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exam prep

Quiz yourself by thinking what should be in each of the black spaces below before clicking on it to display the answer.
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Term
Definition
AB form   two-part form  
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ABA form   three-part form with repeated first section  
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absolute music   instrumental music having no intended association with a story, poem, idea, or scene  
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a cappella   choral music without instrumental accompaniment  
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accelerando   becoming faster  
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accent   emphasis of a note  
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adagio   slow  
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aerophone   any instrument whose sound is generated by a vibrating column of air  
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Alberti bass   broken or arpeggiated chord where the notes are sounded lowest to highest and pattern is repeated  
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aleatoric music   chance music  
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alto   female voice of a low range  
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antecedent phrase   first part of a period (question); followed by the consequent phrase (answer)  
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appoggiatura   a grace note performed before a note of the melody and falling on the beat.  
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aria   Song for solo voice found in operas, oratorios, cantatas  
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arpeggio   Broken chord  
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articulation   In music notation articulation marks include the slur, phrase mark, staccato, staccatissimo, accent, sforzando, rinforzando, and legato.  
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art song   Setting of a poem for voice and piano, common in Romantic period  
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atonality   Absence of tonality or key  
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augmentation   Variation of a fugue subject where time values are lengthened  
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baritone   Male voice lower than tenor, higher than bass  
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bass   Lowest male voice  
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basso continuo   Baroque accompaniment made up of bass part, usually keyboard and low string  
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bebop   Complex jazz style meant for listening instead of dancing  
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bitonality   Using two keys at one time  
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blue note   Usually the flattened third and seventh  
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blues   Threè line stanza, using blues notes, and chord progression (1,1,1,1,4,4,1,1,5,4,1,1)  
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bridge   Transition  
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cadence   End of a phrase resting place (perfect authentic, imperfect authentic, half, plagal, deceptive)  
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cadenza   Unaccompanied section for virtuosic solo display near the end (usually in a concerto)  
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call and response   One voice answered by another, either repetition or question and answer  
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canon   A Round  
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cantata   Several movement piece, usually chorus, soloists, and orchestra  
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cantus firmus   Melody- usually gregorian chant, used as basis for polyphonic piece  
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chamber music   Music for small group of musicians  
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chance music   Aleatoric music, happening by chance  
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chorale   Hymn tune, four parts  
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chord   Combination of three or more pitches at once  
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chordophone   Instrument played by vibrating a string  
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chromatic scale   Scale including all 12 pitches, each only a half step away  
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Church modes   Scales using different whole and half step combinations  
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circle of fifths   a visual representation of the relationships among the 12 tones of the chromatic scale, their corresponding key signatures, and the associated major and minor keys  
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coda   concluding section  
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concerto   extended composition for instrumental soloist and orchestra, usually three movements (fast, slow, fast)  
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concerto grosso   composition for several instrumental soloists and small orchestra (late Baroque)  
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consequent phrase   second part of a period (answer); preceded by the antecendent phrase (question)  
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consonance   the combination of notes that are in harmony with each other due to the relationship between their frequencies.  
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countermelody   melodic idea that accompanies a main theme  
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counterpoint   technique of combining two or more melodic lines into a meaningful whole  
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countersubject   in a fugue, a melodic idea that accompanies the subject fairly constantly  
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crescendo   Increase in volume  
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da capo   From the beginning  
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decrescendo   Decrease in volume  
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development   Second section of sonata form in which the exposition theme is developed and moves through different keys  
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diminution   Variation of fugue subject where original time values are shortened  
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dissonance   The combination of notes that are not in harmony with each other  
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dominant chord   Triad built on fifth note of the scale - usually resolves to the tonic chord  
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downbeat   First or stressed beat of a measure  
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drone   Long sustained tone  
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dynamics   Degrees of loudness or softness  
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episode   Transitional section in a fugue between subjects, usually new material  
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etude   A study piece that helps musician study a particular technique  
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exoticism   Use of melodies, rhythms, or instruments that suggest foreign lands  
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exposition   First section of sonata form  
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expressionism   Musical style stressing intense emotion and dissonance (late romanticism)  
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fanfare   a short and lively sounding of trumpets. : a showy outward display.  
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fantasy   A free composition structured according to the composer's fancy.  
