THE EDEXCEL GCSE MUSIC VOCABULARY With definitions

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Vivien Hillary Wood
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1 THE EDEXCEL GCSE MUSIC VOCABULARY With definitions PITCH Pitch names Sharp / Flat Octave Range Register Diatonic Keys Tonic Sub Dominant Dominant A-G Semitone higher / semitone lower Twelve semitones apart Highest to Lowest note on instrument Tonal quality of instrument or voice at different pitches Music that sticks to the notes of one key Key note 4th note of scale 5th note of scale Blues Scale A jazz scale in which the third and seventh notes are blue notes Blue notes A note bent downwards by a semitone during performance Pentatonic 5 note scale. 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th degrees of major scale Slendro and Pelog A five note and seven note scale respectively. In Gamelan music Raga Indian scale, basis of improvisation. Associated with time of day, season, etc. Series/note row The order of the twelve chromatic notes as used in Serial music MELODY Movement by: Step Leap Scalic Chromatic Glissando HARMONY Consonance/Dissonance Major Minor Modal Atonal Cadences: Perfect V to I Plagal IV to I Interrupted V to VI Imperfect? - V Modulation Transpose Pedal Melody going up or down by one note Movement by intervals of more than one note A melodic passage moving by step Use of all semitones in scale and opposite of Diatonic Slide up or down a series of notes Sound good/bad together A scale running: tone tone semitone tone tone tone semitone A scale with a flattened third and alternative 6 th and 7 th notes White note scale not starting at C. i.e. the order of tones and semitones is different from major Music without a key centre Full close Amen cadence Interrupted to a minor chord Half close A change of key during a passage of music Change the pitch of the music Single sustained note

2 Drone Arpeggio/Broken Chord NOTATION Single sustained note or Multiple notes Spread out notes of a chord All the usual western notation DURATION AND TEMPO Note values or note lengths Pulse / Beat Triplet Dotted rhythm Phrase Phrase Structure The regular division of time in music 3 notes played in the space of 2. Swing tempo Jagged and uneven effect A unit of music often ending with cadence (Traditionally of 4 bars) The way phrase build into complete pieces Simple Time The beat divides in two eg? Compound Time The beat divides into three eg?? as in 6/8 Duple Time Two beats in the bar Triple Time Three beats in the bar Quadruple Time Four beats in the bar Irregular Time Where the number of beats in a bar keeps changing Tala Syncopation Off-beat Cross-rhythm Counterpoint Adagio Largo Andante Moderato Allegro Vivace Presto Accelerando Ritardando/rallentando Allargando Rubato Silence Pause A rhythmic phrase or pattern in Indian music Accenting against the beat Like syncopation notes playing across the beat Another form of notes playing across the beat Where the rhythms are in layers of texture, often imitatively From very slow to very fast Getting faster Getting slower Much slower With a flexible tempo DYNAMICS AND ARTICULATION Fortissimo Forte Very loud

3 Mezzoforte Mezzo Piano Piano Pianissimo Crescendo Diminuendo Subito Sforzando Legato Staccato Tremolo TIMBRE Recognise: Very soft Getting louder Getting quieter Suddenly Accent Smoothly Short and sharp Rapid repetition of a note Orchestral Instruments Band Instruments Keyboard Instruments Guitars must specify which type Voices: Soprano Female high Alto Female low Tenor Male high Bass Male low A Capella Choir Chorus Backing vocals Orchestra Chamber Orchestra Gamelan Wind band Brass Band Electronic: Sampler Synthesizer Drum machine TEXTURE Monophonic Heterophonic Homophonic Polyphonic Counterpoint Solo Unison Doubling Unaccompanied voices A group of singers A large group of singers In pop and jazz, the singers supporting the soloist The western classical large ensemble A small orchestra A musical ensemble from Java or Bali in Indonesia Woodwind and Brass Brass family of conical bored instruments. Mellow sounding A device which takes acoustic sounds and reproduces them electronically A device which manufactures sounds artificially and electronically A device which plays synthesized and sampled drum patterns One sound at a time Different sounds played together In chords. Notes at same time Many sounds in clear layers or strands In Baroque music, like polyphony eg Fugue One performer All performers using same notes Playing the same notes as another instrument

4 Tutti Countermelody Descant All performers together Goes against the main melody A countermelody above the other voices STRUCTURE Ground Bass A repeated bass pattern especially in Baroque Music Rondo form ABACADA etc onwards. Rondo theme recurs Variations Theme played in altered forms Ternary ABA form 12 bar blues Jazz with the chord sequence: I I I I IV IV I I V IV I V. Minuet and Trio Repetition Music repeated unchanged Recapitulation The return of the opening passage towards the end of a piece Decoration Ornaments and additional notes added to melody Sequence A phrase repeated higher or lower in pitch Imitation Voices and instruments copying one another usually after a short gap Canon A melody which can be repeated, delayed and layered over itself Ostinato Repeated pattern in music Riff An ostinato in Jazz and Pop Motive Short musical idea which can be developed Episode A passage of music which moves away from the main theme Introduction Coda Ternary Strophic form Ritornello Sequence Through composed Aleatoric Raga Alap Jhor Jhala Middle Eight Tape loop Improvised STYLES Trad. Jazz Blues The opening passage, often at a slow tempo Italian for tail the end section ABA form Verse and Chorus ABABABA etc In Baroque music a recurring section played Tutti A phrase repeated higher or lower in pitch Starts and keeps going with little clear structure Music of chance. Cage experimental music Indian music built over a particular scale (rag) The opening section in an indian rag, usually in free time and improvisatory The next section in a rag where the tempo becomes more clearly defined The main and final section in a rag where the tempo increases and the tabla plays. A contrasting section in a pop song A repeated passage of recorded music Made up, without notation. Spontaneous New Orleans early jazz. Small combos Follows 12 bar pattern. Deals with social problems.

5 Rock and Roll Reggae Ska Serialism Minimalism Experimental music Performance Art Banghra Chamber Orchestral Symphonic An electric guitar form of blues with a driving straight beat. 1950s Bob Marley Jamaican music emphasising off beat Faster form of reggae Atonal music built using a series of 12 notes of the chromatic octave Highly repetitive tonal music. Late 20 th century Music which challenges the concept of what constitutes music A staged performance of contemporary music, drama and art Anglo/Indian pop style with a heavy beat of Punjabi origin Small-scale western ensembles Large scale western ensembles Orchestral compositions

MUSIC A. PROGRAM RATIONALE AND PHILOSOPHY

MUSIC A. PROGRAM RATIONALE AND PHILOSOPHY The systematic development of musical skills, knowledge and perception is fundamental to the total development of the individual. Music education should begin