Sound•Pitch: (high and low)

–Corresponds to size!•Dynamics: (loud, soft)

– Forte (f)– Mezzo Forte (mf)– Mezzo Piano (mp)– Piano (p)

•Timbre/Tone Color: (bright, dark, mellow, harsh, etc.)

– Abstract descriptions for what you are hearing

Sound•Standard Choral Voices

– soprano, alto, tenor, bass•Standard Orchestra Instrumentation

– String (violin, viola, cello, bass)– Woodwind (flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon)– Brass (trumpet, french horn, trombone, tuba)– Percussion (timpani, drums, mallet keyboards)

•Other– Keyboard (piano, organ, harpsichord)– Jazz Instruments (saxophone, drumset)

• Beat (pulse)- Meter (duple, triple)

- Tempo (fast, slow)

• Melody:– Theme (main idea)

• Musical terms to describe:– Articulation (legato, staccato)– Accents– Syncopation

Rhythm and Melody

Harmony• Consonance & Dissonance

– A relationship between two notes (interval) is either stable or unstable

– Unstable (dissonant) intervals resolve to stable (consonant) intervals

Key

• Tonal:– Called “functional”– Every chord has a function: going back to the

Tonal Center– Can be Major or minor scale

• Atonal– Chromatic, no tonal scale

Music history is all about moving from functional tonality towards Atonality!

Texture

• Texture– Monophonic (single line)– Homophonic (one line, accompanied)– Polyphonic (2 or more equal lines)

Form

• The shape and structure of a piece of music

• Most music is divided into sections– New sections defined by harmony and/or

melody– Older musical ideas return often– Some large pieces are broken into

movements, which are also broken into sections

Genre

• The Form and/or instrumentation defines the genre of a piece of music:

• Symphony (Orchestra)• Concerto (Soloist with orchestra)• Chamber Music (Small ensemble)

– String Quartet– Woodwind Quintet– Brass Quintet

• Sonata (Solo instrumental music)• Art Song (Solo voice with piano)• Opera (Music with vocal storytelling <staged>)• Ballet (Music with dancing)

Historical Eras

• Middle Ages (450-1450)• Renaissance (1450-1600)• Baroque (1600-1750)• Classical (1750-1800ish)• Romantic (1800-1900)• 20th Century (1900-2000)

- Often divided into two halves (1900-1945) - 1945-present = modern music