Musical Vocabulary and Terminology

Musical Vocabulary and Terminology

Musical Terms and Definitions

  • Dynamics: Indicate the volume of a musical line. Examples include forte (loud), piano (soft), crescendo (gradually getting louder), and diminuendo (gradually getting quieter).
  • Tempo: Determines the speed of the music. Common terms to denote tempo are Allegro (fast), Adagio (slow), and Moderato (moderate).
  • Articulation: Defines how notes are played. Staccato (short and detached), Legato (smooth and connected) and Accents (notes played with emphasis).
  • Rhythm: Describes the length of notes and their relationship to the beat. For example, a quarter note gets one beat, an eighth note gets a half of a beat.

Descriptive tools in music

  • Harmony: The simultaneous occurrence of sounds, producing chords which form a progression.
  • Melody: A succession of notes forming a musical phrase, it is the main theme of the music.
  • Texture: The combination of layers of sound. Homophonic texture (melody with accompaniment), Polyphonic texture (multiple melodies), Monophonic texture (single melody).
  • Timbre: The unique character of a sound making it distinguishable from other sounds, termed as tone colour.

Musical structures

  • Binary form: A musical structure with two sections: A and B, usually repeated.
  • Ternary form: A three-part musical structure, often noted as ABA. The first and third sections are identical or similar, and the second section contrasts.
  • Rondo form: A repeating pattern often structurally organised as ABACA with A as the repeating section and B, C sections as contrasting episodes.
  • Theme and Variations: A form beginning with a main theme that’s followed by several variations of it.

Key musical notations

  • Treble Clef: Used for higher sounding pitches. The note on the bottom line of the treble clef staff is E.
  • Bass Clef: Used for lower sounding pitches. The note on the top line of the bass clef staff is A.
  • Sharp and Flat: Sharp (#) raises a note by a half-step, while Flat (♭) lowers a note by a half-step.
  • Time Signature: Shows how many beats are in each measure. Common time signatures include 4/4 (four beats per measure) and 3/4 (three beats per measure).