Music Vocabulary

• Review

Whole step

• Two half steps

Half step

• A Minor Second

Timbre

• Tone color

Characteristics

• Unique attributes

Style

• The way it is played

Genre

• Special styles

Strings

• Instruments using plucked or bowed strings to create the sound

Brass Winds

• Instruments using a cupped shaped mouthpiece

Woodwinds

• Those originally made of wood or using a reed to create the sound

Clef

• Symbol to indicate the tonal center

Score

• The conductor’s copy of the music.

Staff

• 5 lines and 4 spaces

Expression

• Emotion portrayed in music

Intonation

• The correct vibrations of a tone to match the established standard or that of another instrument

Resonance

• Vibrations of an instrument’s sound creating the unique sound of that particular instrument

Ledger Lines

• Short lines extending the staff upward or downward

Vertical Music

• Music composed in a chordal manner in which most or all parts move together at the same time

Horizontal Music

• Music having independent lines weaving a fabric of sound.

Second ending

• The short ending which will send musicians forward to a new melodic section.

Repeat

• To play it again

Fugue

• A melodic presentation using varied melodic and rhythmic alterations to present new interpretations of the melody.

Fugetto

• A small or short section in a fugal style.

First ending

• The short ending which will send musicians back to a particular place to repeat that section.

Double Bar

• Two bars of different size indicating the end of a section or composition.

Dal signo al fine`

• Return to the sign and play to the fine`

Da capo al fine`

• Return to the beginning and play to the fine`

Transposition

• To move the position of the tone to adjust for the length of the instrument

Tessitura

• That part of the range used most often

Range

• The extreme from lowest to highest tone for each instrument

Key Signature

• Those sharps and/or flats which identify the tonal center.

Homophonic

• Movement in a chordal manner

Counterpoint

• Independent movement of musical lines in correlation to each other

Cannon

• The simple melodic repetition. It is also called a round.

Brace

• Two or more staves joined with a bracket { } indicating a system of music.

Slur

• A curved line which smoothly connects tones on different lines and/or spaces without attack.

Tie

• A curved line connecting tones (adding their value) on the same line or space.

Major Second

• Whole Step

Minor Second

• Half Step

Tutti

• Those originally made of wood or using a reed to create the sound

Music History

• The story of mankind’s music throughout time.

Balance

• To achieve the aural perception of each instrument or section being of the same or equal volume without dominance by any one instrument or section.

Blend

• To create an ensemble sound in which all instruments/sections collectively create one sound rather than individual sounds.

Dynamics

• Various degrees of loudness and softness

Forte (f )

• Strong or full

Piano (p)

• Soft

Mezzo (m)

• Medium

Mezzo Forte (mf)

• Medium full

Mezzo piano (mp)

• Medium soft

Fortissimo (ff)

• Very strong

Fortississimo (fff)

• Very, very strong

Pianissimo (pp)

• Very soft

Pianississiom (ppp)

• Very, very soft

Crescendo (cres.)

• To get louder

Decrescendo (decres)

• To get softer

Diminuendo (dim)

• To gradually get softer

Baroque

• The historic period between 1600 and 1750 AD

Medieval

• The historic period prior to 1400 AD

Renaissance

• The historic period between the 15th (1400 AD) and 17th (1600AD) centuries.

Rococo or Roccoco

• The French historic period between 1700 and 1799 AD (18th Century)

Classical

• The historic period between 1750 and 1820 AD

Impressionist

• The historic period between 1870 and 1880

Expressionist

• The historic period originating in Germany beginning in the 20th Century.

Experimental

• One type of music composed between 1950 and today.

Jazz

• Jazz is a musical form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions.

Fusion

• The mixing of diverse musical styles originating around 1980.

Strophic

• Repeated melody for each verse

Through composed

• No repetition of music for new lyrics

Pulse

• Steady, ongoing emphasis of the count

Diatonic

• Within the Key

Consonant Interval

• Interval requiring no resolution (change)

Dissonant Interval

• Interval requiring resolution (change)

Variation

• Changing the melody, rhythm, or harmony of a composition.