GCSE MUSIC

REVISION

GCSE MUSIC REVISION

What are the meanings of the following musical keywords and terms?

1. Texture

2. Pitch

3. Dynamics

4. Tempo

5. Melody

6. Rhythm

7. Crescendo

8. Diminuendo

9. Part harmony

10. Time signature

11. Ostinato

12. Call and Response

13. Sequence

14. Imitation

15. Riff

16. Motif

17. Theme

18. Binary Form

19. Ternary Form

20. Cadence

21. Key signature

22. Improvisation

23. Glissando

24. Concerto

25. Atonal

26. What are the differences between Major, Minor and Atonal?

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27. Name 3 features of music from the Romantic Period

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28. Describe the 12 bar blues

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29. Name 2 examples of musical theatre

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30. Name 2 classical structures

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31. Explain 3 features of African music

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32. What are the 3 main elements of Indian Music?

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33. What is Sonata form?

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34. What is the difference between Rap and Hip Hop?

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35. Describe how Samba, Salsa and Tango are different in style

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36. Name 2 instruments used in Indian Music

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37. Write out DR TIMPTOT with all the relevant keywords and meanings.

38. What does Allegro mean? ____________________________

39. What does Legato mean? _____________________________

40. What does Fortissimo mean? __________________________

GCSE MUSIC

Revision KEYWORDS:

Pitch – how high or low the notes/music.

Dynamics – volume, loud or soft

Tempo – speed, how fast or slow

Texture – layers of sound, 1 instrument is a thin texture, 3 instruments or more

achieves a thicker texture. The more instruments the more layers of sound the

thicker the texture.

Instrumentation – what instruments are playing and how.

Mood – how the music makes you feel

Structure – how the music is put together eg in a song the structure might be

verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus, coda. In a sonata the structure

would be exposition, development and recapitulation (remember looking at

classical structures)

Tonality – what is the key of the music, is it major or minor or atonal?

Atonal – the music has no clear key and is not major or minor

Major – the music/chords sound happy

Minor – the music/chords sound sad

Time-signature – how many beats are in a bar

Rhythm – the beat

Melody - the tune

Part Harmony – voices/instruments playing at the same time but playing

different notes that fit together.

Unison – Different instruments playing the same thing at the same time

Crescendo – the music gets gradually louder

Diminuendo – the music gets gradually softer/quieter

Ostinato – a repeated pattern of notes, a repeated rhythm

Call and response – musical question and answer used a lot in African and

calypso music. A soloist sings or plays a phrase to which a larger group

responds with an answering phrase.

Motif – like a theme tune (the Jaws theme is like a theme tune for the main

character of the shark) or a repeated phrase that represents a character or a

mood.

A cappella – unaccompanied singing. Singing with no instruments.

Accentuation – the way that certain notes are emphasised by being on a

stronger beat.

Alto – a low female singing voice

Baroque Music – music typical from 1600 to 1750.

Bass – a low male voice or the lowest sounding part of a piece of music

Binary form – a musical structure in 2 sections (AB)

Cadence – a group of chords at the end of a phrase as an ending to that phrase.

Canon – a melody on 1 instrument is later repeated by another instrument

whilst the first instrument continues to play.

Chamber music – Music written for entertainment with just 1 instrument per

part.

Choir – a group of singers performing together

Coda – the final section of a piece of music.

Concerto – a composition for one or more solo instruments accompanied by an

orchestra.

Dominant – the 5th

note of a major or minor scale.

Fusion – music in which 2 or more distinctive styles are blended together eg

folk-rock

Glissando – a slide along the notes from one pitch to another

Harmony – the combination of sounds to produce a chord or a progression of

chords.

Hook – a short and memorable musical idea in pop music.

Improvisation – the creation of music whilst actually performing it.

Interval – the distance between 2 notes eg the distance between C and G is 5

notes so it would be an interval of a 5th

or a perfect 5th

.

Key signature – an indication at the very start of the musical score of what key

the music is in.

Lyrics – the words of a song

Modulation – when the music moves from one key to another eg from C major

to A minor.

Ornamentation – use of decorative notes common in the Baroque period.

Syncopation – accented notes that sound off the beat or on a weak beat of the

bar. A ‘jazzy’ rhythm.

Sonata Form – A musical structure consisting of 3 sections (see revision notes)

Soprano – high female singing voice

Strophic song – a song in which each verse has the same music.

Symphony – A large scale composition for an orchestra.

Ternary Form – A piece of music in 3 parts ABA

Theme and Variation – a composition which has a theme and then variations on

this theme where the theme is altered in some way to make it sound different.

