Word of the Day2014-2015

Word of the Day

• Smorzando (smorz.) - A directive to perform the indicated passage of a composition with the sound suddenly dying away.

• Smear - A slang term for a glissando performed on a trombone.

• Tailgate - The trombone glissando (or smear) in Dixieland jazz.

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• Morendo - A directive to perform the indicated passage of a composition in a manner that dies away, or diminishes in tone and tempo.

• Niente - A directive to perform the indicated passage of a composition in a whisper with almost no sound.

• Diminuendo - A directive to a performer to smoothly decrease the volume of the specific passage of a composition.

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• Sforzando (sf, sff, sfff) - A directive to perform a specific note or chord of a composition with particular emphasis.

• Sforzato (sfz, sffz, sfffz) - A directive to perform a specific note or chord of a composition with particular emphasis.

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• Glissando - A rapid ascending or descending of the scale.

• Portamento or Glide - A technique of gliding from one note to another without actually defining the intermediate notes; a smooth sliding between two pitches.

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• Chromatic Scale - A scale which divides the octave into its semitones. There are twelve semitones, or half steps, to an octave in the chromatic scale.

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• Mode - The selection of tones, arranged in a scale, that form the basic tonal substance of a composition.

• Church Modes - A medieval system of eight scales, each consisting of the tones of the C-major scale (white keys) but starting on d, e, f, or g and limited to the range of about an octave.

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• Ionian - In the system of modes, the ionian mode is the one based on C. It is the modern major scale.

• Aeolian - A mode used in Gregorian chant based upon the sixth tone of the major scale. In the key of C , the aeolian mode would be based on A and is the modern natural minor.

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• Dorian - A mode used in Gregorian chant based upon the second tone of the major scale.

• Phrygian - The third of the Church modes. The mode based upon the third note of the major scale.

Word of the Day• Pentatonic Scale - A scale of five tones. It is

used in African, Far Eastern, and Native American Music.

• Whole Tone Scale - A scale built entirely of whole tone intervals. The whole tone scale was used commonly by the French impressionists.

• Heptatonic Scale - Also called heptachord. Any scale of seven tones, including the major and minor scales, the Gregorian modes, the Gypsy scale, etc.

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• Round or Canon - A part song or instrumental composition  which starts off with a single voice or instrument on the melody, followed at intervals by the other voices which enter individually and perform exactly the same melody, thus forming a polyphonic harmony out of a simple melody.

• Fugue - A form of composition popular in, but not restricted to, the Baroque era, in which a theme or subject is introduced by one voice, and is imitated by other voices in succession. Usually only the first few notes of the subject are imitated exactly, then each voice deviates slightly until the next time it enters again with the subject. Generally the voices overlap and weave in and out of each other forming a continuous, tapestry-like texture.

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• Transpose - Taking a composition in one key and putting it into another, either at sight while performing the composition, or on paper.

• Transcribe - The notation, copying and/or rescoring of music for a particular instrument or ensemble, or for the purposes of analysis.

Word of the Day• Obbligato - An accompanying, yet

very important part of the music that that should not be omitted, such as a countermelody.

• Walking Bass - Term used in Baroque music for a bass line that moves steadily in a rhythm contrasting to that of the upper parts. In jazz, a walking bass usually moves by steps played on bass or piano, with each note usually having the duration of a quarter note.

Word of the Day• Melody - A tune; a succession of tones

comprised of mode, rhythm, and pitches so arranged as to achieve musical shape, being perceived as a unity by the mind. In a piece of music where there is more than one voice, or where harmony is present, the melody is the dominant tune of the composition.

• Tessitura - The general range of a composition (usually vocal) or of a particular voice of a composition.

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• Ostinato - A short melodic, rhythmic, or harmonic pattern that is repeated throughout an entire composition or some portion of a composition.

• Ground Bass - A bass part that recurs over and over while the melody and voices over it change and vary continuously. It was developed in England in the 16th century, and was used extensively in the Baroque era.

Word of the Day• Recapitulations - In sonata-allegro form, the recapitulation

is the final presentation of the original theme group (first and second theme), first presented in the exposition.

• Ternary Form - A compositional form which consists of three major sections, an A section which states the thematic material, a B section which presents a contrasting theme, and a final A section which restates the opening thematic material.

• Coda - The closing few measures of a composition, usually not a part of the main theme groups of the standard form of a composition, but a finishing theme added to the end to give the composition closure; in sonata form, the coda is anything that occurs after the recapitulation.

