Praxis Music flashcards

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

Order of sharps

The fixed sequence in which sharps appear in key signatures: F, C, G, D, A, E, B. The final sharp names the major key, a half step above.

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, located a minor third below the major tonic. Example: A minor is relative to C major.

Harmonic minor scale

A natural minor scale with scale degree 7 raised a half step, creating a leading tone and an augmented second between degrees 6 and 7.

Authentic cadence

A cadence moving from dominant (V) to tonic (I). A perfect authentic cadence has both chords in root position with the tonic in the soprano.

Deceptive cadence

A cadence in which the dominant resolves unexpectedly to a chord other than tonic, most commonly vi in major. It delays rather than confirms closure.

Secondary dominant

A chromatic dominant seventh chord functioning as V7 of a diatonic chord other than tonic, labeled V7/x. It usually contains a raised tone resolving up.

Sonata-allegro form

A large-scale form with exposition (thematic presentation), development (motivic transformation, tonal instability), and recapitulation (return in tonic), often with an introduction and coda.

Basso continuo

A Baroque accompaniment practice in which a keyboard and bass instrument realize a figured-bass line, supplying harmony above the written bass.

Leitmotif

A recurring musical idea associated with a character, object, or concept, notably used by Wagner in his music dramas to unify large structures.

Twelve-tone serialism

A twentieth-century technique, codified by Schoenberg, in which a fixed ordering of all twelve pitch classes (the tone row) generates melodies and harmonies.

Rite of Spring

Stravinsky's 1913 ballet, known for primitivist rhythms, irregular meter, and dissonant harmony. Its premiere provoked a famous riot in Paris.

Gregorian chant

Monophonic, unaccompanied sacred Latin song of the medieval church, sung in modal scales and organized by liturgical function and text.

Madrigal

A Renaissance secular polyphonic vocal genre setting a short poem, often with word painting; prominent in Italy and Elizabethan England.

Blues form

A twelve-bar harmonic pattern (I, IV, V) with AAB lyrical structure and blue notes, foundational to jazz, rock, and American popular music.

Ritornello form

A Baroque form in which a recurring orchestral passage (ritornello) alternates with contrasting solo episodes, common in Vivaldi's concertos.

Tempo order

Slowest to fastest common markings: grave, largo, adagio, andante, moderato, allegro, vivace, presto. Modifiers include accelerando and ritardando.

Dynamic markings

Softest to loudest: ppp, pp, p, mp, mf, f, ff, fff. Crescendo and decrescendo indicate gradual changes in volume.

Bb trumpet transposition

The Bb trumpet sounds a major second lower than written. A written C sounds as a Bb, so parts are transposed up a major second for the player.

F horn transposition

The F horn sounds a perfect fifth lower than written. A written C sounds as the F below, so parts are written a perfect fifth above sounding pitch.

Fermata

A notation symbol (a curved dot over a note) indicating that the performer holds the note or rest beyond its written duration, at the conductor's discretion.

Diaphragmatic breathing

Inhalation that expands the lower abdomen while shoulders stay relaxed, providing steady airflow and breath support for singing and wind playing.

Quadruple conducting pattern

A four-beat pattern: beat 1 down, beat 2 inward across the body, beat 3 outward, and beat 4 up, returning to the starting point.

Mordent

An ornament alternating the principal note with its lower neighbor and returning to the principal note, executed rapidly within the written rhythmic value.

Orff approach

A pedagogy combining speech, movement, singing, and barred percussion to teach musical concepts through active participation and improvisation.

Kodaly method

A pedagogy using movable-do solfege, Curwen hand signs, and sequenced folk songs to develop inner hearing and music literacy.

Dalcroze eurhythmics

A pedagogy linking music learning to bodily movement, developing rhythm and expression through walking, conducting, and improvisation exercises.

Formative assessment

Ongoing, low-stakes assessment during instruction that provides feedback to adjust teaching and learning before a summative evaluation.

Summative assessment

End-of-unit or end-of-term evaluation that measures achievement against standards, often graded and used for reporting or placement decisions.

Performance rubric

A scoring guide with descriptive criteria across dimensions such as tone, intonation, rhythm, and expression, used to make performance judgments consistent.

NAfME standards

National music education standards organized around creating, performing, responding, and connecting, used to design curriculum and assess student learning.

Bloom's taxonomy

A hierarchy of cognitive processes (remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, create) used to sequence music objectives and design assessments.