Tonic – the first note of a major or minor scale.

Verse and Chorus – a standard form used in popular song in which a chorus is

repeated after most verses.

Waltz – A piece of music for dance with 3 beats in a bar. (oom pah pah)

Etude – a short piece of classical music for a solo instrument

ff – the music is very loud

f – the music is loud

mf – the music is moderately loud

mp – the music is moderately quiet

p - the music is quiet

pp - the music is very quiet.

Areas to Research

The listening exam covers 3 areas:

The Western Classical Tradition

Popular Music of the 20th

and 21st Centuries

World Music.

You should listen to the suggested listening examples and try to

describe the music you hear using the musical keywords. eg instead of ‘the music made a loud noise and all the instruments were

playing’ you should write ‘The dynamics in the musical extract were loud

mainly because there were several layers of sound and a thick texture as

many instruments were playing in unison. These instruments were ……

and they were playing…… (eg the melody, an accompaniment, chords, a

quaver pattern, an ostinato rhythm etc) this created the effect of …..

The Western Classical Tradition

The Baroque Period (Vivaldi - 4 seasons, Bach – Brandenburg, Handel

– Water Music)

Classical Structures – The concerto (Haydn – Trumpet concerto,

Tchaikovsky Violin concerto N0. 1 in D) - The Sonata (Scarlatti – Piano sonata in G

minor, Chopin – Piano sonata NO.2 in B flat Minor)

Music for voices (Gibbons - The Silver Swan, Puccini – Nessun Dorma)

Chamber Music ( Haydn – String Quartet in C, Stravinsky – 8 minatures

for 15 players)

Popular Music of the 20th

and 21st Centuries

The Blues (Johnson – Come into my kitchen, Clapton-Sunshine of my

love)

1960’s song (Lennon/McCartney-She Loves You, Jagger/Richards-I Can’t

Get No Satisfaction)

Rock, RnB and Hip Hop (Page/Plant – Stairway To Heaven, West –

Gold Digger, Ne-Yo – Take a Bow)

Musical Theatre (Schwartz – Defying Gravity, Bart – I’m Reviewing the

Situation, Lloyd-Webber – Any Dream Will Do)

Film Music (Williams – Star Wars, Marianelli – Atonement, Zimmer –

Gladiator. Listen to these extracts and try to describe how the music creates

the effect/atmosphere needed for the film)

World Music

Music of the Caribbean (World of music – Caribbean various artists)

Music of Africa (The Spirit of Africa-various artists, South African

Music a Rough Guide)

Music of India (The Sounds of India – Ravi Shankar)

Revision Notes

Western Classical Traditions

THE BAROQUE ORCHESTRA

The origins of the modern orchestra date back to the Baroque period (1600-1750)

when many courts established small orchestras to provide entertainment.

By the start of the 18th

century the orchestra was based on the string family – violins,

violas and cellos which were supported by one or more instruments such as the

harpsichord or organ that could fill out the harmony where necessary. The

combination of strings and harpsichord is one of the most characteristic sounds of the

Baroque orchestra. (listen to Bach’s ‘Brandenburg’)

If the music was grand or ceremonial trumpets and timpani were added to create

richer textures. (listen to ‘Zadok the Priest’)

(listen to Music for the Royal Fireworks by Handel)

SONATA FORM

Sonata form is a musical structure that first came about at the beginning of the

classical period (1750-1810). The music for a sonata is composed in 3 sections, the

exposition, the development and the recapitulation. In the exposition section the main

theme (main melody or musical phrase) is heard. In the development section this

theme is developed and extended with new ideas and then in the recapitulation section

we return to the original theme.

(listen to any of Mozart’s sonatas)

THE CONCERTO

A concerto is a piece of classical music written for 1 solo instrument accompanied by

an orchestra. The solo instrument plays the main part whilst the orchestra plays a

supporting role.

(listen to Mozart’s flute Concerto no. 2)

CHAMBER MUSIC

Is music written for small groups of instruments that first became popular in the

classical period when smaller groups of musicians were used for entertainment. The

music has one part for each performer so is a bit like 4 part harmony. Chamber music

does not usually include parts for solo instruments.

(listen to Haydn’s string quartet opus 20 no.4 in D major)

MUSIC FOR VOICE

The main development in music for voice in the classical period was the reformation

of OPERA. This is when orchestral music and song are combined with staging, acting

and costumes. Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven all wrote extensively for voice in the

classical period.

Popular Music of the 20th

and 21st Centuries

THE BLUES

The Blues began as an African-American song-form in the south of the USA. In these

early days the blues was performed by a solo singer to the accompaniment of guitar

and the song lyrics had a sad quality to them. Later the blues moved to larger cities

like New Orleans where it influenced the development of Jazz and by the 1920s blues

singers were accompanied by bands made up of clarinets, trumpets, piano and double

bass.

