ORELA Music (NT504) flashcards

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

Treble clef

A G clef that curls around the second line from the bottom, fixing that line as G4; used for higher voices and instruments such as violin, flute, and right-hand piano.

Bass clef

An F clef whose two dots surround the fourth line from the bottom, fixing that line as F3; used for lower voices and instruments such as cello, bassoon, and left-hand piano.

Perfect fifth

An interval spanning seven semitones, such as C to G; it is a perfect consonance, and its inversion, the perfect fourth, is also perfect.

Interval inversion rule

When an interval is inverted, the numerical size sums to nine (a third becomes a sixth) and major/minor qualities swap, while perfect stays perfect and augmented becomes diminished.

Harmonic minor scale

A natural minor scale with the seventh degree raised a semitone, creating a leading tone and an augmented second between the sixth and seventh degrees.

Diminished triad

A chord of two stacked minor thirds, built from the root, minor third, and diminished fifth; it is unstable and common on the leading tone of major keys.

Homophonic texture

A texture with one dominant melody supported by chordal accompaniment moving largely in the same rhythm; hymn settings and most popular songs are homophonic.

Polyphonic texture

A texture of two or more independent melodic lines sounding simultaneously, as in imitative counterpoint, fugues, and Renaissance motets.

Gregorian chant

Monophonic, unaccompanied Latin sacred song of the medieval church, sung in modal scales with free rhythm; it is the foundation of later Western polyphony.

Basso continuo

A Baroque practice in which a keyboard and a bass instrument realize an unfigured or figured bass line, supplying harmony beneath the melody.

Ritornello form

A Baroque concerto structure in which a recurring orchestral passage alternates with solo episodes, common in works by Vivaldi and Bach.

Sonata form

A Classical structure with an exposition presenting two contrasting themes, a development that transforms them, and a recapitulation returning them in the home key.

Symphonic poem

A single-movement orchestral work of the Romantic era that depicts a story, scene, or idea, developed largely by Franz Liszt.

Lied

A German Romantic art song for voice and piano in which the accompaniment supports and comments on the poetic text, exemplified by Schubert.

Twelve-tone serialism

A twentieth-century method that orders all twelve pitch classes in a row used as the basis for melody and harmony, associated with Schoenberg and the Second Viennese School.

Minimalism

A late twentieth-century style built on repetition, gradual change, and steady pulse, associated with composers such as Steve Reich, Philip Glass, and Terry Riley.

Dotted note value

A dot placed after a note adds half of that note's original value, so a dotted half note lasts three quarter-note beats in common time.

Compound meter

A meter whose beat divides into three equal parts, indicated by a numerator of 6, 9, or 12; 6/8 has two beats per measure.

Order of sharps

The fixed sequence in which sharps appear in key signatures: F, C, G, D, A, E, B; the last sharp is a semitone below the major tonic.

Order of flats

The fixed sequence in which flats appear in key signatures: B, E, A, D, G, C, F; the second-to-last flat names the major key.

Relative minor

The minor key sharing a key signature with a major key, whose tonic lies a minor third below the major tonic, such as A minor for C major.

Tempo order

Slow-to-fast sequence of common tempo terms: largo, adagio, andante, moderato, allegro, vivace, presto; andante means a walking pace.

Fermata

A symbol placed over a note or rest indicating that the performer holds it longer than its written value, at the conductor's or performer's discretion.

Kodaly method

A music education approach using folk song, rhythm syllables, solfege with hand signs, and a prepare-present-practice sequence to build musical literacy.

Orff-Schulwerk

An approach combining speech, singing, movement, and barred percussion, with students creating ostinato and bordun accompaniments in ensemble settings.

Dalcroze eurhythmics

A method teaching rhythm, phrasing, and expression through whole-body movement, developed by Emile Jaques-Dalcroze.

Audiation

Gordon's term for hearing and comprehending music in the mind when no sound is present, the foundation of his Music Learning Theory.

Transposing instruments

Instruments whose written pitch differs from sounding pitch: B-flat clarinet and trumpet sound a major second lower, and F horn sounds a perfect fifth lower.

Instrument families

The standard orchestral groupings: woodwinds, brass, strings, and percussion; percussion divides into definite pitch (timpani, xylophone) and indefinite pitch (snare, cymbals).

Performance rubric

An assessment tool listing observable criteria such as tone, intonation, rhythm, and expression, each rated on a scale of proficiency levels.

Concert pitch score

A full score in which all instruments are written at sounding pitch, so transposing parts appear at their actual sounding notes rather than their written ones.