Download Music Vocabulary - TJ-Reed

Music Vocabulary
A cappella - singing unaccompanied by any instrument or backing track
Accompaniment - instrumentation that supports solo vocal, instrument, or group.
Assai – Very
Beat- The steady pulse felt in music.
Chord- a combination of three or more notes sounding at the same time; multiple notes sounding simultaneously
Ex. C Major Chord may consist of the notes C-E-G
Clef- a symbol placed at the beginning of the staff to indicate the names of the lines and the spaces
Con- With
Diction- Enunciation in singing having to with the correct pronunciation of any language; being specific with vowel and
consonant placement
Diphthong- Two vowel sounds, NOT vowel letters, which are sounded next to one another. In most cases the first vowel
sound is sounded longer.
Ex. of diphthongs:
Night
Joy
Tune
N-a-ee-t
J-oh-ee
T-i-oo-n
Divisi- Divide; to split into multiple parts
Dolce- Sweetly
Dot- A symbol placed to the right of a not that increases the duration of the note by one half.
Enharmonic-Two notes that sound the same, but are spelled musically different.
Ex. Ab and G#
Genre- a category of musical compositions
Ex. classical, medieval, sacred, secular, rock, pop, modern
Grand Staff- Treble and bass clef staffs connected at the left side by one bar
Harmony- Two or more parts being performed at the same time
Interval- The distance in pitch between two notes
Intonation- The accuracy of pitch in playing or singing
Ledger Line- A small line written above or below the staff to extend the range of notation
Legato- performing notes in a smooth, connected manner
Maestoso- Majestically
Meno- Less
Meno Mosso- Less speed
Molto- Much; Very
Musical/Broadway- a production that involves and equal about of singing, dancing, and script that tells a story
N.B. - No breath; No break
Non- not
Pentatonic- A scale having five tones to the octave, usually avoiding half steps
Piu- More
Poco- Little
Rhythm- The variation of length and articulation of a series of sounds and silences
Sempre- Always
Simile- Like; Similarly; to continue to play or sing in the same style or articulation
Slur- a curved line connecting two or more different notes, indicating to perform the music smoothly
Solo- To perform alone a section or piece of music
Soli- To perform with a small group or section
Sostenuto- Sustained
Staccato- a dot over or under notes that designate they be performed short and detached.
Staff-Five lines on which music is written
Subito- Suddenly
Syncopation- a rhythm accented on the notes that are not usually stressed.
Tenuto- Sustained
Tie- an arched line connecting two note heads, adding the value of the notes together
Troppo- Too much
Tutti- all; the entire ensemble
Unison- all parts of the ensemble singing or playing the same pitch
Tempo Markings
The speed of the beat
Very slow…………………………..Slow………………….……….Medium………………..……………….Fast……………………………………Very Fast
Grave Largo Lento Adagio Andante Andantino Moderato Allegretto Allegro Vivace Vivo Presto Prestissimo
Markings within Music
Accelerando- (accel.) Gradually faster
Allargando- (allarg.) Growing slower, broader
Rallentando- (rall.) Gradually slowing
FermataHold the note until the director cuts off the ensemble
CaesuraAlso known as a Grand Pause, a complete break in the music
Ritardando- (rit. Or ritard) To gradually slow down
A TempoReturn to the original tempo
RubatoFree; No conformity to a strict beat-note movements and tempo changes are indicated by the director
Music Periods
Medieval
Renaissance
Baroque
Classical
Romantic
Impressionism
20th Century
Misc. (Blues, Rock n’ Roll, Jazz,
Country, R & B, Metal, Alternative,
etc)
21st Century
Music History
Dates
500-1400
1400-1600
1600-1760
1730-1820
1815-1910
1890-1930
1901-2000
1900-present
2001-present
Composers of the Era
Leonin, Fransesco, Landini
Orlando, Di Lasso, Palestrina
J.S. Bach, Handel, Vivaldi
Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven
Beethoven, Brahms, Mendelssohn,
Tchaikovsky
Ravel, Debussey
Copland, Stravinsky
Symbol
ppp
pp
p
mp
mf
f
ff
fff
sfz
Decrescendo (descres.)
Crescendo (cresc.)
Diminuendo
Morendo
Messa di Voce
Dynamic Markings
Italian
Pianississimo
Pianissimo
Piano
Mezzo-piano
Mezzo-forte
Forte
Fortissimo
Fortississimo
Sforzando
Definition
Extremely quiet
Very quiet
Quiet
Medium Quiet
Medium Loud
Loud
Very Loud
Extremely loud
Hit the note aggressively
Gradually get quieter
Gradually get louder
Decay
Dying away; fade away
Becoming louder, then quieter
Scales and Triads
Natural Minor Scale- Has no accidentals. Uses the amount of flats or sharps that is given for its designation
Solfege: La-La with no changes
Harmonic Minor Scale- a natural minor scale with the 7th degree of the scale raised a half step both during both
ascending and descending.
Solfege: La-La with Si both directions
Melodic Minor Scale- a natural minor scale with the 6th and 7th degrees of the scale raised a half step ascending, and
restored to a natural minor scale descending.
Simple Song: First it’s minor, then it’s major, then it’s minor all the way down.
Major Triad- do mi sol mi do
Minor Triad- do me sol me do
Augmented Triad- do mi si mi do
Diminished Triad- do me se me do