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Lesson 3 - Key Terms and Definitions

Key Terms and Definitions

Below is a list of the key terms for this lesson, along with their definitions. Make sure to review them so that you have a full understanding of their meaning. Links to the definitions of many terms are embedded in the online lecture readings.

articulation marks: Words or symbols above or below a note or phrase to indicate how affected material should be played. Such words as legato (smooth and attached),staccato (separated, detached), and/or such markings as dots, slurs, dashes, and accents, indicate the composer’s or arranger’s intention.

binary form: A formal structure using theme repetition and contrast (A-B) or (A-A-B-B).

cadence: The end of a large or small musical idea. It can be the end of a phrase, theme group, or movement.

contrast: One of the primary techniques used to construct binary and ternary forms. Contrasting themes or melodies add interest and a sense of return when the original melody reappears.

dominant: Refers to a chord (or new key) that is built on the fifth degree (V) of the scale, and requiring resolution to the tonic chord.

dynamics: Volume level (loudness), or changes and variety of volume levels. Also refers to various words and markings that indicate the volume at which a note, phrase, piece, or section should be played.

envelope: The four elements that make up the sound of a note: attack, decay, sustain, and release (ADSR). Attack is the sound of a note as it begins, decay is the sound of a note as it softens immediately after the attack, sustain is the quality of the note before it stops or releases.

fugue: A musical form that uses subjects (main theme/melody), answers, and countersubjects in an overlapping manner; like a complicated round.

half-step: The smallest distance or interval between two notes in traditional Western European music.

harmonic rhythm: The frequency and regularity of chord changes in a composition. A pulse is established by the regular movement from one chord to another.

harmony: Several pitches interacting simultaneously.

interval: The distance between two notes.

key (tonal area): In a scale or piece, one note is more stable than any other, and the is defined by this note. All other notes in the same key are less stable and eventually lead back to the primary note. The key establishes a tonality in which all notes and chords are related in some way to the tonal area or single note.

melody: A series of notes that expresses a musical thought. It is made up of both rhythm and pitch. Conjunct melodies move by step and small intervals; disjunct melodies move by larger skips.

minuet and trio: A dance form in 3/4 time. The three-part form was 
(A section) minuet, (B) a second minuet in a contrasting lighter style (the “trio” section; though not always really a trio), and (A) the first minuet repeated. This remained the standard form of the third movement in symphonies and string quartets until it was modified (by Beethoven) and replaced by the quicker and more playfulscherzo and trio form.

motion: Music moves forward in patterns of beats and at various speeds that define its motion (rhythm, tempo, andmeter).

musical space: The range of sound filled by the music elements: motion, pitch, harmony, texture, and tone.

pitch: The relative height or depth of a sound; a basic musical element expressing frequency and instrument range.

sonata-allegro form: The primary large structure used for the first movement of a symphony. Themes are exposed, developed, and recapitulated.

tempo: The speed of a musical composition. The basic rhythmic pulse can be slow or fast, or change gradually between fast and slow.

texture: The result of various degrees of simultaneous musical activity.

theme and variation: A musical structure for a single work or movement of a larger work, in which a melody (theme) is stated, varied in several possible ways, and then usually restated.

theme group: A section of one or more themes related mainly in that they are in the same key. Common in the exposition (A) section of the sonata-allegro form (where the second theme group is usually in the dominant or relative minor key).

tone: The sound quality of instruments, individually and combined.

tonality: Related to the key that a piece of music is played in; the sense that notes in a key stand in relation to a main/most stable note.

tonic: The first degree (I) of a major or minor scale (e.g., in the key of C the tonic is the note C). Also refers to a chord or key based on that note.

Last modified: Monday, 17 November 2014, 11:40 AM

Pitch Element of Music

Pitch is the fundamental element of music vital to melody and harmony. Pitch is very important in defining the range of notes possible for each specific instrument. Range governs each instrument’s place in a large ensemble. Every instrument can play many notes; however, not all instruments are capable of playing all of the notes we can hear. Each instrument has a specific range. For example, a flute that plays notes in the high range cannot produce the low notes associated with a tuba. Within the limit of each instrument’s range, there are different qualities. A note, C for instance, played up high on a trumpet will be filled with tension and energy, where a C played low in the trumpet range will have a more relaxed and effortless sound. Astute composers are well aware of these changes and choose each pitch in accordance with an instrument’s particular range and quality.

Every pitch has four elements that make up its sound—attack, decay, sustain, and release. When we hear a note played by any instrument, it has this envelope of activities (ADSR). Every envelope can be described by listening to the sound of the note as it begins (attack), softens from the peak of the attack (decay), sustains, and stops (release).

This volume diagram shows the four activities of a single note. Imagine and compare the envelope of a harp to that of a flute. The differences are dramatic evidence of the musical family each represents and the uniqueness of each instrument.

https://onlinecourses.coastlinelive.com/megill/images/acoustics/ADSR.gif

Melody is merely a logical progression of pitches. Melodies are often evaluated by their tuneful qualities. There are, however, many great melodies that are just the opposite—angular, disjointed, and difficult to sing. The song “Mary Had a Little Lamb” is a simple conjunct melody, while “When You Wish Upon a Star” is a disjunct melody. The first has notes which move small distances either up or down, and the second has large skips moving the melody over a much larger range.

The character of a melody can be shaped further by markings placed above or below notes indicating special treatment for that note. These articulation markings tell the performer to add emphasis or expression. For example, the marking “>” above a note means to accent that note, making it louder than the one before and after it. To shorten a note, separating it from the ones around it, a dot is placed above the note, called staccato. The opposite of staccato is legato (smoothly connect the notes.) There are many symbols to aid the performer in interpreting the character of each note.

This written melody shows several markings above the notes to help define the character of each note.

https://onlinecourses.coastlinelive.com/megill/images/melody/articulationMelody.jpg

Following is a list of the most common markings above notes and their meanings.

. staccato: separate or shorten its sound - tenuto: hold the note to its full length https://onlinecourses.coastlinelive.com/images/Legato.png legato: connect the notes encompassed by the symbol (tie) > legato accent: emphasize this note above the ones around it ^ staccato accent: emphasize this note but separate it from the ones around it sfz sforzando: very heavy accent

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