Maharashtra HSC European Music key terms

The set of five horizontal lines and four spaces on which pitches are written; a clef at the start fixes which line or space corresponds to which note name.

A G clef placed so that its curl circles the second line from the bottom, making that line G above middle C; used for violin, flute, and most soprano and alto voices.

An F clef whose two dots bracket the fourth line from the bottom, making that line F below middle C; used for cello, double bass, bassoon, trombone, and bass voice.

A short extra line drawn above or below the staff to carry pitches that fall outside its five lines, as with middle C below the treble staff.

Two stacked numbers at the start of a piece: the upper states how many beats are in each bar, the lower states which note value receives one beat.

A metre in which each beat divides naturally into two equal halves, such as 2/4, 3/4 or 4/4; the lower figure of the signature is 2, 4 or 8.

A metre in which each beat divides into three equal parts, notated with upper figures of 6, 9 or 12 over 8; 6/8 therefore has two dotted-crotchet beats per bar.

The distance in pitch between two notes, measured by counting letter names inclusively and described by size plus quality, for example a perfect fifth or a minor third.

The quality taken by the fourth, fifth and octave when they occur in the major scale and its modes; these intervals cannot be made major or minor, only perfect, augmented or diminished.

The interval produced by moving the lower note of a pair up an octave, or the upper note down; sizes then sum to nine and qualities swap, so a major third inverts to a minor sixth.

A seven-note scale built on the pattern of tones and semitones T-T-S-T-T-T-S, producing a bright, stable sound and serving as the reference for key signatures.

The sharps or flats placed after the clef at the start of each staff, showing which notes are raised or lowered throughout the piece and naming its key.

The minor key sharing a key signature with a given major key, whose tonic lies a minor third below that major tonic, for example A minor in relation to C major.

A minor scale with the seventh degree raised by a semitone, creating a leading tone and an augmented second between the sixth and seventh degrees; common in harmonic writing.

A three-note chord built from a root plus the third and fifth above it, stacked in thirds; its quality may be major, minor, diminished or augmented.

A four-note chord formed by adding a minor seventh above the dominant triad; its strong pull toward the tonic makes it the standard engine of cadential progressions.

Numerals written under a bass line to indicate the intervals or chord inversions to be played above it, as in the continuo parts of Baroque music.

A melodic and harmonic formula that closes a phrase; types include perfect, imperfect, plagal and interrupted, each giving a different degree of finality.

A short self-contained musical thought, usually two to eight bars long, that ends with a cadence and combines with other phrases to build a melody or theme.

A two-part structure in which section A moves away from the tonic and section B returns to it, often written AB and sometimes with each half repeated.

A three-part structure laid out as ABA, where a contrasting middle section is followed by a return of the opening material, often varied or abbreviated.

A large-scale structure common in first movements, comprising an exposition presenting contrasting themes in related keys, a development that works them over, and a recapitulation resolving them in the tonic.

The opening section of a sonata-form or fugal movement, which states the main thematic material and, in sonata form, sets a second subject in a contrasting key.

A structure in which a recurring principal theme alternates with contrasting episodes, typically ABACA, giving a refrain-like shape with a strong sense of return.

A paired dance movement in triple time: a minuet, a contrasting trio usually in a related key, then the minuet repeated without its internal repeats.

A Baroque accompaniment in which a keyboard instrument and a bass instrument realise a figured bass line, supplying harmony beneath the melody.

Music for a small group with one player to a part, written for performance in a room rather than a hall, such as a string quartet or a sonata for instrument and piano.

A work pitting a solo instrument or small group against an orchestra, typically in three movements, showing off the soloist's technique and expressive range.

A showy passage, often unaccompanied, in which a concerto soloist displays virtuosity near the end of a movement before the orchestra returns.

A contrapuntal piece built on a subject stated in successive voices, then developed through episodes, stretto and other devices of imitation.

The art of combining two or more independent melodic lines so that they sound well together, governed by rules about consonance, motion and voice-leading.

A device in which one voice repeats a melodic idea just heard in another, either exactly or altered, at the same or a different pitch level.

Decorative additions to a melodic line such as trills, mordents, turns and grace notes, either written out by the composer or improvised by the performer.

The way successive notes are joined or separated, shown by marks such as slurs, staccato dots and accents, and shaping phrasing and clarity of tone.

The degrees of loudness and softness in a performance, indicated by markings from pianissimo to fortissimo and by hairpins or accents.

The adjustment of individual volumes and tone within a group so that melody, bass and inner parts are heard in the intended proportion.

The accuracy of pitch in performance, especially in ensembles; faulty intonation is heard as notes sitting sharp or flat against the prevailing tuning.

Performing unfamiliar music at first sight, requiring quick recognition of key, metre, rhythm and intervals so that the reading flows without stops.

Hearing a short rhythm and writing it down in correct note values, rests and metre, a standard test of aural perception and notation skill.

Adjusting an instrument's pitch reference before playing, such as matching a string to a tuning note or checking a wind instrument's intonation.