Key Terms in Music

accompaniment
a part performed with the main part for richer effect.
arpeggio, arpeggiated form
the production of tones in a chord in succession rather than simultaneously.
articulation
in performance, the characteristics of attack and decay of tones and the manner and extent to which tones
in sequence are connected or disconnected.
beat
the unit of rhythm; rhythmic pulse felt in most music.
cadence
a group of chords or notes at the end of a phrase or piece that gives a feeling of pausing or finishing.
chord
a combination of three or more tones sounding in a harmony.
clef, bass and treble
a symbol written at the beginning of a musical staff to indicate the pitch of the notes.
compose
to create original music by organizing sound, usually written down for others to perform.
consonance
two or more sounds that are perceived to have stability; in harmony, consonant intervals are those that are
treated as stable and do not require resolution to another set of intervals.
dissonance
an interval or a chord that sounds unstable and pulls toward a consonance (an inactive, or restful,
combination of sounds).
dynamics
the effect of varying degrees of loudness and softness in the performance of music.
elements of music
pitch, rhythm, harmony, dynamics, phrasing, style, interpretation, and appropriate variations in dynamics
and tempo.
form
the overall structural organization of a music composition (e.g., AB, ABA, call and response, rondo, theme
and variation, sonata-allegro) and the interrelationships of music events within the overall structure.
harmony/harmonic
the simultaneous sounding of two or more tones; structure in terms of treatment of chords.

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Key Terms in Music

homophonic texture
a melodic line supported by a harmonic accompaniment that has a similar rhythm to the melody.
improvise
to compose, or simultaneously compose and perform.
interval
the difference in pitch between two notes.
level of difficulty
for purposes of these standards, there are six levels of difficulty:
Level 1 very easy; easy keys, meters, and rhythms; limited ranges.
Level 2 easy; may include changes of tempo, key, and meter; modest ranges.
Level 3 moderately easy; contains moderate technical demands, expanded ranges, and varied
interpretive requirements.
Level 4 moderately difficult; requires well-developed technical skills, attention to phrasing and
interpretation, and ability to perform various meters and rhythms in a variety of keys.
Level 5 difficult; requires advanced technical and interpretive skills; contains key signatures with
numerous sharps or flats, usual meters, complex rhythms, subtle dynamic requirements
Level 6 very difficult; suitable for musically mature students of exceptional competence.
major, major tonality
tonally, a key that is based on a major scale. A scale that contains this step pattern: whole, whole, half,
whole, whole, whole, half, or using the solfa tones of do re mi fa so la ti do.
melody
rhythmic arrangement of tones in sequence to express a musical idea.
meter
the basic pattern of beats in successive measures, usually expressed in time signature.
minor, minor tonality
tonally, a key that is based on a minor scale. A scale that contains this step pattern; whole, half, whole,
whole, half, whole, whole, or using the solfa tones of la ti do re mi fa so la. This is known as the natural
minor or aeolian mode.
mode, modal scales
types of seven-note scale systems, originally formulated c. 1000 for classifying different forms of
Gregorian chant. The nomenclature originates from ancient Greece. Most of these modal scales are found
in all genres of music, including folk, jazz, classical, and popular music.
monophonic texture
music having a single melody without accompaniment.

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Key Terms in Music

notation
system by which music is written.
ostinato
a short rhythmic or melodic pattern that is persistently repeated.

pentatonic scale
a scale of five notes; one in which the tones are arranged like a major scale with the fourth and seventh
tones omitted.
phrase
a melodic idea that acts as a complete thought, something like a sentence, consisting of two or more
motives.
pitch and register
pitch refers to the highness or lowness of a tone, and register the pitch location of a group of tones. If the
group of tones consists of all high sounds, they are in a high register. If the group of tones consists of all
low sounds, they are in a low register.
polyphonic texture
two or more independent melody lines sounding together.
rhythm
treatment of time in music.
scale
an arrangement of pitches from lower to higher according to a specific pattern of intervals or steps.
score
musical composition written in notation.
tempo
the speed of the beat in music.
timbre
the character or quality of a sound that distinguishes one instrument, voice, or other sound source from
another.
tonality
the harmonic relationship of tones with respect to a definite center or point of rest; fundamental to much of
Western music from c. 1600 onward.

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Massachusetts Arts Curriculum Framework

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