Question | Answer |
Melody | A succession of musical tones usually of varying pitch and rhythm that has identifiable shape and meaning. A melody may be characterized by its smith, conjunct shape that moves mostly stepwise or by its disjunct, angular shape resulting from frequent use |
Rhythm | The organization of time in music, creating patterns of long and short durations of pitches to achieve desired degrees of rhythmic energy - the rhythmic impulse. |
Tempo | The rate of speed at which music is preformed. |
Pitch | The highness or lowness of a tone produced by a single frequency. A melody consists of sounds perceived as registers: high, middle, or low - or soprano, alto, tenor, or bass. A melody has a range of pitches: the lowest pitch to the highest. |
Texture | The density of sound. The number of simultaneously sounding lines. The manner in which the horizontal pitch sequences are organized. |
Dissonance | An active, unstable sound. |
Consonance | A relatively stable, comfortable sound that seems to be at rest in contrast with a dissonant, restless sound. |
Harmony | Pitches heard simultaneously in ways that produce chords and chord progressions. |
Chord | A meaningful (as opposed to random) combination of three or more tones. The primary chords in western European harmonic practice are the tonic (I chord), the subdominant (IV) chord), and the dominant (V chord). |
Dynamics | The level of loudness. |
Scales | An ascending or descending series of tones organized according to a specified pattern of intervals. |
Resolution | aka Tension. A perception of instability in traditional Western music that suggests the need for release of tension or resolutions. It is often marked by increased harmonic or rhythmic complexity, dissonance, modulation away from the tonic, or rise in pit |
Score | A printed version of a piece of music. Often refers to the version used by a conductor that depicts the music to be played by all performers - the full score. |
Tension | See resolution. |
Timbre | The characteristic quality of the sound of a voice or instrument. |
Theme | A short melody or phrase that has a sense of completeness - a complete musical thought; a theme usually ends with a cadence. A theme often is the unifying musical idea of a piece or section of a piece. |
Notation | The use of written or printed symbols to represent musical sounds. Notation makes possible the preservation and dissemination of music by means of writing. |
Genre | A category of music, such as symphony, hymn, ballad, mass, march, and opera. |
Form | The shape or structure of a piece of music. Form is determined primarily by patterns of contrast and repetition. |
Pulse | The recurring beat of the music. |