RCM History 9 (Terms)

A novel string effect used when players tap on the strings with the wooden parts of their bows.

Common song structure in popular music where verses develop characters/storyline, while chorus acts as tuneful refrains.

A speech-like, declamatory style of singing that is supported only by continuo and employed in a cantata/opera/oratorio.

Multi-movement structure that emerged in the Classical era; demonstrated in symphony, sonata, or concerto.

A 16th-18th century keyboard instrument generated by small quills that pluck the strings from the inside-producing sound

A method of tuning keyboard instruments where the octave is divided into twelve equal semitones.

Based on major (Ionian) and minor (Aeolian) scales that gradually replaced the modal language.

The text of an opera, oratorio, or cantata that is usually written by someone other than the composer.

An effect created largely through (poly)rhythm, using strong accents, heavy syncopation, expanded percussion section.

The initial statement of the main theme of a fugue.

One clear emotion is usually projected through an entire composition or movement.

Highlights the unique technical capabilities of an instrument through the style of writing.

A concluding section reaffirming the tonic key.

A shift of metrical groupings that is manifested through changes of the time signature.

A short keyboard work in improvisatory style; often paired with a fugue.

A term used to denote the use of the full orchestra in the Baroque concerto, often juxtaposing against the concertino.

A German word for any keyboard instrument but the organ.

A play with spoken dialogue, featuring musical numbers: songs dances, choruses staging such as sets, costumes, lighting.

Literary movement of the 19th century, having authors sought suggest subject matter rather than specifically depict it.

Classical formal structure often used in sonata cycle that follows ABACA or ABACABA.

Material heard in one movement recurs in later movements that creates structural unity in a multi-movement work.

The second statement of the main theme of a fugue.

In triple meter and more dramatic than the minuet. Contains a contrasting middle section and a humorous/ironic character

A non-traditional scale consisting of six different pitches, all spaced a whole tone apart. Mostly in 19th/20th century.

A musical style that combines elements of African, popular, and European Music through improvisation.

A scale consisting of five different pitches that is common to the folk music of many European and Asian cultures.

A musical shorthand performed or realized by the basso continuo that provides the structure for guided improvisation.

A rhythmic or melodic pattern repeated for an extended period.

A recurring theme that undergoes transformation and serves as a unifying thread in a multi-movement composition.

An expressive device for interpreting music with rhythmic flexibility-speeding up slowing down.

A monophonic chant melody dating from late Middle Ages and drawn from the Roman Catholic Requiem (Mass for the dead).

Instrumental music without extramusical associations

A recurring countermelody, accompanies entries of the subject and answer.

A Cuban dance-song that is a characteristic rhythmic motive, often used as an ostinato.

Section A generally ends with a closed cadence in tonic key and Section B generally creates contrast in key or material.

The art of designing the dance steps and movements in a ballet (or musical).

The third main section in sonata form that is similar to the exposition.

Fascination with foreign lands and cultures that is evoked through melody, rhythm, harmony, and orchestration.

Multi-movement orchestral genre for small orchestra or chamber ensemble that is often performed in aristocratic circles.

A song structure that does not repeat entire sections of the music.

Having characteristics of a sense of heightened emotion and deeply personal expression, being all about the individual.

A structure employed in the first and third movements of the Baroque concerto.

An aria employing a ternary structure, having the return to Section A generally ornamented.

Instrumental music with extramusical associations (literacy, poetic, visual).

Often the orchestral introduction to an opera or oratorio that is generally in two parts

A statement of the subject in which one or more intervals is adjusted to accommodate the harmony.

Characterized by the repetition of melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic patterns with little variation.

A work featuring a statement of a melody followed by a series of transformations.

A highly structured, imitative contrapuntal composition where a single theme or subject prevails.

A speech-like style of singing used in opera, oratorio, and cantata that follows inflections of the text.

A highly emotional and often virtuosic solo song with accompaniment, heard in an opera, oratorio, or cantata.

Opening material from Section A returns after B material following a two-part form of A || B + A1 ||

The musical setting of a German poem for solo voice, generally with piano accompaniment.

Use of scales in which the pattern of whole steps and half steps is different from conventional major and minor scales.

Musical pictorialization that mirrors the literal meaning of the words and achieved through melody, harmony, and rhythm.

Music for a small ensemble (two to ten players) that is usually performed without a conductor and one player per part.

Involves two performers-one playing the notated bass line and one realizing the harmonies indicated by the figured bass

The use of extremely chromatic harmony while still maintaining allegiance to a tonal center.

Inspired by ancient cultures of Greece/Rome, having different set of ideals emphasizing proportion/symmetry/balance

A single-movement work, generally free in form, with literary or pictorial associations.

A derogatory term in reference to the overly ornate art of the era.

The most important chamber music genre of the Classical era. It is usually in four movements and uses four instruments.

A single line of melody supported by a harmonic accompaniment.

The first main section in sonata form where two contrasting themes are stated: First Tonic, Second Dominant or Relative.

The total absence of any tonal center that is characterized by unresolved dissonances.

A large-scale work generally based on biblical texts, and consists of recitatives, arias, ensembles, and choruses.

A Baroque practice of changing volume levels abruptly that results in stark contrast rather than gradual change.

19th-century multi-movement orchestral work that includes a descriptive title and has an accompanying text.

Music with a descriptive element that is inspired by extramusical associations, like a story or painting.

The simultaneous use of two or more tonal centres.

Features innovative orchestral colours, including individual treatment of instruments and use of muted instruments.

An exact transposition of the subject.

Polish dance in triple meter, transformed into a virtuosic piano composition, having a proud/majestic character.

The section main section in sonata form where themes from the exposition are manipulated through fragmentation.

A multi-movement orchestral work originating in the 18th century, usually four movements, having one mvm in sonata form.

Combines vocal and instrumental music with drama, visual arts, and often dance, having components such as arias/choruses

The use of musical embellishment to decorate a melodic line that is represented with symbols or improvised.

Combines elements of sonata and rondo form that follows ABACABA. Exposition (ABA), Development (C), Recapitulation (ABA)

A combination of two or more melodic lines also referred to as polyphonic texture.

The musical setting of a poem for solo voice, generally with piano accompaniment.

Consists of three composers who further developed sonata form: Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven.

generally in three movements, frequently employs ritornello form, and intended to showcase the virtuosity of the soloist

A note, or a series of notes, sustained through harmony changes in other parts.

A loud ceremonial tune or flourish that features brass instruments.

Patriotism expressed through music. Influenced by folk song/dance, myths/ legends, landscapes/historical events.

Rapidly ascending melody outlining an arpeggio that is often used as a dramatic opening motive in Classical era works.

Extensive use of notes outside of the prevailing key signature. Used for heightened expression in 19th-century music.

A temporary shift of the metric accents where notes grouped in threes are momentarily grouped in twos or vice versa.

A group of notes sung on a single syllable/vowel that demonstrates vocal virtuosity and serves to highlight key words.

A highly stylized type of dance that often interprets a story that flourished in the 19th-century Russian court.

A stylized dance in triple meter with a graceful/elegant character with a contrasting middle section in Ternary form.

A frequently sequential passage within a fugue in which neither subject nor answer is present.

A short melodic or rhythmic fragment used to build a melody.

Formal structure often used in first movement of sonata cycle; consists of exposition, development, and recapitulation.

A speech-like, declamatory style of singing supported by instrumental ensemble or orchestra.

The simultaneous use of two or more conflicting rhythms.

Two or more line of melody combined.