652 Glossary
creating di erent resultant patterns as the di erent
copies of the same pattern create new rhythmic rela-
tionships with one another.
Phrase A relatively independent musical idea termi-
nated by a cadence.
Phrase Group A multi-phrase unit that consists of
several phrases that seem to belong together struc-
turally even though they do not form a period or
double period (typically when the nal cadence is
not the strongest one).
Phrase Modulation A direct modulation that oc-
curs between phrases.
Phrygian Half Cadence A special name given to the
iv 6 -V HC in minor. The name refers to a cadence
found in the period of modal polyphony (before
1600) but does not imply that the music is actually
in the Phrygian mode.
Picardy ird A tonic triad that is “borrowed” from
the major mode for use in minor.
Pitch e highness or lowness of a sound.
Pitch Class Term used to group together all pitches
that have an identical sound or that are identical ex-
cept for the octave or octaves that separate them.
Pitch Class Sets (pc sets) Term used to describe
pitch structures in atonal music; meaningful groups
of related pitch classes.
Plagal Cadence (PC) Typically involves a IV-I pro-
gression at a cadential point, often added on as a
kind of tag following a PAC.
Plagal Progression e harmonic progression IV-I.
Planing e use of chords moving in parallel motion.
Point of Modulation e rst chord that seems to
be functioning more naturally in the second key
than in the rst.
Pointillism e process of atomizing (separating)
the notes of a melodic line.
Polychord Consists of two or more chords sounded
simultaneously.
Polymeter e simultaneous presentation of two or
meters.
Polyrhythm e simultaneous presentation of two
or more aurally contrasting rhythmic streams.
Polytempo e simultaneous presentation of two or
more contrasting tempos.
Polytonality Two or more tonal centers heard
simultaneously.
Postminimalism Music that seems to have its roots
in the minimalist traditions of the 1960s and 1970s,
but is not as strict in its application of typical mini-
malist techniques.
Pre-Dominant A term that can refer to a chord
(typically ii or IV) or a harmonic function; precedes
a dominant chord in a harmonic progression.
Preparation e tone preceding the suspension (it is
the same pitch as the suspension).
Prepared Piano A piano that has had various ob-
jects and material placed on or between its strings in
order to change the instrument’s timbre.
Primary eme e theme that, in the exposition,
establishes the home key with at least one cadence
in that key and that reappears to mark the begin-
ning of the recapitulation. It often sounds more
vital, grand, or ceremonial than secondary themes,
although lyrical primary themes can also be found.
Prime Form A way of arranging a pc set so that it
begins with 0 and is most packed to the le (notated
using parentheses but no intervening commas or
spaces).
Process Music Compositional approach in which an
audible musical process structures both the note-to-
note details and the overall form of the piece.
Progressive Cadences Cadences that do not con-
clude with a tonic harmony, including deceptive and
half cadences.
Prolongation e process by which the domain of
a chord is expanded through the use of one or more
subsidiary chords.
Proportional Notation A notational style indicating
approximate durations through the spacing of events.
Q
Quadruple Meter Four-beat measure: the typical
metric accent pattern is strong-weak-less strong-
weak.
Quartal Harmony A sonority derived from stacked
4ths.
Quarter Tone An interval that divides the octave
into 24 equal parts.
Quintal Harmony A sonority derived from stacked
5ths.
R
Real Imitation Similar to a real sequence, but with
the transposed repetition of the pattern occurring
in a di erent voice than the voice in which the pat-
tern was initially introduced.
Real Planing Parallel movement of vertical sonori-
ties whose construction remains unchanged; both
 Glossary
the numerical value and quality of the intervals will
remain constant.
Real Sequence Transposes the pattern to a new key,
which means that the modifiers of the intervals
(major, minor, and so on) will not change when the
pattern begins on a new pitch class.
Realization Originally used in performances dur-
ing the Baroque period, this term refers to the prac-
tice of improvising chords based on a given gured
bass part.
Recapitulation e third main section of a sonata;
it replays the movement’s important themes, usually
in the same order, but the modulation to the sec-
ondary key is adjusted so that the themes that were
originally in the secondary key in the exposition are
found in the home key here.
Reduced Score A score notated at concert pitch, on
as few staves as possible.
Relative Keys Major and minor keys that share the
same key signature. e relative major of any minor
key starts on 3̂ of the minor scale, while the relative
minor of any major key begins on 6̂ of the major scale.
Repeated Phrase Two adjoining phrases that are
identical, with the possible exception of embellish-
ing or ornamental di erences.
Resolution e tone following the suspension and
lying a 2nd below it.
Retardation A non-chord tone that functions
like a suspension but features an upward stepwise
resolution.
Rhythm A general term used to refer to the time as-
pect of music, as contrasted with the pitch aspect.
Rondo Form A type of form in which a refrain
theme (which returns several times) alternates with
contrasting thematic material. It is o en used as the
nal movement of a sonata, string quartet, or sym-
phony, and sometimes as a slow movement.
