College Music Appreciation – Flashcards
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Sound
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musical vibration perceived by the human ear
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pitch
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highness or lowness of a sound
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frequency
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rate of vibration that determines pitch
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hertz
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number of vibrations per second
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noise
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sounds without a distinct pitch
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tone
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perceivable pitch and measurable frequency
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note
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indicates pitch and duration
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duration
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length of time vibration is heard
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amplitude
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volume
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decibels
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volume is measured in
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acoustic music
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music without electronics
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melody
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line or tune (horizontal)
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contour
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how it moves up and down
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range
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span of pitches (wide or narrow)
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interval
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distance between any two pitches in melody
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conjunct
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melody moves in small, connected intervals
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disjunct
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melody moves in leaps
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phrases
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units that make up a melody
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cadences
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resting place where phrases end
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counter melody
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melody accompanied by secondary melody
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rhyme scheme
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similarity in sound of last syllables in each line
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climax
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high point in melodic line
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rhythm
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moves music forward in time
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meter
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marked off in measures; organization of rhythm and time
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measures
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fixed number of beats; separated by bar lines
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beats
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basic unit of rhythm; divides time into equal segments
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accented
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strong beats
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downbeat
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first accented beat in measure
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simple meters
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beat has duple subdivision
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duple meter
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most basic; strong then weak; ONE two ONE two
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triple meter
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one strong then two weak; ONE two three ONE two three
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quadruple meter
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four beats; primary accent on first beat and secondary accent on third; broader feeling
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rhythmic complexities
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upbeats, offbeats, syncopation, and polyrhythm
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upbeat
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last beat of a measure, weak, anticipated downbeat
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offbeat
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weak beat in between the stronger beats
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syncopation
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African american; most common, deliberate upsetting of normal pattern of accentuation; throws of regular pattern
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poly-rhythm
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simultaneous use of several rhythmic patterns or meters
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additive meter
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in some world musics; irregular number of beats in a group that add up to a larger overall pattern
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non-metric
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no obscured pulse
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measure lines
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marks off measures
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harmony
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simultaneous events in music; stacked
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chord
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simultaneous sounding of three or more pitches; snowman
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scale
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sequence of eight pitches; build chords
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triad
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most common chord in Western, three notes built on alternate pitches of scale
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major scale
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raised half a step
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minor
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lowered half a step
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tonic
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most important, central tone around which a melody and its harmonies are built
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tonality
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principle of organization around a tonic
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dissonance
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unstable harmony; fighting notes
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consonance
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resolution of dissonance; concordant sound
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drone
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single sustained tonic; in some cultures constitutes the harmony
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octave
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interval of eight notes
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triad
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combination of three tones
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texture
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thick or thin; interweaving of melodic lines with harmony in music
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monophony
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single voiced music without accompaniment; nothing but one voice
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heterophony
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multiple voices elaborating same melody at same time
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polyphony
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many-voiced texture based on counterpoint
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counterpoint
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one line set against another
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homophony
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one melodic voice is prominent over accompanying lines; singer with background
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homorhythmic texture
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all voices move in same rhythm
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imitation
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melodic idea is presented in one voice then restated in another; cannons and rounds
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cannons
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one musical line imitates another at a fixed distance throughout
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rounds
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canon at unison which each voice enters in succession with the melody; 1) Row Row Row your boat 2) Row Row Row your boat
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improvisation
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music created on the spot
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form
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organizing principle in music; basic elements are repetition, contrast, and variation
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strophic form
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repeated music for each stanza of text
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binary form
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A-B; no matter how many a's or b's its always going to be a b
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ternary form
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A-B-A
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basic structures
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binary form and ternary form
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theme
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melodic idea used as building block in large-scale work and broken into motives
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motives
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small component fragments
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sequence
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when motive is repeated at different pitch
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call-and-response
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say A, A; say O, O; repetitive with singer and group
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responsorial
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another name for call-and-response
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ostinato
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repetition of short musical melodic, rhythmic, or harmonic pattern
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movements
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large-scale compositions are divided into sections
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tempo
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rate of speed, pace
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retardando
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slowing the pace
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grave
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very very slow
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largo
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very slo
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adagio
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quite slow
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andante
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walking pace
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moderato
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moderate
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allegro
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fast
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vivace
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lively
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presto
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very fast
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metronome
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device that indicates beats per minute
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dynamics
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volume, how loud or soft
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pianissimo
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very soft; pp
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piano
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soft; p
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mezzo piano
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moderately soft; mp
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mezzo forte
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moderately loud; mf
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forte
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loud; f
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fortissimo
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very loud; ff
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crescendo
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growing louder; cre
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decrescendo
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growing softer; decr
