In order to discuss music we will need to have some common vocabulary. Listed below are a few common terms associated with music. We will add to this list throughout the semester.
Melody: A tune. This is what you can whistle after hearing a piece. Melodies are constructed out of notes. Also called a theme.
Notes: The individual sounds that create a melody or a whole piece of music. Notes have a pitch and duration.
Pitch: The highness or lowness of a sound. Pitches are given letter names (A-G) and can be slightly raised (sharp, #) or slightly lowered (flat, b).
Interval: The distance between two pitches.
Range: The distance between a piece's or section of a piece's highest and lowest pitches. Ranges can be narrow or wide.
Rhythm: The durations used in creating a piece. Rhythmic patterns are organized into meters
Meter: The way in which durations are organized. Pieces can be either essentially duple (1-2-1-2) like a march; or essentially triple (1-2-3-1-2-3) like a waltz.
Phrase: The sentences of music. The song “Happy Birthday” has four phrases: 1. “Happy birthday to you.” 2. “Happy birthday to you.” 3. “Happy birthday dear Georgie.” 4. “Happy birthday to you.” But remember, phrases are determined by the music, not just the text. A composer could choose to misalign musical phrases and textual phrases.
Motive: The smallest group of pitches and rhythms that makes musical sense. The first phrase of “Happy Birthday” has two motives. The first is made up of four notes (Hap-py Birth-day) the second two (to you).
Harmony: If melody is the horizontal element of music, then harmony is the vertical element. In other words, a harmony is all the musical sounds happening at a given instant.
Chord: Three or more notes sounded simultaneously. Chords can be consonant or dissonant.
Consonance: The pleasant or relaxed sound of some intervals and chords.
Dissonance: The harsh or tense sound of some intervals and chords.
Texture: The relationship of the melody and harmony in a piece of music. Textures can be monophonic (melody alone); homophonic (melody and chords); or polyphonic (a web of melodies and harmonies).
Imitation: Two identical melodies happening at the same time, but staggered. When “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” is sung as a round, imitation occurs.
Tempo: The speed of a piece or section of a piece. Tempos are usually given in Italian, such as allegro (quickly). Tempos may change suddenly or gradually. A gradually increase in tempo is an accelerando. A gradual decrease in tempo is a ritardando.
Dynamics: The loudness or softness of a piece or section of a piece. Dynamics are usually given in Italian, such as piano (soft) and forte (loud). Dynamics may change suddenly or gradually. A gradual increase in volume is a crescendo. A gradual decrease in volume is a decrescendo.
The terms form genre, and style are often confused and even scholars do not always agree on definitions. Here are the definitions we will use in class. Please read these carefully.
Form: The large-scale organization of a piece. “Happy Birthday” is in the form AABA because the first, second, and fourth phrases are alike, and the third phrase contrasts with the others.
Genre: The type of piece. "Happy Birthday" is a song. A song is a genre for voice and usually has some sort of accompaniment, such as a piano or orchestra. Other genres include symphonies (orchestra alone) and concertos (orchestra and instrumental soloist). All of these may have subgenera. Note that a song is a specific kind of genre and that a symphony should NOT be referred to as a song.
Style: Style is the way in which a composer or a performer uses the musical materials discussed above to create a piece. So, a song (a genre type) may be in of a number of styles: jazz, pop, classical, etc. Styles may be general (jazz) or they may be composer specific (in the style of Beethoven, or in the style of Billy Joel). The style of "Happy Birthday" might be called children's song due to its simple melody and harmony.
This page was created and maintained by Patrick Warfield