Root Position A chord with the root as the lowest tone.
Round A canon that is perpetual—there is no no-
tated ending for the ensemble.
Rounded Binary Form A form type in which the
opening A section returns a er contrasting material
but in an abbreviated form, as in AB½A.
Row In twelve-tone music, a speci c ordering of all
twelve pitch classes.
S
Sampler A device that has the ability to record,
store, edit, and play back audio information.
653
Sawtooth Wave A jagged nasal tone that contains all
harmonics.
Score Order e typical order in which instruments
are listed in a full score; this order is not always the
same as order by pitch.
Second Inversion A chord with the 5th as the lowest
tone.
Secondary Function A chord whose function be-
longs more closely to a key other than the main key
of the passage.
Secondary Key e key that provides the structur-
ally important tonal contrast with the home key.
When the home key is major, the secondary key is
often the key of the dominant (V), and when the
home key is minor, the secondary key is o en the
key of the relative major (III), although other op-
tions are possible.
Secondary Theme A theme that sets up the tonal
contrast with the primary theme in the exposition
by establishing the secondary key and con rming it
with a PAC in that key. In the recapitulation, these
themes recon rm the home key. It is o en more lyr-
ical or gentle in character than the primary theme,
although other possibilities are also common (in-
cluding being derived from the primary theme).
Sectional A type of binary or ternary form in which
the rst section ends on the tonic triad in the main
key of the form.
Secundal Harmony A chordal sonority derived
from stacked 2nds.
Segmentation e process of partitioning a piece of
atonal music into pitch class sets based on relation-
ships formed by parameters such as pitch, rhythm,
phrasing, register, and timbre.
Sentence A structural unit characterized by the im-
mediate repetition or variation of a musical idea fol-
lowed by a motion toward a cadence.
Sequence A pattern that is repeated immediately in the
same voice but that begins on a di erent pitch class.
Sequencer A software application that stores se-
quences of MIDI data and allows a composer to
change MIDI note, key velocity, tempo, or controller
information of a previously encoded performance.
Sequential Modulation Occurs when a pattern is
immediately restated at another pitch level, estab-
lishing a new tonal center.
Series In twelve-tone music, a speci c ordering of all
twelve pitch classes.
Set eory A general term used to describe methods
of analyzing atonal music.
654 Glossary
Seventh Chord Triad with another 3rd added above
the 5th of the triad. e added note is a 7th above
the root.
Similar Motion A type of motion in which two
voices move in the same direction but by di erent
intervals.
Simple Beat A beat that divides into two equal parts.
Simple Intervals Intervals smaller than an 8ve.
Simultaneities Traditional sonorities that are used
in a non-traditional manner. The use of a tradi-
tional Roman numeral label is meaningless for such
chords, because the resulting tones do not function
in the traditional sense.
Sine Wave A sound devoid of overtones or harmon-
ics that is similar to the sound of a tuning fork or
open ute.
Sixth Chord A triad in rst inversion.
Slash Chord A chord whose bass note is indicated
(and the inversion inferred) by the addition of a slash
and the letter of the bass a er the root note letter.
Sonata Form A large-scale formal type resembling
a greatly expanded two-reprise continuous ternary
form and consisting of at least three sections: an ex-
position with two tonal centers, a tonally unstable
development, and a tonic-centered recapitulation
that returns the material from the exposition.
Sonata-Rondo A formal type that combines the
Rondo’s use of returning refrains with the devel-
opmental characteristics and tonal con ict of the
sonata.
Split-Third Chord The sonority that results when
both the major and minor triad built on the same
root are used simultaneously.
Square Wave A clarinet-like tone that contains only
odd-numbered harmonics.
Sta An arrangement of ve lines and four spaces
used to indicate the precise pitch(es) desired; the
sta can be extended through the use of ledger lines.
Static A type of two-voice motion in which neither
voice moves.
Stochastic Music Music in which the pitch, inten-
sity, and duration are determined by mathematical
procedures such as the laws of probability theory.
Subject e short theme that is used as the primary
musical material in a fugue.
Subphrase A distinct portion of a phrase that it is
not a phrase either because it is not terminated by a
cadence or because it seems too short to be relatively
independent.
Suspension A non-chord tone that occurs when a
chord tone is sustained after the other parts have
moved on to the next chord, a er which it resolves
down by step into that next chord. It is preceded
by a “preparation” and followed by a “resolution.”
e term also refers to the “preparation-sequence-
resolution” unit in its entirety.
Suspension Figure A melodic process in which a
chord tone is treated as though it were a suspension.
A suspension figure often occurs in conjunction
with the approach to the 7th of a V7 chord when that
7th is also a chord tone of the preceding chord and
appears in the same voice.
Suspension with Change of Bass A upper-voice sus-
pension in which the bass moves on to another chord
tone at the same time as the suspension resolves.