Word of the Day• Sonata-Allegro Form - The form generally used for the

opening movement of the Classical sonata. It consists of an exposition, development, and recapitulation.

• Exposition - In sonata form, the exposition is the first statement of the theme; it is the first of the three major sections in sonata form.

• Development - The second major division of the sonata-allegro form. The development is based upon the themes in the exposition and elaborates upon them by making new combinations of the figures and phrases while moving through a series  of foreign keys.

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• Binary Form - Two-part (A - B) structure of music; usually each part is repeated. The term can also mean any form with two periods, or sections.

• Rondo - Term referring to a form of composition in which the first section recurs after the second section is performed in an A-B-A style. Also A-B-A-B-A, A-B-A-C-A, etc.

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• Form - The structure of a composition, the frame upon which it is constructed. Form is based upon repetition, contrast, and variation.

• Strophic Form - Song structure in which every verse (strophe) of the text is sung to the same musical tune.

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• Picardy Third - A practice from the 16th century and the Baroque era of ending a composition with a major chord, when the rest of the composition is in a minor key, thus giving the composition a sense of finality.

• Anticipation - In part-writing, an unaccented, non-harmonic note that belongs to and is repeated in the harmony immediately following

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• Progression - A series of two or more chords that are played in succession. Usually a chord progression ends with a cadence.

• Counterpoint - The art of combining two or more melodies to be performed simultaneously and musically. In counterpoint, the melody is supported by another melody rather than by chords.

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• Overtone, partial or harmonic - The series of notes above the fundamental of a pitch

• Pedal tone - The fundamental note of a brass instrument.

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• Frequency - The number of vibrations per second of a musical pitch, usually measured in Hertz (Hz).

• Fundamental - A base pitch from which a series of harmonics is produced.

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• Secondary dominant - V and V7 chords used to approach a non-tonic chord with greater urgency.

• Secondary leading tone - vii—, vii—‡, and viiŸ‡ chords used to approach a non-tonic chord with greater urgency.

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• Secondary Function - A chord whose function belongs more closely to a key other than the main key of the passage.

• Tonicization - The technique of treating some note other than the true tonic of the composition as the tonic within a section of a composition.

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• Chromaticism - The use of pitches foreign to the key of the passage.

• Nonessential chromaticism - Chromatically altered tones or non chord tones (NCT).

• Essential chromaticism - The use of tones from outside the key as members of chords.

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• Nonchord Tone (NCT) - A tone that is not a member of the chord.

• Passing Tone - A nonchord tone used to fill the space between two chord tones.

• Neighboring Tones - A tone used to embellish a single tone, which is heard both before and after the neighbor.

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• Carabo-Cone Method - This method involves using props, costumes, and toys for children to learn basic musical concepts of staff, note duration, and the piano keyboard.

• Gordon Music Learning Theory - This method provides the music teacher with a comprehensive method for teaching musicianship through audiation, the method’s term for hearing music in the mind with understanding.

Word of the Day• Orff Method - A music education method

which combines music, movement, drama, and speech into lessons that are similar to child's world of play. .

• Suzuki Method - A music education method based on the belief that all people are capable of learning from their environment..

• Dalcroze or Eurhythmics Method - A music education method which teaches concepts of rhythm, structure, and musical expression using movement.

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• Solmization - A system of attributing a distinct syllable to each note in a musical scale.

• Kodály Method - An approach to music education developed in Hungary during the mid-twentieth century.

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• Movable Do - The pitch is always the same as the first scale degree of the tonal center of the composition.

• Fixed Do - Do always represents the pitch "C."

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• Complex Meter (complex time) - A meter that does not fit into the usual duple, triple, or quadruple categories, including most odd numbers and unusual beats per measure.

• Alla breve - Another term for cut time or .

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• Maestoso - Majestic, dignified; in a style characterized by lofty breadth.

• Marcato - With distinction and emphasis.

• Moderato - Moderate; at a moderate tempo or rate of speed.

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• Grouplet - The division of an undotted value into some number of equal parts other than two, four, eight, and so on or the division of a dotted value into some number of equal parts other than three, six, twelve, and so on.

• Metric Accent - The pattern of stress found in a particular meter.

• Duplet - A group of two notes played in the time usually taken to play three.

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• Beat - The basic pulse of a musical passage.

• Triplet - Three notes of equal length that are to be performed in the duration of two notes of equal length.

