WACE ATAR Music flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Perfect cadence

A cadence moving from dominant (V) to tonic (I), both in root position, with the soprano ending on the tonic note; it gives a strong sense of final closure.

Compound duple meter

A meter with two main beats per bar, each divisible into three equal parts; 6/8 is the standard example, counted as two dotted-quarter-note beats.

Circle of fifths

A diagram arranging keys by perfect fifths; moving clockwise adds sharps (F C G D A E B), moving anticlockwise adds flats (B E A D G C F).

Transposing instrument

An instrument whose written pitch differs from sounding pitch; for a B-flat instrument such as the clarinet, written C sounds as B-flat, a major second lower.

Harmonic minor scale

A natural minor scale with the seventh degree raised by a semitone, creating a leading tone and a major dominant chord (V) for stronger cadences.

Deceptive cadence

A cadence where the dominant chord resolves unexpectedly to the submediant (V–vi) instead of the tonic, delaying closure and often extending a phrase.

Diminished triad

A triad built from two stacked minor thirds (root, minor third, diminished fifth); in major keys it occurs on the leading tone (vii°).

Sequence

A melodic or harmonic pattern repeated immediately at a higher or lower pitch level; a common developmental technique in Baroque and Classical music.

Augmentation

A compositional technique where a motive or theme is restated in longer note values, typically doubling rhythmic duration, often used in fugues and development sections.

Ternary form

A three-part structure ABA, where the opening section returns after a contrasting middle section; common in dance movements, minuets and character pieces.

Pivot chord modulation

A modulation using a chord that is diatonic in both the old and new keys; the chord functions in the old key first, then is reinterpreted in the new key.

Parallel fifths

Two voices moving in the same direction by the interval of a perfect fifth; generally avoided in four-part writing because it weakens voice independence.

Antecedent and consequent

A phrase pair forming a period: the antecedent poses a musical question, often ending on a half cadence; the consequent answers it, usually ending on a perfect cadence.

Heterophonic texture

A texture in which two or more performers play simultaneous variants of the same melody, often with ornamentation; common in many Asian and Middle Eastern traditions.

Orchestral score order

The standard layout of a full score from top to bottom: woodwinds, brass, percussion, then strings; within each family, highest instruments appear first.

Sonata form

A large-scale structure with exposition (themes presented), development (themes transformed), and recapitulation (themes return in the tonic key), often with an introduction and coda.

Ritardando

An Italian performance direction meaning gradually slowing down; often abbreviated rit. or ritard., and frequently used at the end of a phrase or section.

Fermata

A notation symbol (a curved line with a dot) placed over a note or rest, indicating that it should be held longer than its written value, at the performer's discretion.

Staccato

An articulation marking (a dot above or below a notehead) indicating that the note should be played short and detached, with space before the next note.

Rubato

An expressive performance technique involving flexible tempo, where the performer speeds up or slows down to shape a phrase, often compensating so overall timing is maintained.

Sforzando

A dynamic marking (sfz) indicating a sudden, strong accent on a single note or chord, followed by an immediate return to the surrounding dynamic level.

Ensemble balance

The adjustment of relative volume among players so that the melody is heard clearly above accompaniment and inner parts support harmony without masking the main line.

Equal temperament

A tuning system dividing the octave into twelve equal semitones; all keys sound equally usable, though perfect fifths are slightly narrow and major thirds slightly wide compared with just intonation.

Mordent

An ornament consisting of a single rapid alternation between the principal note and the note above or below it, returning immediately to the principal note.

Basso continuo

A Baroque accompaniment practice where a keyboard and a bass instrument realize a figured bass line, providing harmony and rhythmic foundation for the ensemble.

Sonata form in Classical era

The dominant large-scale structure of Classical instrumental movements, featuring exposition, development and recapitulation, with clear thematic contrast and tonal drama.

Second Viennese School

A group of early twentieth-century composers including Schoenberg, Berg and Webern who developed atonality and twelve-tone technique, rejecting traditional tonality.

Gamelan

An Indonesian ensemble of predominantly metallophones and gongs, characterised by interlocking parts, colotomic structure, and slendro or pelog tuning systems.

Raga and tala

In Indian classical music, raga is the melodic framework of pitches and ornaments, while tala is the rhythmic cycle that structures improvisation and composition.

Peter Sculthorpe

An Australian composer (1929–2014) known for works such as Earth Cry and Kakadu, which incorporate Aboriginal chant, bird calls and evocations of the Australian landscape.

Roman numeral analysis

A system labelling chords by their scale degree in Roman numerals (I, ii, V), with case indicating quality and superscripts showing inversions, used to describe harmonic function.

Program music

Instrumental music that depicts a story, scene or idea, often through a descriptive title and extra-musical associations; prominent in the Romantic era.