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fermata   Sign for to hold  
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figured bass   Bass part of Baraoque accompaniment with figures above it indicating chords  
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form   Organization of a piece  
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fortspinnung   a motif is developed into an entire musical structure by using sequences, intervallic changes or simple repetitions (found in Baroque music)  
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Free jazz   jazz style which departs from traditional jazz  
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french overture   common opening in Baroque suites, oratorios, and operas: first section is slow with dotted rhythms and second section is lighter and quicker  
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fugue   polyphonic composition based on one main theme or subject  
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fusion   jazz rock or other combination  
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gamelan   a traditional instrumental ensemble of Indonesia, typically including many bronze percussion instruments.  
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gavotte   a medium-paced French dance, popular in the 18th century. a piece of music accompanying or in the rhythm of a gavotte, composed in common time beginning on the third beat of the bar.  
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glissando   rapid slide up or down a scale  
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harmonic rhythm   also known as harmonic tempo is the rate at which the chords change (or progress) in a musical composition, in relation to the rate of notes  
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hemiola   a musical figure in which, typically, two groups of three beats are replaced by three groups of two beats, giving the effect of a shift between triple and duple meter.  
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heterophony   type of texture characterized by the simultaneous variation of a single melodic line  
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homophony   one main melody accompanied by chords  
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idee fixe   single melody used in several movements of a long work to represent a recurring idea  
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idiophone   instrument played by hitting or shaking (no membrane)  
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imitation   presentation of a melodic idea by one voice/instrument that is followed by another voice/instrument  
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impressionism   musical style which stresses tone color, atmosphere, and fluidity (Debussy)  
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improvisation   creation of music on the spot  
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incidental music   music intended to be performed before and during a play, setting the mood for the drama  
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incomplete cadence   inconclusive resing point at the end of a phrase which sets up expectations for phrases to follow  
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interval   distance between two notes  
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inversion   variation fugue subject in which each note is reversed in direction; could also refer to notes in a chord not in root position  
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koto   Japanese string instrument  
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lied   German art song  
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leitmotif   short musical idea associated with a person, object (Darth Vader in Star Wars)  
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libretto   text of an opera  
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lute   plucked string instrument used in Renaissance and Baroque music  
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madrigal   composition for several voices to short secular poem (Renaissance)  
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mass   sacred choral composition made up of five sections generally (Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei) Rossini!!!  
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melisma   one syllable of a word stretch out over many notes in succession  
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membranophone   instrument with a membrane (drum)  
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meter   organization of beats into groups  
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minimalism   steady pulse, clear tonality, insistent repetition of short melodic pattern- trancelike  
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minuet and trio   compositional form in three parts (minuet, trio, minuet) often third movement of symphony, in 3/4  
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modulation   shift from one key to another  
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monophony   single melodic line without accompaniment  
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motet   polyphonic choral work set to Latin text (Renaissance)  
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motive   fragment of a theme or short musical idea developed within a composition  
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movement   piece that sounds complete but is one part of a larger work  
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nationalism   inclusion of folk songs, dances, legends in a composition to associate with specific homeland  
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neoclassicism   musical style marked by emotional restraint, balance, clarity, inspired by 18th century music (mostly during 1920-1950)  
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nocturne   a night piece; usually a slow composition, lyrical, intimate, for piano  
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octave   interval between two tones an 8th apart  
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offbeat   not on the beat  
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opera   drama sung to orchestra accompaniment, featuring recitatives, arias, choruses  
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oratorio   large piece for chorus, soloists, orchestra; several movements, sacred in nature  
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organum   medieval polyphony that consists of Gregorian chant and one or more additional lines; usually parallel in motion  
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ostinato   motive or phrase that is repeated persistently at the same pitch  
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overture   short orchestra composition opens an opera or musical theater show and sets the overall mood  
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parallel motion   melodic lines that move in the same direction at the same time  
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passacaglia   ground bass, chaconne; bass line that forms a complete musical idea that is repeated over and over again through the piece  
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pedal point   single tone held throughout a long section which other parts move independently over top  
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pentatonic scale   five note scale (do, re, mi, so, la) typical in Asian music (black notes of the piano)  
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period   grouping of two phrases that are question and answer  
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phrase   part of melody  
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Picardy third   in the last chord of a piece in minor, this third is raised to make the chord major  
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pick-up   one or more unstressed notes before the first bar line of a piece or passage (anacrusis is the fancy name for a pick-up)  
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pivot chord   moves from the original key to the destination key (usually a closely related key) by way of a chord both keys share. For example, G major and D major share 4 chords in common: G, Bm, D, Em.  
