| Cluster | Arpeggio | Walking Bass | Descant | Contrary motion | Canon | Binary | Ternary |
| Minuet and Trio | Rondo | Theme and Variations | Programme |
| A group of adjacent notes played together. | ||
| The notes of the chord played one after the other either ascending or descending. | ||
A continuously moving bass line improvised on the notes of the chord with other notes added creating an independent musical line. |
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| An additional melodic line sung above a given melody. If it were played by an instrument it would be called counter melody. | ||
| When musical lines move in opposite directions. e.g. as one line descends in pitch, the other ascends. | ||
| Strict imitation. A contrapuntal form in which a melody is repeated a few beats or a bar later. A canon at the unison is when the second voice enters at the same pitch as the first voice; a canon at the fifth is when the imitating voice enters a fifth higher than the original. | ||
A piece of music which is composed in two sections, labled A and B. Sometimes known as AB form. This excerpt of a Scottish dance played on Accordion. |
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| A piece of music which is composed in three sections. The first section (A) is followed by a contrasting section (B) after which the first section is repeated (A). Also known as ABA form. |
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| This form is associated with the third movement of the Classical symphony. It is in simple time and has three beats in the bar. The minuet uses the form AABA, this is followed by the trio using the same pattern CCDC but usually with fewer instruments. Finally the music finishes with a repeat of the minuet.
Listen to this excerpt. A:|BA:|C:|DC:|ABA| |
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| A form often used in the last movement of a concerto or sonata. This is the pattern for a simple rondo: A|B|A|C|A. A represents each repetition of the melody while B and C represent contrasting sections called ‘episodes’. This is the main theme from a Rondo. | ||
A musical idea used as the basis for a composition which is then altered each time it is repeated. The theme can be varied by changing the rhythm, tonality, pitch, tempo, inversion or putting the theme in the bass. Listen to a variation of that theme |
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The idea on which the composition is based. It could be a picture, a story or a poem. |
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In popular music, a section which provides a contrast to the opening section. It is often eight bars long. |