Music — Year 10

Students will perform examples of diatonic and dissonant harmonies in all areas of study. They will complete composition exercises using Logic Pro/Musescore and analyse examples of music with detailed musical vocabulary.

Tonality
The use of Major and Minor Keys as well as Modes.

Harmony
The use of chords and how different pitches relate to each other

Diatonic
Harmony that functions through key signatures and their related harmonic devices

Dissonance
Harmony that sounds harsh through clashing sounds

Chord
Two or more notes played together

Major
Scales and chords that sound bright and positive

Minor
Chords and Scales that sound dark and mysterious

Primary Chords
The strongest chords within a key, including tonic, dominant and subdominant

Secondary Chords
The weaker of the chords within a key, typically supertonic, submediant and mediant triads.

Tonic
The triad on the first note of a scale (Chord I)

Dominant
A chord on the fifth degree of the scale (Chord V). In a minor key, the middle note is raised by one semitone

Subdominant
The chord on the fourth degree of the scale (Chord IV)

Perfect Cadence
A "musical full stop". Typically found at the end of a melodic phrase and the end of a piece of music. V - I movement of chords

Imperfect Cadence
A "musical comma" typically found at the end of the antecedent of balanced melodic phrase. (any chord) - V

Plagal Cadence
An 'Amen' cadence found at the end of anthems or hymns. IV - I chord progression.

Interrupted Cadence
A cadence where a perfect cadence is expect but a minor chord is heard instead. V - vi harmonic movement.

Harmonic Sequence / Progression
The method of placing chords into a pre-assigned order. Three and Four Chord Tricks in Pop music are common examples of this.

Harmonic Rhythm
The rate with which chords change. This can be fast (chords changing often) or slow (chords changing less frequently).

Drone
A long held note on either the tonic or dominant note typically found in the bass.

Pedal
A held note on either tonic or dominant underneath the harmony typically found in classical music.

Power Chords
A Chord using just the root and fifth of the triad typically found in pop and rock music for electric guitar.

Chromaticism
Music that uses all twelve notes of an Octave as well as the chromatic scale.

Cluster Chord
Chords with many notes where the intervals are close together (often semitones) to create a harsh sound

Augmented
A dissonant triad with 4 semitones between each note

Diminished
A dissonant triad with 3 semitones between each note.

Modulation
The movement between one key and another

Pentatonic
A scale of 5 notes that typically uses the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th degrees of the octave.

Assessments will include analysis of melody in class, listening and appraising of recorded music and composing exercises in groups as well as technology on Logic Pro / Musescore.

Anacrusis
A melody starting on the beat before the first beat of the bar (the "upbeat")

Conjunct
Stepwise movement of melody often through the notes of a scale

Disjunct (Angular)
Melodies with leaps / large intervals between each note.

Arpeggio
A melody passing through the notes of a triad.

Scalic (Ascending/Descending)
Melodies that pass through the notes of the scale

Range / Tessitura
The distance between the highest and lowest notes of a melody. This can either wide or narrow.

Imitation
A melodic idea that's copied in a number of layers in the texture.

Sequence
A melodic fragment repeated at different pitches. This can be either be ascending or descending.

Contrast
How differing melodies sound different from each other. This can be achieved through tonality, and differing melodic movement

Leitmotif
Commonly found in Opera and Film Music - a short melodic idea that describes something, someone or somewhere

Motif
A short melodic idea that is often repeated and/or used to construct extended melodies.

Octave
The distance between two notes of the same name

Tone / Major 2nd
An interval of two semitones

Major 3rd
An interval of 4 semitones

Minor 3rd
An interval of 3 semitones

Perfect 4th
An interval of 5 semitones that sounds bare / neither major nor minor.

Tritone / 'Diabolus in Musica'
An interval of six semitones that sounds dissonant

Perfect 5th
An interval of 7 semitones that is neither major nor minor. This is the strongest interval as it moves from dominant to tonic.

Minor 6th
An interval of 8 semitones

Major 6th
An interval of 9 semitones

Semitone
Half a tone. White to black key on the keyboard.

Chromatic Movement
A melody that uses all twelve tones within an octave and is dissonant.

Pentatonic
Melodies constructed using the pentatonic scale - use of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th degrees of the scale.

'Blue' notes
The lowered 3rd, 5th and 7th degrees of the octave which creates dissonance.

Ornamentation
Decorations to the notes in a melody through trills, mordents and turns

Tonic
The 'home' note. The first note of the scale or key

Dominant
The fifth degree of the scale and the second strongest pitch within the scale.

Subdominant
The fourth degree of the scale

Supertonic
The second degree of the scale

Mediant
The third degree of the scale

Submediant
The sixth degree of the scale

Leading note
The seventh degree of the scale which always rises to the tonic.

Antecedent
The opening (or questioning) phrase of a balanced melody

Consequent
The answering phrase of a balanced melody

Students will demonstrate their understanding through listening, composing and performing exercises with verbal critical appraising shared by students and staff.

