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Music Appreciation
Medieval and Renaissance Periods
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Note | Vibrations for musical sounds that are so definite and steady; also known as a tone |
| Pitch | The highness or lowness of a note |
| Staff | A set of 5 horizontal lines on or between which the notes are placed |
| Interval | The distance between two pitches |
| Unison | The smallest interval that occurs when two identical pitches are played one after the other |
| Octave | An interval between notes of the same name |
| Dynamics | The levels of loudness and softness |
| Decrescendo | Indicates the music is getting softer; can give the effect of calming tension |
| Crescendo | Indicates the music is getting louder; can express exuberance |
| Timbre (tam-bur) | The distinctive sound quality of an instrument |
| Beat | The regular, recurrent pulsation in most music |
| Downbeat | The first beat in each group, the beat that carries more weight |
| Tempo | The rate or speed of the beat |
| Rubato | Indicates freedom to move ahead and fall behind the tempo |
| Fermata | Means to hold the note longer than its normal time value |
| Legato | The notes in the melody flow naturally and smoothly |
| Staccato | The notes in the melody are short and "choppy" |
| Sequence | Melodic patterns repeated at different pitch levels |
| Theme | A melody that serves as the starting point for an extended work |
| Arpeggio | Chords that are broken up so the notes are played one at a time instead of all together |
| Consonance | A combination of notes that is considered stable and without tension |
| Dissonance | A combination of notes that is considered unstable and tense, so much so that they sound as if they are fighting |
| Key | Refers to the central note, scale, and chord |
| Key Signature | Tells you what notes should be flat or sharp throughout the entire piece |
| Chromatic Scale | A scale that includes all notes |
| Modulation | The shift from one key to another within the same composition |
| Texture | Describes the way the vertical and horizontal strands of melody are interwoven; can refer to how many layers of sound are heard at the same time |
| Monophony/Monophonic Texture | "One sound"; means one melodic line with no accompaniment (like singing/humming to yourself) |
| Polyphony/Polyphonic Texture | When two or more melodies of equal interest are performed at the same time |
| Counterpoint | The technique of combining several melodic lines into a meaningful whole |
| Homophony/Homophonic Texture | When a single melodic line predominates, while the other voices or instruments provide an accompanying harmony |
| Form | The organization of musical ideas (usually melodies but can be other combinations of sounds) in time |
| Consorts | Groups of different types of instruments playing together |
| Vibrato | The rapid vibration of the left hand while pressing the strings against the fingerboard |
| Synthesizer | Can imitate natural acoustic sounds, or it can design new sounds |
| Chamber Music | Refers to a small group of instruments in which only one voice/instrument is assigned to a part |
| Orchestra | A group of instruments from different families |
| The Mass | The most solemn service of the medieval Christian church; the commemoration and symbolic reenactment of the last supper of Christ |
| Liturgy of the Mass | The prescribed ceremony |
| Organa | The earliest polyphonic works (singular, organum) |
| Hildegard of Bingen | One of the best known female composers of sacred music |
| Guillaume de Machaut | One of the most important composers of the 14th century |
| Minstrels/Jongleurs | Traveling street performers |
| Word Painting | An element of the madrigal style; the melody was written to represent the literal meaning of the text being sung |
| Lute Songs | Composed for a lute accompanying a solo voice |
| Transcriptions | Arrangements of compositions for a medium other than those for which they were originally written |
Created by:
KaleighMichelle
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