The blues consists of a repeated pattern with 4 beats in a bar. The pattern is usually 12

bars long and regularly takes the following form:

C C C C

F F C C

G F C C

(remember playing the 12 bar blues in class)

Blues musicians create melodies based on this chord structure and using the blues

scale. They also improvise (make it up as you go along) melodies whilst the other

musicians stick to playing the chords.

Blues singers often bend the pitch of notes and slide between notes as they sing.

These effects can be very expressive, communicating to the listener the sadness and

sense of injustice expressed in the words of many blues songs.

MUSICAL THEATRE

Before the days of Rock and Roll (Rock and roll first came about in the 1950s) many

popular songs were from Musical Theatre productions. Usually called musicals, these

were plays and sometimes films which featured songs and choruses. The singing was

accompanied by an orchestra and occurred at importane moments in the play. Song

melodies from musicals were often played by jazz musicians who used them as the

basis for improvisation.. Famous composers of musicals included Irving Berlin, Cole

Porter and Richard Rodgers.

In 1968, Andrew Lloyd Webber composed a short musical for school ‘Joseph and the

Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat’ (listen to the songs from this musical) this was

influenced in style both by rock music and jazz. Joseph proved the starting point for a

series of longer musicals by Lloyd Webber which have become world famous they

include:

Evita

Cats

The Phantom of The Opera

Les Miserable

(try and listen to songs from these musicals)

1960s SONG

During the 1960s Britain became famous for its rock scene, groups like The Beatles,

The Rolling Stones and The Who wrote and performed songs in their own distinctive

styles. Both the Rolling Stones and The Who emphasised aspects of rhythm ‘n’ blues

in their songs. Performances were loudly amplified and typically involved ‘frantic’

guitars and drums and wild vocals.

(listen to The Rolling Stones ‘Satisfaction’ and The Who’s My Generation)

The Beatles created a new and original style of pop music that was influenced by rock

n roll, rhythm n blues and folk music. Their first releases were cheerful dance-songs

at a fast tempo such as ‘Love Me Do’ (listen to this) and ‘Please Please Me’ (listen to

this). Later their music became more adventurous as they began to experiment with

unusual instruments and write unconventional lyrics.

(listen to ‘Love Me Do’ and ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ and compare the difference)

RAP

Rap emerged as an alternative to disco in American inner cities at the end of the

1970s. The musical backing for rap was borrowed from existing records. The DJ

Grandmaster flash (listen to his work) used a drum machine to link 2 tracks on vinyl

records on 2 turntables together. Another DJ, Grand Wizard Theodor was among the

first to use the technique of scratching. Some examples of early rap songs are ‘White

Lines’ and ‘Rapper’s Delight’ by Grandmaster Flash.

More recently Snoopdogg, So Solid Crew, Missy Elliott and Eminem have become

leaders in the field of rap.

HIP HOP

A form of Rap called Hip Hop emerged in New York during the 1970s. The term was

used to define the music, dance and art of New York’s Bronx district. The styles of

dance included break-dancing and dancing with robot-like movements. Much of the

art associated with Hip Hop 6took the form of Graffiti. Hip hop has influenced some

jazz and soul musicians. Chaka Khan’s single ‘I Feel For You’ included a hip hop

introduction.

(listen to Soulja Boy ‘Tell’em Crank That’)

MUSIC FOR FILM

In the Listening exam there will be a question about Music for Film that will

concentrate on how the composer has used musical devices/keywords to create a

specific dramatic effect such as:

Creating a sense of time or place

Creating an appropriate mood

Depicting characters (motif)

Creating and releasing tension

You need to think carefully about how the composer had composed the music in such

a way that it represents and supports the action or characters in the film. In Jaws, the

shark itself is not seen until over an hour into the film but its presence is felt through

the repeated use of the well-known shark motif. This musical idea is incredibly simple

but highly effective. The music and your imagination creates the fear rather than

anything you see in the first part of the film as the composer uses the shark motif to

manipulate the audience’s emotions.

World Music

SAMBA

The Samba is the national dance of Brazil. Its drums and complex percussion rhythms

derive from West Africa while its syncopated harmonies are played on Portuguese

guitars. The dance has two main types that are called rural and urban. The rural type is

usually performed by smaller bands and is more adventurous rhythmically. Urban

sambas are often played by large bands using saxophones, trumpets and keyboards.

CALL AND RESPONSE vocal effects are also common.

