Canary PAU Music & Dance key terms

Irregular bar formed by combining binary and ternary beats within the same measure, such as 5/8 grouped 3+2 or 7/8 grouped 2+2+3. The grouping pattern, not just the numerator, determines accentuation and conducting.

Deliberate accent placed on a metrically weak position, sustained across the strong beat so the expected accent is displaced. It differs from a note starting on a weak beat but resolving before the strong one.

Note or chord sounded in the weak part of the beat, after the pulse, with silence or rest on the strong position. Typical of marches, danzones and much popular Canarian repertoire.

Hierarchy of stress that a metre assigns to its positions: strong, semi-strong and weak. Identifying it is the basis for correct phrasing, barline placement and rhythmic dictation.

Metre whose beat divides into three equal parts, such as 6/8, 9/8 or 12/8. Written with a compound numerator, it is felt in two, three or four dotted beats rather than six, nine or twelve simple pulses.

Close built on a dominant-to-tonic root progression. It is perfect when both chords are in root position and the melody ends on the tonic; otherwise it is imperfect. It is the strongest closing formula in tonal music.

Pause on the dominant chord at the end of a phrase, creating an open, unfinished effect. It normally precedes a continuation rather than ending a section, and is common in antecedent phrases.

Close by subdominant-to-tonic progression, often called the amen cadence. It is softer than the authentic close and frequently appears in hymns, chorales and liturgical music.

Role a chord plays inside a key: tonic (rest), subdominant or predominant (departure) and dominant (tension demanding resolution). Roman-numeral analysis labels chords so these functions become visible.

Sequence in which each chord root falls a fifth, as in vi–ii–V–I. It drives harmonic motion towards the tonic and underlies countless tonal phrases, jazz standards and Canarian song accompaniments.

Non-chord tone that fills the interval between two chord tones by step, usually on a weak beat. Passing tones may be diatonic or chromatic and are essential to melodic analysis and dictation.

Non-chord tone that leaves a chord tone by step and returns to the same note. It is called upper or lower according to direction, and is a frequent ornament in Baroque and Classical melodies.

Accented non-chord tone approached by leap or step and resolved by step, usually downward, on a strong beat. It creates expressive dissonance and is written as a small note in Baroque notation.

Large binary design whose first section exposes contrasting themes in two keys, develops them, then recapitulates both in the tonic. It organises most first movements of Classical symphonies, quartets and sonatas.

Opening section of a sonata-form movement, presenting the main theme in the tonic and a contrasting theme in the dominant or relative key, joined by a transition and closed by a codetta.

Central section of sonata form that fragments, sequences and recombines exposition material, moving through unstable keys to build tension before the tonic returns.

Final section of sonata form restating the exposition with both themes now in the tonic key, resolving the tonal conflict opened at the start.

Pair of phrases, antecedent and consequent, in which the first ends with a weaker cadence and the second answers it with a stronger one, usually on the tonic.

Technique of the Ars Nova in which a repeated rhythmic pattern (talea) is combined with a repeated melodic pattern (color) of different length, producing shifting alignments across a motet or section.

Pre-existing melody, often plainchant, used as the structural tenor of a polyphonic composition. Composers stretched its notes into long values while faster voices moved above it.

Polyphonic sacred vocal work, typically unaccompanied, setting a Latin liturgical or biblical text. It developed from thirteenth-century discant practice into the dense imitative texture of the Renaissance.

Texture in which two or more voices present the same melodic idea in turn, overlapping in time. It is the defining procedure of the Renaissance motet and Mass and of fugal writing.

Improvised accompaniment built from a figured bass line, played by a chordal instrument with a bass instrument. It anchors Baroque ensemble music and makes the harmony partly a performance decision.

Imitative contrapuntal form on one subject, presented in successive voices by tonic and dominant entries, followed by episodes of sequence and development before a final statement.

Comic Italian opera of the eighteenth century, with everyday characters, spoken-like rapid recitative and ensemble finales. It grew from intermezzi such as La serva padrona and influenced Mozart.

Addition of decorative figures - trills, appoggiaturas, mordents, turns or diminutions - to a melodic line, either written by the composer or improvised by the performer following period conventions.

Slow triple-metre harmonic ostinato of Iberian origin, built on a descending bass pattern, used by composers from the sixteenth century onward as a ground for variations.

Lively ternary-metre song and dance of the Canary Islands, sung in coplas with a short repeated refrain, accompanied by guitar, timple and percussion; a central genre of the archipelago's folklore.

Spanish popular song and dance in quick triple metre, with four-line stanzas alternating seven- and five-syllable lines. Its variants travelled to the Americas and shaped several regional traditions.

Small five-string Canarian plucked instrument with a short neck and high, bright register, used for melody and strummed accompaniment in isas, folías and other island genres.

Distance in pitch between two notes sounded simultaneously. Recognising harmonic intervals by quality and size is a standard ear-training task distinct from melodic interval recognition.

Distance in pitch between two successive notes. Its identification depends on direction, size and quality, and it is the building block of melodic dictation and sight-singing.

Notation from hearing of a melody, requiring key, metre, rhythm and pitch to be inferred and written accurately. It typically follows a short tonal framework and a stated tonic chord.

Notation from hearing of rhythm alone, without pitch, focusing on metre, subdivision, syncopation and ties. It is often given at two speeds or with a stated pulse.

Singing of written or heard pitches in tune and with correct interval placement, usually without accompaniment. It tests internal hearing, tonal memory and accurate intonation under exam conditions.

Performance of unseen music at sight, in time and without prior rehearsal. It assesses rhythmic continuity, interval reading and the ability to keep going after a mistake.

Movement notation system using a five-line staff read left to right, recording body parts, direction, level and timing. It is used to document and reconstruct choreography precisely.

Movement notation system devised by Rudolf Laban, written on a vertical staff with columns for body parts, using symbols for direction, level and dynamics. It is widely used for dance reconstruction and analysis.

Framework describing movement quality through four effort elements - weight, time, space and flow - and their combinations. It supports analysis of dynamics in performance and choreography.

Graphic or symbolic record of a dance, showing sequence, timing and spatial placement of performers. It functions for dance as a score does for music, enabling staging and study.

Slow tempo marking, also a section of a classical ballet class devoted to slow, controlled movements that develop balance, line and extension before faster work.

Fast tempo marking in music, and in ballet class the brisk centre-floor combinations of jumps and travelling steps that follow the slower adagio.

Handrail used in the first part of a ballet class for support during exercises that isolate turnout, placement and articulation of the feet before centre work.

Structured sequence of exercises preparing breath support, resonance and articulation before singing, progressing from gentle humming and lip trills to wide range and agility work.

Coordinated use of the diaphragm and abdominal muscles to control airflow and subglottic pressure while singing, giving stable pitch, phrasing and dynamic control without throat tension.

Range within which a voice or instrument sounds most comfortably and with best tone quality, distinct from its full compass. Repertoire is chosen to sit largely within it.

Choice and coordination of fingers used to play a passage, marked in scores to secure fluency, evenness and reliable intonation, and often differing between editions and performers.

Piano pedal that lifts the dampers so strings continue sounding, used to connect harmony and enrich tone; its changes must be timed to the harmonic rhythm to avoid blurring.

Ability to retain and reproduce music through aural, visual, kinaesthetic and analytical channels; reliable memorisation for performance combines all four rather than relying on repetition alone.