Page 290 - ESSENTIAL LISTENING TO MUSIC

electronic music sounds produced and manipulated by magnetic tape machines, synthesizers, and/or computers
eleventh chord a chord comprised of five intervals of a third and spanning eleven different letter names of pitches
encore French word meaning “again”; the repeat of a piece demanded by an appreciative audience; an extra piece added at the end of a concert
English horn an alto oboe, pitched at the interval a fifth below the oboe, much favored by composers of the Romantic era
Enlightenment eighteenth-century period in philosophy and letters during which thinkers gave free rein to the pursuit of truth and the discovery of natural laws
episode a passage of free, non-imitative counterpoint found in a fugue
“Eroica” (“Heroic”) Symphony
Beethoven’s third symphony, it was originally composed to honor Napoleon Bonaparte; more than any other single orchestral work, it changed the historical direction of the symphony
Esterházy family the richest and most influential among the German-speaking aristocrats of eighteenth-century Hungary, with extensive landholdings southeast of Vienna and a passionate interest in music
etude a short one-movement composition designed to improve one aspect of a performer’s technique
exposition in a fugue, the opening section, in which each voice in turn has the opportunity to present the subject; in sonata–allegro form, the principal section, in which all thematic material is presented
Expressionism powerful movement in the early- twentieth-century arts, initially a German-Austrian development that arose in Berlin, Munich, and Vienna; its aim was not to depict objects as they are seen but to express the strong emotion that the object generates in the artist
falsetto ahigh,soprano-likevoice produced by adult male singers when they sing in head voice and not in full chest voice
figured bass in musical notation, a numerical shorthand that tells the player which unwritten notes to fill in above the written bass note
finale the last movement of any multimovement genre of classical music; e.g., the final movement of a symphony
flamenco a genre of Spanish song and dance, with guitar accompaniment, that originated in southern- most Spain and exhibits non-Western, possibly Arab- influenced, scales
flat musical symbol that lowers a pitch by a half step
flute a high-sounding member of the woodwind family; initially made of wood, but more recently, beginning in the nineteenth century, of silver or even platinum
form the purposeful organization of the artist’s materials; in music, the general shape of a composition as perceived by the listener
forte in musical notation, a dynamic mark indicating “loud”
fortissimo term indicating a dynamic level of “very loud”
free jazz a style of jazz perfected during the 1960s in which a soloist indulges in flights of creative fancy without concern for the rhythm, melody, or harmony of the other performers
Freemasons fraternity of the Enlightenment who believed in tolerance and universal brotherhood
French horn a brass instrument that plays in the middle range of the brass family; developed from the medieval hunting horn
fugue a composition for three, four, or five parts played or sung by voices or instruments, which begins with a presentation of a subject in imitation in each part and continues with modulating passages of free counterpoint and further appearances of the subject
galliard fast, leaping Renaissance dance in triple meter
genre type or class of music
glissando a device of sliding up or down
the scale very rapidly
Gothic style architecture that arose in twelfth-century France featuring pointed arches, high ceiling vaults, flying buttresses, and richly colored stained glass
great (grand) staff a large musical staff that combines both the treble and the bass clefs
Gregorian chant a large body of unaccompanied monophonic vocal music, set to Latin texts, composed for the Western (Roman Catholic) Church over the course of fifteen centuries.
ground bass the English term for basso ostinato
habanera an Afro-Cuban dance-song that came to prominence in the nineteenth century, marked by a repeating bass and a repeating, syncopated rhythm
harmony sounds that provide the support and enrichment—an accompaniment—for melody
harp an ancient, plucked-string instrument with a triangular shape
harpsichord a keyboard instrument, especially popular during the Baroque era, that produces sound by depressing a key that drives a lever upward and forces a pick to pluck a string
Heiligenstadt Testament something akin to Beethoven’s last will and testament, written in despair when he recognized that he would ultimately suffer a total loss of hearing; named after the Viennese suburb in which he penned it
“heroic” period (middle period) time during which Beethoven’s compositions became longer, more assertive, and full of grand gestures
homophony musical texture in which the voices, or lines, all move together to new pitches at roughly the same time
humanism Renaissance belief that people have the capacity to create many things good and beautiful; it rejoiced in the human form in all its fullness, looked outward, and indulged a passion for invention and discovery
idée fixe literally a “fixed idea,” but more specifically an obsessive musical theme as first used in Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique
idiomatic writing musical composition that exploits the strengths and avoids the weaknesses of particular voices and instruments
268 glossary
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