The samba is usually in a major key and has 2 or 4 beats in a bar. Lots of percussion

instruments are used to create thick rhythmic textures.

(listen to ‘Swing de Campo Grande’)

SALSA

The Salsa is a dance form the Caribbean island of Cuba .Cuban musicians emigrating

to the US have made salsa an important element 0of the dance scene in Miami and

New York.

The dance is recognised by its syncopated rhythms and energetic movements and use

of percussion instruments like bongo drums, claves, guiro and maracas. It uses a

repeated rhythm that is often heard on claves (a bit like a woodblock) and the other

instruments fir their parts around this central rhythm.

(listen to ‘Cumbia pa’ Columbia’)

TANGO

The Tango is a well-known dance from Argentina. It has 2 or 4 beats in a bar and can

be easily recognised by its repeated rhythmic pattern. It uses instruments such as

violin, piano and double bass so it sounds very different from the Samba and Salsa.

(listen to ‘Libertango’ by Piazolla )#

JAMAICAN MUSIC

During the 1960s 2 forms of popular music emerged from Jamaica, they were Ska and

Rocksteady.

SKA – was developed in the ghettoes of Kingston, Jamaica at the beginning of the

1960s. It uses swing rhythms from rhythm and blues to create an off-beat rhythm that

is characteristic of all reggae music.

ROCKSTEADY – was slower than SKA and had more complicated song melodies. It

focused on short repeated patterns called riffs.

REGGAE – was a later version of Ska and Rocksteady but with a slower more

relaxed feel. It has 4 beats in a bar but the emphasis is on beat 2 and beat 4. The lyrics

of reggae songs had themes of poverty and were often linked to Rastafarianism.

(listen to ‘Trenchtown Rock’ and ‘Liven Up Yourself’ by Bob Marley and the

Wailers)

It was not until the 1970s that reggae became known in Britain. Eric Claptom

recorded a cover version of Bob Marley’s I Shot The Sheriff and Marley’s work

became more well known.

(listen to Aswad’s ‘Back to Africa’)

MUSIC OF AFRICA

African music has strongly influenced the music of the west and performers of

western popular songs have been strongly influenced by African-American forms of

music like the blues, rhythm and blues, jazz and soul. Songs on Paul Simon’s

Graceland album mix elements from South-African Music with a rock style due to

collaborations with South-African singers ‘Ladysmith Black Mambazo’ (try and listen

to these on youtube)

THE MUSIC OF INDIA

Indian instruments like the Sitar and Tabla have been used in popular songs since the

60s. Most Indian Music is made up of 3 main parts, the raga (melodies) the tala (the

rhythm) and drone (a long, low pitched note that is continuous). Bhangra is a type of

Indian music from north-indian traditional music and uses a combination of western

rock and Indian instruments.

***listen to:

Ravi Shankar

Kula Shaker (a western band heavily influenced by Indian music)

Apache Indian (a fusion of bhangra and reggae)

Asian Dub Foundation ( Indian music mixed with rap, reggae and rock)

Sangeeta’s ‘Pyar Ka Hai Bairi’

Italian Terms

Italian words are often used to describe music so it would

be really useful to understand the following vocabulary:

A cappella – sung with no instrumental accompaniment

Agitato – excited and fast

Allegro – moderately quick

Allegretto – a moderate pace

Andante – at a walking pace

Accelerando – getting gradually faster

Adagio – slow

Battaglia – a piece suggesting a battle

Cantata – a piece for orchestra and singers

Capriccio – a lively piece of music

Coda – the end of a piece

Crescendo – gradually getting louder

Con fuoco – with a fiery manner

Con sordino – with mute

Con brio – with spirit

Cantabile – in a singing style

Dolce – softly and sweetly

Diminuendo – gradually getting quieter

Da Capo – repeat from the start

Falsetto – a vocal technique that allows a man to sing higher notes (like Matt Cardle)

Fortissimo (ff) – very loud

Forte (f) – loud

Fine – the end

Grazioso - gracefully

Glissando – a slide along the notes in scale from one pitch to another

Legato – smooth

Largo – very slow

Maestoso - majestically

Mezzo – half

Pianissimo (pp) – very quiet

Piano (p) - quiet

Pizzicato – plucked (string instruments)

Poco – a little

Poco a poco – little by little

Portamento – to slide between notes (similar to glissando)

Presto – very fast

Rubato – free flowing, with feeling

Rallentando – gradually getting slower

Tremolo – like a drum roll but on a pitched instrument

Tutti – everyone together

Staccato – detached

Vivace – vivacious, up-tempo

Molto – very

Piu – more

Ma non troppo – but not too much.