Download Choir 9 -12 - Vocabulary J - Fleetwoodpark

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CHOIR 9 -12 - VOCABULARY 
In the space provided define each choral term. We will be reviewing these terms in class. Some of these
terms are best described in words and the use of symbols. It is expected that all of these terms are
memorized and understood for the vocabulary test in the following weeks and for rehearsal.
TERM
DEFINITION
Pitch
The location of a note in related to its highness or lowness.
Range
Notes which a person can sing comfortable
Resonance
The quality in a sound, being deep, full, and reverberating.
Soprano
Highest female voice.
Alto
Someone whose range is between a soprano and tenor.
Usually referred to as the lowest female voice
Tenor
Typically the highest male voice
Baritone
A baritone refers to the male singer whose range falls
somewhere between that of a bass and that of a tenor.
Bass
Lowers male voice. Usually provides rhythm.
Treble Clef
Alto and Soprano parts are written in the treble clef
Bass Clef
Tenor, bass and baritone parts are written in bass clef
Mouth/lips/teeth/tongue
Parts of the face which articulate words while singing or
speaking
A Cappella
Without accompaniment (no piano, other musical
instruments)
Downbeat
The first beat of a measure
Measure
Segment in a line of music that indicates a given number of
beats, each of which are assigned a particular note value.
Diaphragm
Muscle below your lunch, which allows you to inhale and
exhale.
English Vowels
A, E, I, O, U
Italian Vowels
E, A, I, O, U - pronunciation is soft and open.
Consonants
All letters in the alphabet that are not vowels. E.g. T, K, S,
R, L, M etc.
Diphthongs
Two or more vowel sounds blended together
Diction
Correct and clear pronunciation of consonants
Falsetto
Also referred to as the male head voice. High pitched with
a lighter tone e.g. Justin Timberlake, Adam
Dynamics
Relative loudness or softness. Volume control.
Crescendo
Gradually becoming loader
Decrescendo
Gradually becoming softer
Melody
Usually the dominant line of music in a song. Sometimes
forms a pattern
Harmony
Simultaneous sounding of two or more tones usually
supports the melody.
Improvise
Creating a melody or harmony on the spot with little to no
preparation.
Embellishment
Musical improve of a melodic line. Usually done by a
soloist or small group. Pop music use this frequently.
Tempo
The speed or pulse of a song
Time signature
Indicates the number of beats in a measure and each beat’s
value.
Chord
Two or more pitches sung together
Chromatic scale
Singing every single note with both sharps or flats up and
down a scale. (Moving in half steps up or down)
Octave
C–D–E–F–G–A–B–C
Every 8th note of the scale is the same sound but higher or
lower pitch.
Breath mark
Indicates to the singer when it is appropriate to breath
No breathing (n.b)
(n.b) Indicates that there should not be breathing within
that particular phrase.
Fermata
Symbol that indicates to hold the note until directors cue.
Slur
Singing a series of pitches without separating the notes.
Larynx
The “voice box” and is primarily involved in voice/sound
production.
Tone/timbre
The relative brightness or darkness of a sound.
Slide
Singing up and down the scale while slurring each note
together. Mostly used in warm-ups
Coloratura
This is an operatic term that means elaborate
ornamentation of a vocal melody. (Refer to embellishment)
DYNAMICS
Very soft
Very loud
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ppp
pp
p
mp
mf
f
ff
fff
ppp – pianoisisimo (extremely soft/quiet)
pp – pianissimo (very soft)
p – piano (soft)
mp- mezzo piano (medium soft)
mf – mezzo forte (medium loud)
f – forte (loud)
ff – fortissimo (very loud)
fff – fortisisimo (extremely loud)
LEARNING SOLFEGE – SIGHT SINGING
 Solfege is a method of assigning a syllable to every pitch / degree of a
scale.
 Instead of singing the actual names of the notes in the scale (eg. c d e f
g a b) we use the syllables instead Do - Re - Mi – Fa - Sol - La –Ti
 Major C scale
Moveable DO System
 'Movable Do system' means that the root of any given scale becomes
'Do'
o For Example, in C major the note c is Do, in F major f is Do,
etc.
 The advantage of applying movable Do is that we learn musical
relationships independent of the key we are in.
o For example, Do - Mi will always be a major third, Do - Sol
always a perfect fifth.
SCALES
W = whole step: all whole steps have a half set between them that are not
sung or played.
H = half step: all half steps are right next to each other and do not have a
tone between them.
Major scales – W/W/W/H/W/W/W/H
Minor scales – W/H/W/W/W/H/W/W