02 M3261 Music Terms - Lecture notes All lectures PDF

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University of Lethbridge Department of Music Music 3261 – Bente Hansen Spring 2020 Musical Terms You Want to Know TEXTURE -the blend of the various sounds and melodic lines occurring simultaneously in a piece of music. There are three types: 1. MONOPHONY -simplest texture -single unaccompanied melody 2. POLYPHONY -two or more melodies played/sung simultaneously -texture is referred to as contrapuntal -polyphony refers to texture – it is produced through counterpoint -two types of polyphony: -imitative – melodic lines use the same or similar melodies, but at staggered time intervals -non-imitative – melodic lines differ from one another 3. HOMOPHONY -melody and accompaniment

MELODY

-a coherent succession of pitches played/sung in rhythm -this is the horizontal dimension in music and includes: 1. RANGE -the total span from the lowest to the highest pitch in a piece 2. INTERVALS -the distance between two pitches -can be steps (two adjacent notes) or leaps (two non-adjacent notes) 3. MODES -types of tonality -can be major, minor, atonal, or other 4. LENGTH -number of measures the melody consists of -can be long or short 5. CADENCE -the notes or chords ending a section of music -can be conclusive (terminal) or inconclusive (transient) 6. DIRECTION -upwards and downwards motion in the melody 7. SHAPE -whether the melody moves predominantly by step (smooth) or by leap (jagged) 8. REGISTER -relative placement of pitches from high to low

RHYTHM

-aspects of music having to do with the duration of the notes in time 1. TEMPO -the speed of music -ritardando/rallentando – slows the tempo -accelerando – quickens the tempo 2. BEAT -grouping in music -simple (duple, triple, quadruple – beat divided into 2 equal parts) -compound (duple, triple, quadruple – beat divided into 3 equal parts) -irregular (duple, triple, quadruple – beat divided into 2 and/or 3 equal parts) -strength of beat -strong or weak 3. QUALITY -aspects of rhythm a. Duration -length of the notes (quarter notes, eighth notes, whole notes) b. Articulation -how the notes are played – for example: -staccato – detached -legato – smooth c. Accents -a feeling of stress or weight given to a beat or rhythmic value -can be strong or weak; regular or irregular d. Rubato -literally “robbed time” – pushes and pulls the tempo for effect

HARMONY

-study of chords and chord relationships -is the vertical dimension in music 1. STRUCTURE -simple or complex 2. QUALITY -consonant – intervals/chords that sound relatively stable and free of tension -dissonant – intervals/chords that sound unstable and relatively tense 3. TONALITY -tonal – the feeling that one note (and its chord) is central to a piece of music -atonal – the absence of any feeling of tonality 4. DENSITY -thickness or thinness of the texture 5. CADENCES -strong or weak; conclusive or inconclusive; terminal or transient 6. MODULATION -changing the key within a piece -few or many; gradual or abrupt; usual or unusual 7. HARMONIC RHYTHM -the rate at which harmony changes within a piece of music – is often totally independent of the tempo

8. PROMINENCE

-is the harmony mainly an accompaniment or is it the main content?

TIMBRE

-the sonorous quality of a particular instrument, voice or combination of the two

DYNAMICS

-indication as to volume or loudness 1. Forte (f) – loud 2. Piano (p) – soft 3. Adjective mezzo – moderately -mf – moderately loud -mp – moderately soft 4. Fortissimo (ff) – very loud 5. Pianissimo (pp) – very soft 6. Crescendo (cresc) – get gradually louder 7. Diminuendo (dim) – get gradually softer

TEMPO INDICATIONS

*NOTE

-The tempo of a piece can be indicated by: 1. Metronome marking (ie. M.M. = 120/quarter note) (M.M. stands for Maelzel’s Metronome) 2. Terms that indicate a general tempo a. Largo -very slow b. Adagio -slow c. Andante -slow, but not too slow d. Moderato -moderate tempo e. Allegretto -fast, but not too fast f. Allegro -fast g. Presto -very fast

These are but a few terms. These are all Italian, but there are French and German equivalents – the Italian terms are most widely used....