Symmetrical Meter Meter based on regularly recur-
ring pulses subdivided into groups of two or three.
Syncopation Rhythmic figure that stresses a nor-
mally weak beat or division of the beat.
Synthesizer An electronic instrument that allows
composers to combine and sequence source signals
more efficiently than traditional tape techniques
and o ers them more control over the parameters
of sound.
Synthetic Scale Any scale that does not bear a clear
resemblance to a scale or fragment of a scale associ-
ated with the diatonic system.
T
Tape Loop A portion of recorded tape that is re-
peated over and over again.
Tape Music Music that exists in the medium of
magnetic tape.
Telharmonium A large electronic keyboard instru-
ment developed by addeus Cahill that used tele-
phone network technology to transmit sounds.
Tempo e rate at which beats occur.
Tempo Canon Canon in which the individual voices
are presented at di erent tempos.
Tempo Modulation (Metric Modulation) Method
of changing tempo by equating a particular note
value to another note value (a proportional note
value), usually located in the next bar.
Ternary Form A three-part form that is structured
as statement-contrast-return (ABA). The middle
section provides contrast through the use of dif-
ferent melodic material, texture, tonality, or some
 Glossary
combination of these and the third section returns
all or most of the rst. Anything from a short theme
to a lengthy movement of a sonata or symphony can
be structured as a ternary form.
Tertian A chord structure built of thirds.
Tetrachord A four-note scalar pattern spanning a
perfect 4th.
eremin/Ondes Martenot Examples of early elec-
tronic instruments that used electronic oscillators
as tone generators.
ird Inversion A seventh chord with the 7th as the
lowest tone.
Third Stream A movement started after World
War II that blends elements of jazz and contempo-
rary music.
ird Substitute A chord that can be used in place
of another chord whose root lies a 3rd away, insofar
as they share a common function and two common
tones (e.g. iii can substitute for V, as ii can for IV,
and vi can for I).
Three-Phrase Period Consists of three different
phrases—two antecedents and a consequent or one
antecedent and two consequents (as determined by
the cadences).
Tie A curved line connecting two notes of the
same pitch, creating a new duration that is equal to
their sum.
Time Signature A symbol that tells the performer
how many beats will occur in each measure, what
note value will represent the beat, and whether the
beat is simple or compound.
Tonal Sequence A sequence that keeps the pat-
tern in a single key, which means that modi ers of
the intervals (major, minor, and so on) will prob-
ably change when the pattern begins on a new pitch
class.
Tone Cluster Any collection of three or more ad-
jacent pitches in secundal relationship (can also be
called a cluster chord).
Tonicization Similar to a modulation, but the shi
of tonal center is shorter in duration.
Total Serialization e method of ordering musical
parameters other than pitch, such as rhythm, dy-
namics, and articulation.
Total Voice-Leading Distance A measure of the
smoothness of the voice-leading motion between
one chord and another; it is determined by adding
together the total number of half steps that each
voice moves from the rst chord to the second.
655
Transition Generally, a passage that connects dif-
ferent themes or tonal centers. In sonata form, the
transition is a passage that appears in both the expo-
sition and recapitulation to destabilize the home key
and connects the primary and secondary themes.
Transitions may or may not modulate.
Transpose To write or play music in a key other than
the original.
Transposition Index Indicates the level of transpo-
sition in semitones (upward within the octave) from
the rst pitch class of the series.
Transpositionally Symmetrical Sets Sets that map
onto themselves under Tn (at levels other than T0).
Triad A three-note chord consisting of a 5th divided
into two superimposed 3rds. e bottom note of the
5th is the root, the top note is the 5th, and the note
between them is the 3rd. There are four possible
ways to combine major and minor 3rds to produce
a tertian triad.
Triple Meter ree-beat measure: the typical metric
accent pattern is strong-weak-weak.
Tritone e term used for the interval of the +4 or
its enharmonic equivalent, the 5.
Tuplet A rhythmic grouping that is divided in a
manner contrary to the prevailing division of the
beat, such as the division of an undotted value into
some number of equal parts other than two, four,
eight, and so on, or the division of a dotted value
into some number of equal parts other than three,
six, twelve, and so on.
Twelve-Tone Method Compositional method de-
signed to methodically equalize all twelve pitch
classes. Each piece is based on a precompositional
series or row, and strictly speaking, none of the tones
may be repeated before all twelve have sounded.
Each row may be subjected to one of four basic trans-
formations: transposition, inversion, retrograde, or
retrograde inversion.
Two-Reprise Form A movement or theme that con-
sists of two repeated sections.
U
Unbalanced Binary A type of binary form in which
the two parts are not of equal length.
Unequal Fi hs Occur when a perfect 5th is followed
by a 5, or vice versa, in the same two voices. Un-
equal hs are considered acceptable unless they
involve a 5-P5 between the bass and another voice.