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• Harmonic Interval - an interval that is produced when notes are performed at the same time.

• Melodic - an interval that is produced when notes are played successively.

• Tertian - Chords built in thirds.

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• Tritone - The term to or describe the ±4 or

—5.

• Consonant - Pleasing, sweet, harmonious.

• Dissonant - Two or more notes sounded together which are discordant, and, in the prevailing harmonic system, require resolution to a consonance. Also discord.

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• Pulse - A beat or accent.

• Syncopation - Deliberate upsetting of the meter or pulse of a composition by means of a temporary shifting of the accent to a weak beat or an off-beat.

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• Tie - A curved line joining two notes of like pitch which are to be sounded as one note equal to their united time-value.

• Slur - A curved line under or over two or more notes, signifying that they are to be played legato.

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• Dot - A mark that represents a duration directive in musical notation. When placed to the right of the notehead, the dot indicates that a note should have half again its original duration.

• Grand Staff - The combination of two staves joined by a brace, with the top and bottom staves using treble and bass clefs, respectively.

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• Transpose - Taking a composition in one key and putting it into another, either at sight while performing the composition, or on paper.

• Transcription - A written composition that contains some deviation from the original written composition.

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• Motif (motive) - A short tune or musical figure that characterizes and unifies a composition. It can be of any length, but is usually only a few notes long.

• Period - A complete musical thought, concluded by a cadence, having two phrases, each usually two to eight measures in length, called the antecedent and the consequent.

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• Phrase - A musical unit, often a component of a melody. Usually two or more phrases balance each other, as in a period.

• Cadence - A stylized close in music which divides the music into periods or brings it to a full conclusion.

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• Solfège - is a music education method used to teach pitch and sight singing.

• Pitch - The specific quality of a sound that makes it a recognizable tone. Pitch defines the location of a tone in relation to others, thus giving it a sense of being high or low.

• Rhythm - The division of music into regular metric portions; the regular pulsation of music.

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• Key - A specific scale or series of notes defining a particular tonality.

• Major - The term referring to a sequence of notes that define the tonality of the major scale.

• Minor - A series of tones that defines a minor tonality.

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• Accidental - A mark placed before a note which indicates that the previously understood pitch of the note should be altered by one or two half steps  (semitones).

• Leading tone - Also called "leading note"; the major seventh of a scale, so called because it lies a semitone below the tonic and "leads" towards it.

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• Countermelody - A second but subordinate melodic line sometimes found in music which has a melody and an accompaniment.

• Half Cadence - A chord progression where the dominant chord is the final chord of the cadence and is preceded by the tonic chord in second inversion

Word of the Day• Flat - An accidental symbol placed to the

left of a note, indicating that its pitch should be lowered by a semitone (half step).

• Sharp - A symbol placed in front of a note-head which implies that the performer should raise the pitch of that particular note by a semitone.

• Natural - A symbol placed by a note signifying that the note should be played unaltered as opposed to the sharp or flat of the note.

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• Diatonic - The notes found within a major or minor scale.

• Neutral clef - A symbol located at the beginning of a musical staff used to indicate that none of the instruments reading the notation have a definite pitch.

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• Intonation - A term referring to the proper production of a tone so that it is exactly in tune.

• Legato - A directive to perform the indicated passage of a composition in a smooth, graceful, connected style, as opposed to staccato.

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• Staccato - Detached, separated.

• Piu - More.

• Meno - Less.

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• Mezzo - An Italian term meaning somewhat, half, or medium.

• Subito - Suddenly; at once; immediately.

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• Compound Intervals - Intervals GREATER than an octave.

• Simple Intervals - Intervals of an octave or less.

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• Meter - The symmetrical grouping of musical rhythms.

• Chord - The sounding of two or more notes (usually at least three) simultaneously.

• Triad - A chord made up of three notes based on the interval of a third.

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• Dynamics - The loudness or softness of a composition.

• Articulation - Directions to a performer typically through symbols and icons on a musical score that indicate characteristics of the attack, duration, and decay (or envelope) of a given note.

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• Tempo - The speed of the rhythm of a composition.

• Fermata - A notation marking directing the performer or ensemble to sustain the note of a composition affecting all parts and lasting as long as the artistic interpretation of the conductor allows. The cpu is marked above the note or rest to be held.

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• Enharmonic - The phenomenon that two separate pitch notations stand for the same sound.

• Inversion - The transposition of the notes of an interval or chord.