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George Frederic Handel

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German born composer who spent most of his career in England. Best known today for writing oratorios and dance suites.

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Oratorio

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Dramatic sacred genre of the Baroque period consisting of arias, recitatives, and choruses. Usually based on biblical stories and texts. Performed in concert format that is not acted out on stage.

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Scale

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A series of pitches, in ascending or descending order, that is used as the basis of a musical piece.

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Chord

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The combination of three or more pitches.

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Johann Sebastian Bach

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Baroque period German composer. Especially noted for his writing in a highly polyphonic style.

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Beat

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The basic underlying pulse of the music. Similar to your heartbeat. It can be fast or slow depending on the mood of the music.

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Movement

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A part of a large musical composition, with a beginning and end, but does not constitute the entire composition; similar to a single act of a multi-act play.

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Ordinary

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Five specific texts from the Mass consisting of the Kyrie Gloria Sanctus Credo and Agnus Dei. These are the texts that appear in all masses.

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Monophonic

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A kind of texture that consists of a single melodic line.

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Stabat Mater

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Fourteenth-century hymn dealing with the sorrow of Mary at the crucifixion of Jesus. The text became the basis of many later compositions of the same name.

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Baroque

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Historical period of music dating from 1600-1750.

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Medieval

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Historical period of music dating from 500-1450.

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Meter

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The organization of beats into regularly recurring groups of beats.

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Minimalism

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Late twentieth-century style characterized by having a traditional tonal center much repetition and layering of melodic or motivic elements.

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Stanza

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A song form based on verses of text sung to the same music.

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Cantata

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Sacred vocal genre consisting of multiple movements, performed during a church service; common in the Baroque period as well as today.

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Christmas Carol

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A song based on the Christmas story or related ideas.

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Soprano

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The higher register female voice.

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Call to Prayer

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In the Muslim world, the music that is sung five times daily by the "muezzin" telling Muslims it is time to pray. In modern times, this has often been replaced by a recording rather than a person singing from a tower called a minaret.

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Consonant

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Sounds that feel at rest stable pleasing.

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Chorus

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Part of a song that contains the same music and text each time it is sung. Also refers to a movement of music for a massed choir consisting of soprano, alto, tenor, and bass voices.

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Organum

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A two-part sacred vocal work for a pre-existing Gregorian chant and one additional melodic line.

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Requiem

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A mass for the dead.

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Romantic

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Historical period of music dating from 1825-1900.

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Polyphonic

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A kind of texture that consists of two or more melodic lines.

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Basso Continuo

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The Baroque period instrumental practice of coupling a low-pitched sustaining instrument, such as a cello, bass, or bassoon, with a harpsichord, to provide a firm harmonic and rhythmic base for the music.

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Leonard Bernstein

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American composer and Conductor/Music Director of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. Wrote compositions in both the edgy classical style of the twentieth century and in a more popular vein for musical theatre.

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Psalms

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Ancient biblical songs poems or chants of praise.

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Microtones

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Pitches in between two "regular" notes. Often heard in non-western music blues jazz rock and spirituals.

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Pitch

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The relative highness or lowness of a musical sound based on the frequency of vibration.

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Patronage

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The practice of financially supporting a composer either by a wealthy nobleman or a church.

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Mass

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Musical setting of the texts associated with the Roman Catholic Church's ritual of the Mass.

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Hymnal

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A printed collection of hymns.

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Texture

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The relative melodic complexity of the music usually based on how many or few melodic ideas are prominent.

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Spirituals

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Worship music stemming from the African-American slaves often based on Biblical stories of salvation and freedom.

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Major

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Kind of harmony that sounds happy triumphant or bright.

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Bass

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The lower register male voice. Also refers to the lower range of pitches and types of instruments.

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Rhythm

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The element of music that animates it gives it a feeling of moving through time. Contains the pulse beat of the music and the various emphases associated with it.

