European Baccalaureate Music flashcards

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

Perfect authentic cadence

A V–I progression in which both chords are in root position and the highest voice ends on the tonic. It gives the strongest sense of final closure in tonal music.

Half cadence

A phrase ending on the dominant chord, usually approached from I, ii or IV. It sounds unfinished and typically marks the midpoint of a period, inviting a continuation.

Deceptive cadence

A dominant chord resolving unexpectedly to the submediant (V–vi) instead of the tonic. The surprise postpones closure and is common at the end of a phrase or section.

Sonata form

A large-scale structure with exposition presenting two contrasting subject groups, a development that fragments and recombines material, and a recapitulation returning both groups in the tonic key.

Rondo form

A structure in which a recurring refrain alternates with contrasting episodes, typically ABACA. The returns of the refrain create familiarity while each episode introduces new keys or textures.

Terraced dynamics

A Baroque practice of changing volume abruptly between fixed levels rather than by gradual crescendo. It results from harpsichord and organ mechanisms and from antiphonal contrasts between instrumental groups.

Basso continuo

A Baroque accompaniment played by a bass instrument plus a chordal instrument reading figured bass. The continuo supplies both the harmonic foundation and an improvised realisation of the chords.

Pedal point

A sustained note, usually in the bass, held while the harmony above it changes. It creates tension, often before a cadence or at the close of a development section.

Imitative counterpoint

A texture in which a melodic idea stated in one voice is repeated by another voice at a different pitch, overlapping the original. Canon and fugue are strict forms of this technique.

Secondary dominant

A chromatic chord that acts as the dominant of a scale degree other than the tonic, labelled V/V, V/vi and so on. It temporarily tonicises that degree without changing the overall key.

Neapolitan sixth

A major triad built on the lowered second degree, used in first inversion (bII6). It typically precedes the dominant and appears most often in minor keys before a cadence.

Programme music

Instrumental music that illustrates or narrates an extra-musical story, scene or idea, often named in a title. It became prominent in the Romantic period alongside expanded orchestral forces.

Heterophonic texture

A texture in which two or more performers play the same melodic line simultaneously with individual ornamentation or variation. It is characteristic of many non-Western traditions and some folk music.

Antiphony

A performance style in which two separated groups alternate, answering one another. It is common in Renaissance choral music, in responsorial chant and in polychoral Baroque writing.

Comparative essay parameters

Melody, harmony, rhythm, timbre, texture, form and historical context. A comparative essay must support each chosen parameter with a specific bar or section reference from the works discussed.

Atonality

The avoidance of a tonal centre and of functional harmonic progressions. Pitch material may be organised by twelve-tone rows or freely, and consonance and dissonance lose their traditional hierarchical roles.

Figured bass 6/4

The figure marking a second-inversion triad, with a fourth and sixth above the bass. The cadential six-four resolves onto the dominant, normally with the same bass note.

Figured bass 4/2

The figure marking a seventh chord in third inversion, with the seventh in the bass. The bass seventh normally resolves downward by step while the upper voices move to the tonic chord.

Parallel fifths

Two voices moving in the same direction while keeping the interval of a perfect fifth. Traditional four-part writing forbids them because they weaken the independence of the voices.

Leading-note resolution

The raised seventh degree of a key must rise by semitone to the tonic when it appears in an outer or upper voice. This rule governs cadential and dominant-seventh progressions in tonal harmony.

Seventh resolution

The seventh of a dominant seventh chord resolves downward by step to the third of the tonic chord. The rule holds in four-part writing and in most tonal progressions.

Doubling rule for triads

In root-position triads double the root; in first-inversion triads doubling the root or fifth is acceptable; in diminished triads double the third. Never double the leading note or a tendency tone.

Cadential six-four

A tonic chord in second inversion that functions as a decoration of the dominant. It resolves to V on the same bass note, and the sixth above the bass resolves down to the fifth.

SATB voice ranges

Standard ranges: soprano roughly C4 to A5, alto G3 to D5, tenor C3 to G4, bass E2 to C4. Exceeding these ranges in a harmonisation exercise is penalised in the marking.

Secondary seventh chords

Seventh chords built on degrees other than the dominant, such as ii7, vi7 or viiø7. In four-part writing the seventh resolves downward by step and the chord's function follows its Roman numeral.

Melodic dictation procedure

Establish the key and starting pitch from the given reference, notate the rhythm first, then fix pitches by scale degree. Check the final cadence, which usually confirms the key.

Interval recognition anchor

Reference melodies help identify intervals: a perfect fourth from the opening of the Wedding March, a perfect fifth from Twinkle Twinkle, an octave from Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

Chord quality identification

Major triads have a major third and perfect fifth; minor triads a minor third and perfect fifth; diminished triads two minor thirds; augmented triads two major thirds; dominant sevenths a major triad plus minor seventh.

Sight-reading scanning routine

Before playing, check clef, key signature, time signature, tempo marking and the largest leap. Mark accidentals and the hardest rhythmic figure, then choose a tempo that keeps the pulse steady.

Set-work analysis checklist

For each set work record composer, date, genre, performing forces, form, tonal plan and two distinctive techniques. Attach a bar reference to every technique so the claim is verifiable.

Essay thesis and counter-observation

A top-band essay states one arguable thesis, supports it with three analytical observations tied to bar references, and acknowledges one counter-observation before concluding. Description alone does not satisfy the criteria.

Keyboard harmonisation routine

Read the soprano, decide the key and cadence points, sketch the bass line first, then fill alto and tenor. Play through slowly to check for parallels and unresolved tendency tones.