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pizzicato   means of playing stringed instrument where strings are plucked  
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polychord   combination of two chords sounded at the same time (e.g. Cmajor chord and A major chord) (20th century music)  
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polyphonic   two or more melodic lines happening at the same time  
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polyrhythm   use of two or more contrasting and independent rhythms at the same time (20th century, African, Indian, Indonesian)  
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polytonality   using two or more keys at the same time (20th century)  
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postlude   concluding section; end of an art song where the piano plays an extended part  
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prelude   short piece to introduce a fugue or other composition; short piece for piano  
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primitivism   evocation of primitive power through insistent rhythms and percussive sounds (Rite of Spring)  
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program music   instrumental music association with a story, poem, idea, or scene (Romantic period)  
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progression   series of chords  
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raga   pattern of notes serving as melodic framework for improvisation, in Indian classical music  
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ragtime   composed piano music, duple meter, march tempo, left hand plays oom-pah, right hand melody  
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recapitulation   third section of a sontata-form movement, like the exposition but in a new key  
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recitative   vocal line in an opera, oratorio, or cantata that imitates the rhythms and pitch fluctuations of speech; leads into an aria  
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resolution   progression from dissonance to consonance  
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retrograde   variation of a fugue subject in which the subject is presented by beginning with the last note and moving backwards to the first (reverses the order of pitches)  
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riff   in jazz, a short repeated phrase  
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ritardando   becoming slower  
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ritornello   Italian for refrain; a repeated section of music played by full orchestra alternating with other material (Baroque)  
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rondo   ABACADAEA...  
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rubato   slight holding back or pressing forward (borrowing or pushing time) (Romantic music)  
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scat singing   improvising a vocal solo line using non-sense syllables  
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scherzo   compositional form in three parts (ABA), sometimes third movement in symphony, triple meter, fast  
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sequence   in a melody, the immediate repetition of a pattern on a higher or lower pitch  
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serialism   method of composing that uses an ordered group of rhythm, dynamics, tone color, and pitch (20th century)  
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sitar   chordophone from North Indian; long-necked lute  
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sonata   in Baroque and Classical music, instrumental composition in several movements  
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sonata form   form of a single movement (exposition, development, recapitulation, coda)  
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song cycle   group of art songs connected in some way (Romantic music)  
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sprechstimme   German speech-voice, halfway between singing and speaking  
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staccato   short and disconnected  
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stretto   in fugues, subject is imitated before it is completed; one voice tries to catch the other  
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strophic   same music for each verse  
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subject   theme of a fugue  
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suite   Baroque music form, dance inspired movements in same key but differing in tempo, meter, and character  
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suspension   appoggiatura (usually 4-3 or fa-mi)  
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swing   jazz style from 1920s, played by big bands  
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syncopation   accenting of a note at an unexpected time; major characteristic of jazz  
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tabla   pair of drums used in Indian music, pitched on the do and the sol  
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tag   brief coda sometimes played at the end of a jazz piece  
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tempo   the speed of music  
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terraced dynamics   abrupt alternation between loud and soft dynamics (Baroque music)  
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text painting   the musical technique of writing music that reflects the literal meaning of a song. For example, ascending scales would accompany lyrics about going up; slow, dark music would accompany lyrics about death.  
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thematic transformation   alteration of the character of a theme by changes in dynamics, orchestration, rhythm (Romantic music)  
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theme   melody that serves as the starting point for an extended piece of music  
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theme and variations   form in which the theme is repeated over and over again but with variations in melody, rhythm, harmony, dynamics, tone color  
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through-composed   vocal form in which there is new music for each stanza of a poem  
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tie   an arc between two notes of the same pitch indicating that the second note should not be played but added to the first beat  
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timbre   tone color  
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tonality   key  
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tone cluster   chord made up of tones only a half or whole step apart  
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tone poem   symphonic poem; programmatic music in one movement (Romantic)  
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tonic chord   triad built on the first scale degree; main chord of the piece  
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tremolo   rapid repetition of a tone, produced by string instruments playing quick up and down strokes of the bow  
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triad   three note chord  
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trill   ornament consisting of rapid alternation of two tones a half or whole step apart  
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trio sonata   Baroque composition with three melodic lines- two high lines and a basso continuo (four players total- the three refers to the number of lines, not players)  
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tutti   all  
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twelve-tone   method of composing in which all pitches are used once in a pre-determined order, with no tonal center; developed by Schoenberg  
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unison   single melodic line performed by several musicians simultaneously  
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upbeat   unaccented pulse preceding the downbeat  
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virtuoso   performing artist of exceptional technical mastery  
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vivace   lively tempo  
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whole-tone scale   scale made up of six tones, all a whole step apart  
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