Define a Trill.
A musical ornament consisting of a rapid alternation between two adjacent notes.
Define a Mordent.
An ornament indicating that the note is to be played with a single rapid alternation with the note above or below.
Define a Diminished Seventh Chord.
A chord consisting of a diminished triad plus a diminished seventh.
Define a Locrian Mode.
A mode with a diminished fifth, based on the seventh degree of the major scale.
Define a Melodic Minor Scale.
A minor scale with a raised sixth and seventh degree ascending, and natural minor descending.
Define a Passaggio in Vocal Music.
A transitional area of a singer's voice.
Define Enharmonic Modulation.
Changing keys by reinterpreting a chord as a different chord with the same pitches.
Define a Ripieno in Baroque Music.
The larger of two ensembles in a concerto grosso, as opposed to the smaller, solo group.
Define a Hemiola.
A rhythmic device where two bars in triple time are articulated as if they were three bars in duple time.
Define Chromaticism.
Use of notes outside the prevailing key signature.
Define Hemiola.
A rhythmic device where two bars in triple time are articulated as if they were three bars in duple time.
Define a Hemidemisemiquaver.
A sixty-fourth note, half the duration of a demisemiquaver.
Define a Cadential Extension.
An extension of a cadence through additional material.
Define Consonance and Dissonance.
Consonance is a stable, agreeable combination of tones; dissonance is a combination of tones that creates tension.
Define a Diatonic Scale.
A scale consisting of five whole steps and two half steps.
Define a Suspended Chord.
A chord in which the third is replaced or delayed by a second or fourth, creating a need to resolve.
Define Dodecaphony.
A composition technique using a twelve-tone row where no pitch is repeated within the row.
Define a Cross Rhythm.
A rhythm contrasting the main rhythm or meter, often found in polyrhythmic music.
Define an Octatonic Scale.
A scale alternating whole and half steps.
Define an Appoggiatura.
A non-chord tone that is approached by leap and then resolved by step, often on a strong beat.
Define Lydian Mode.
A mode identical to the major scale but with a raised fourth scale degree.
Define a Secondary Leading Tone Chord.
A leading tone chord that resolves to a diatonic chord other than the tonic.
Define Anacrusis.
A pickup note or notes occurring before the first full bar.
Define an Alberti Bass.
A pattern of accompaniment where the notes of the chord are played in the order low-high-middle-high.
Define a Cadential 6/4 Chord.
A second inversion tonic chord used to embellish the dominant.