Appendix F: Glossary

This glossary defines terms used in this Instructional Resource Package as they pertain to music. Teachers may want to consult a specialized music dictionary for more comprehensive definitions of music terminology.

accidentals: Sharps, flats, and naturals.
acoustic: To do with the science of sound; also, not using electronic amplification (as in acoustic instruments).
ADSR: The shape of the amplitude of a signal over time; attack: the beginning of a soundthe first part of an amplitude envelope; decay: the part of an amplitude envelope between the maximum volume of the attack and sustain; sustain: to maintain a consistent volumethe section of an amplitude envelope at which the sound maintains a consistent volume; release: the final segment of an amplitude envelopethe time the sound takes to fall to zero from the sustain level after a key is released.
articulation: Characteristics of attack and decay of tones and the manner in which the tone is started and ended.
binary AB, ABA: Two phrases or sections, either or both of which may be repeated.
blues: A vocal or instrumental jazz style, usually following a 12-bar, 8-bar, or 16-bar pattern.
canon: The same melody sung or played by one or more parts, beginning one after another; all parts end together.
contour: The shape of a melody, as defined by the rise and fall of the sequence of pitches.
creative process: An ongoing and circular process of exploration, selection, combination, refinement, and reflection to compose music.
discography: A bibliography of music recordings.
duration: The length of time a pitch is sustained (from the attack to the release).
dynamics: The degree of loudness or softness.
form: The way a piece of music is structured (e.g., AB, ABA, rondo, canon, call and response, theme and variations, march and trio).
harmony: Simultaneously occurring pitches.
interval: The distance between two music notes.
invented notation: A system of music notation constructed to meet the unique requirements of a particular piece of music; may be diagrammatic, descriptive, narrative, pictorial, or a combination of any of these; details may be precise or general in nature; computer and MIDI technology (e.g., MIDI event lists) may be used to create unique notation systems. (See also standard notation.)
melody: The use of pitch and sequences of pitches.
metre: The grouping in which a succession of rhythmic pulses or beats is organized; in standard notation, indicated by a time signature at the beginning of a work.
MIDI: Musical Instrument Digital Interfacestandard specifications that enable electronic instruments such as the synthesizer, sampler, sequencer, and drum machine to communicate with one another and with computers.
Muzak: A (trademarked) type of music used as background or filler by restaurants, offices, shopping malls, telephone waiting, and so on; a general term for this type of music.
ostinato: A repeated rhythmic or tonal pattern, or both.
perform, performance: Within the context of this IRP, performance refers to any production of sound or music and is not restricted to formal presentations with a stage or audience; can be seen as synonymous with play (in instrumental settings) or sing (in choral settings).
percussion instrument: An instrument with a resonating surface that is played by striking.
phrase: A melodic sentence.
physical properties of sound: The physics of sound: frequency, duration, amplitude, wave form, and sound envelope.
pitch: The property of how high or low a note is, scientifically determined by the frequency of vibrations.
polyrhythm: Systematic exploitation of several rhythms performed simultaneously.
principles of design: Unity, variety, repetition, emphasis, and pattern.
rhythm: The arrangement of notes and silences of varying duration.
sight-read: Playing or singing music at first sight.
solfège: Method of ear training, sight-reading, and notation that uses syllabic names to represent the notes of the scale relative to the tonicdoh, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, doh (also known as sol-fa, tonic sol-fa, and solfeggio).
solo: One singer or player performing with or without accompaniment.
soundscape: A free-form composition using any arrangement or ordering of sounds, and any combination of traditional instruments, non-traditional instruments, voices, natural sounds, synthetic sounds, technology, and so on, may be represented in standard notation, invented notation, or no notation.
standard notation: Music notation that uses the five-line staff and oval notes with stems placed on the staff to represent specific pitch and rhythms in a standardized way.
tempo: The use of slower and faster pulses or beats.
texture: Various combinations of pitched or unpitched sounds, or both.
timbre: The character or quality of sound that distinguishes one instrument, voice, or sound source from another.
tonal centre: The pitch on which a scale or melody is built.
voice: May be categorized as soprano (S), alto (A), tenor (T), or bass (B), representing singing ranges from high to low; music is often arranged in SATB form as well as SA, SSA, SAB, TTBB, and so on. Other intermediate voices include mezzo-soprano, contralto, and baritone.
vocables: Music where the voice is used primarily as an instrument, producing vocal sounds as opposed to words.

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Province of British Columbia
Ministry of Education
Standards Department

Maintained by: Fine Arts Coordinator - Music

Revised: January 3, 1996

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