Semibreve
A note that lasts for four beats

Minim
A note that lasts for two beats

Crotchet
A note that lasts for one beat

Quaver
A note that lasts for 1/2 beat

Semiquaver
A note that lasts for 1/4 beat

Dotted
A rhythm where notes are extended by half of their value

Syncopation
Rhythms that are off the beat

Swing Rhythms
A rhythm that lilt or swing with the first note slightly extended

Straight
Rhythms that fall on the beat

Chaal
Rhythms played in Bhangra music typically on the Dohl

Driving Rhythm
Rhythms with accents on the beat that push the music forward.

Dance Rhythms
Rhythms associated with dance e.g. Waltz, Tango,

Rock Rhythms
Rhythms associated with Rock Music typically performed on the Drum Kit

Regular Metre
Music where there is a constant pulse

Irregular Metre
Music where the pulse does not have a consistent length

Accent
An emphasis on a particular beat of the bar

Front beats
Emphasis on the stronger notes of the bar. In common time this is beats 1 and 3.

Back beats
Emphasis on the weaker beats of the bar. In common time these are beats 2 and 4.

Simple Duple Time
Two crotchet beats in the bar.

Simple Triple
Three crotchet beats per bar.

Simple Quadruple (Common Time)
Four crotchet beats per bar.

Compound Time
Metres with triplets of quavers per beat

Compound Duple
Two beats subdivided into two groups of three quavers

Compound triple time
Three beats subdivided into three groups of three quavers

Compound Quadruple
Four beats subdivided into four groups of three quavers

Students will be assessed through composing, performing and listening/appraising exercises with written and verbal feedback from both students and staff.

Monophonic
One layer of sound

Homophonic
Layers of sound moving together as chords.

Melody dominated Homophony
Melody and Chords (or melody and accompaniment)

Polyphony
More than two melodies played at the same time and moving independently.

Polyrhythmic
More than two rhythms played together at the same time

Cross Rhythmic
Two or more rhythms at the same time and in different metres.

Unison
All layers of sound playing the same melodic line.

Chordal
A form of homophony where the texture is built from chords

Imitation
Layers of sound copying each other.

Countermelody
An additional melody above the principal melody typically in Christmas Carols

Round
A polyphonic texture where the melody is repeated in different layers one after the other

Canon
A form of polyphonic texture where different melodies begin one after another.

Alberti Bass
A broken chord pattern in the order root - fifth - third - fifth

Walking Bass
A bass line that ascends and descends through an arpeggio

Students will demonstrate their understanding through performances in different structures as well as applying this knowledge through composition.

Binary
A structure formed as A - A- B - B where Section A starts in the Tonic and modulates to the Dominant. Section B starts in the Dominant and ends in the Tonic via the relative minor/major.

Ternary
A structure formed of two sections where section A returns at the end: A- B - A

Rondo
A structure created from a principal theme and contrasting episodes: A - B - A - C - A

Minuet and Trio
A structure commonly found in the third movement in a Symphony. Both are dances and are both formed using Ternary Form.

Theme and Variation
A structure with a principal theme and the composer uses this idea to create different versions of it: A1 - A2 - A3 - A4

Strophic
A structure found in pop music built on poetic stanzas

32 Bar Song Form
A structure typically found in Pop Music where each section is 8 bars long: A - A - B - A

12 Bar Blues
A structure typically found in Jazz following the 12 Bar Blues harmonic sequence

Call and Response
A melodic and structural device where an instrument performs the antecedent and other instruments perform the consequent.

Ostinato
A repeating melody, phrase or rhythmic cell

Bridge
A contrasting section within Verse/Chorus Form

Students will produce their composition on either Logic Pro XI or Musescore and submit a recording with a score or written commentary. The first draft will be submitted at the start of Year 11.

Trio Sonata
A trio sonata is written for two solo melodic instruments and basso continuo, making three parts in all, hence the name trio sonata.

Dance Suite
In the Baroque era the suite was an important musical form, also known as Suitede danses, Ordre Partita or Ouverture which often included a series of dances.

Syllabic word setting
The term 'syllabic' refers to sung music. Music is syllabic when one pitch in the melody goes with one syllable in the words.

Consonant
Consonant intervals are usually described as pleasant and agreeable.

Dissonant
Dissonant intervals are those that cause tension and desire to be resolved to consonant intervals to relive tension.

Suspension
Suspension, in music, a means of creating tension by prolonging a consonant note while the underlying harmony changes, normally on a strong beat. The resulting dissonance persists until the suspended note resolves by step wise motion.

Word painting
Word painting is the musical technique of writing music that reflects the literal meaning of a song. For example, ascending scales would accompany lyrics about going up; slow, dark music would accompany lyrics such as death or despair.

Da capo aria
The da capo aria is a vocal form used primarily in the Baroque Era. It is in ternary form (ABA')

Cantata
A cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir.

Tierce de Picardie
In music a Tierce de Picardie (meaning Picardy third) is a major chord at the end of a piece of music in a minor key. In the 16th to 17th centuries this was a very common way to end a piece in a minor key.

Binary form
Binary form is a musical form in two related sections, both of which are usually repeated. Binary is also a structure used to choreograph dance. In music this is usually performed as A-A-B-B.