pitch

the way chords are constructed and how they follow each other

• a tone combination that is stable
• it is a point of arrival, rest, and resolution

• a tone combination that is unstable
• its tension demands onward motion to a stable chord

a dissonance has a resolution when it moves to a consonance

• a triad built on the first note of the scale
• main chord of the piece and most stable and conclusive

• the triad built on the fifth note of a scale, which is next in importance to the tonic
• sets up tension that is resolved by the tonic chord

the triad built on teh fourth note of a scale, which is next in importance to the dominant chord

involves not only a central tone but also a central scale and chord

another term for key

it is made up of basic pitches of a piece of music arranged in order from low to high or high to low

half step in between scale degrees 3 & 4 and 7 & 8

half step in between scale degrees 2 & 3 and 5 & 6

it indicates the key of a piece of music and consists of sharp or flat signs immediately follwing the clef sign at the beginning of the staff

• the twelve tones of the octave
• all the white and black keys in one octave on a piano
• tones are all 1/2 step apart

shifting from one key to another within the same piece

refers to how many different layers of sound are heard at once, to what kind of layers they are (melody or harmony) and how they are related to each other

• the texture of a single melodic line without accompaniment
• literally means "having one sound"

• simultaneous performance of two or more melodic lines of relatively equal intrest produces this texture
• literally means "having many sounds"

• when we hear one main melody accomanied by chords
• attention is focused on the melody, which is suppored by sounds of subordinate interest

• three part form
• ABA (or ABA')

• two part form
• AB

the first violinist, who sits at the conductors immediate left

• pianissimo: pp: very soft
• piano: p: very soft
• mezzo piano: mp: moderately soft
• mezzo forte: mf: moderately loud
• forte: f: loud
• fortissimo: ff: very loud

• female: soprano, mezzo soprano, contralto
• male: tenor, baritone, bass

• largo: very slow; broad
• adagio: slow
• andante: moderately slow/walking pace
• allegro: fast
• vivace: lively
• presto: very, very fast

the technique of combining several lines into a meaningful polyphonic whole

• Middle Ages (Medieval): 450-1450
• Renaissance: 1450-1600
• Baroque: 1600-1750
• Classical: 1750-1820
• Romantic: 1820-1900
• Modern: 1900-present