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Minor

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Kind of harmony that sounds sad melancholy or ominous.

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Magnificat

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Sacred vocal genre based on the Virgin Mary's response to her being told she will bear the Son of God.

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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

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Classical period composer. Especially noted for his writing of operas concertos and symphonies.

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A-B-A

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What type of form describes an opening section of music with certain characteristics a contrasting section and a return to the original music at the end?

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Proper

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Texts from the mass that are specific to different feast days throughout the year.

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Tuvan throat singing

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A type of vocalization from the Republic of Tuva that produces two pitches simultaneously.

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Imitative polyphony

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Polyphonic texture in which each voice imitates what a previous voice has already stated.

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Tenor

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The higher register male voice.

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Polyrhythmic

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Music that contains two or more rhythmic meters occurring simultaneously.

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Ketjak

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A kind of rhythmic chanting from Bali.

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Alto

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The lower register female voice.

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Polyphony

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A polyphonic texture.

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Giacomo Puccini

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Italian Romantic period composer of operas. Known for the "verismo" style of realism in operatic writing.

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Timbre

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The "tone color" of a musical sound; the distinct quality of sound that differentiates one instrument or voice from another.

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John Adams

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American composer often associated with the minimalist style.

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Recitative

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A vocal piece that follows closely the inflections of the text changing dramatically in mood tempo and dynamics; common in operas, oratorios, and cantatas.

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Melody

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The element of music that refers to the tune that we can recognize and remember. Consists of pitches with distinct rhythmic characteristics.

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Aria

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A lyrical vocal piece a song usually for a solo voice with orchestral accompaniment. Common in operas oratorios and cantatas.

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Josquin Des Prez

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Renaissance period Flemish composer of liturgical music, most known for the writing of masses and motets.

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Dissonance

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Sounds that feel restless unstable harsh, clashing

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Verse

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Part of a song that uses the same music but different words each time it is sung. Also called a stanza.

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Harmony

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Element of music that consists of the pitches that are not the melody.

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Overture

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An instrumental composition that precedes a dramatic production such as an opera, oratorio, or ballet.

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Secular

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Music not of a religious nature.

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Multiphonics

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The singing of two or more pitches simultaneously. Practiced by Tibetan Buddhist monks and Tuvan (Mongolian) shepherds. Also known as throat singing.

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Drone

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A constant unchanging pitch or combination of pitches; common in Indian music.

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Hymn

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Any religious song intended for the express purpose of praising God.

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Renaissance

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Historical period of music dating from 1450-1600.

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Motet

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Sacred polyphonic vocal genre dating from the thirteenth century through the eighteenth century.

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Gregorian Chant

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Medieval period sacred monophonic vocal music of the Catholic Church.

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Interval

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Two pitches sounded simultaneously or the distance between two pitches.

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Unison

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The singing or playing of a melodic line by two or more voices.

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Gospel Music

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Worship music of predominantly African-American churches in the United States, characterized by performances by large choirs often singing in unison, with soloists who improvise over the choral background.

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Melismatic

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Style of singing where many pitches are sung to one syllable of text.

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Twentieth century

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During which historical period were composers more likely to employ irregular rhythms dissonant harmonies and unusual scale systems?

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The Roman Catholic Church

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During the Medieval period what was the foremost religious institution in Europe?

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Old Testament stories

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The subject matter of spirituals often reflects similarities to:

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The Bible

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J.S. Bach and John Adams both used this source as the textual basis of oratorios they composed.

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Call to prayer

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Which of the following would not be part of a religious service?

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How and where it is heard

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What is one of the biggest differences between Christian pop/rock and traditional religious music of earlier eras?

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Classical

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During which historical period were composers more likely to be employed by aristocratic families than the church?

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Chanting

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A common vocal concept with different manifestations across many religions is:

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Kyrie

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Which of the texts from the mass is Greek in origin?

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As concert pieces

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Oratorios are most often performed:

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