Nat5 Concepts - classical

• Grace note


  A short 'crushed' note coming just before the main note
• Modulation


  When the music changes key, most often from major to minor, or vice versa
• Broken chord


  A pattern of notes which makes up a chord, but are played individually in turn
• Accent


  When a note or chord is played much stronger then the rest of the music. It's written as a symbol above the note/chord
• Clarinet


  • It was not regularly used until the classical period
• Alberti bass


  A base line in which the notes of the chord are presented in the order: Low, high, middle, high
• Coda


  A section of music which is 'tagged on' to the end of the piece to help finish it off
• Cadenza


  A passage in which the orchestra stops playing and the solo player shows of their skills as a player. Because the orchestra have stopped playing, it often includes pauses and can end on a trill to help the orchestra know when to rejoin
• Theme and variations


  A structure which presents a main theme, which is then followed by similar material with slight changes each time
• Symphony


  A piece of music written for an orchestra, and is normally written in 'movements' with stops in between. Classical symphonies were normally in 4 movements with each movement having a different characteristic
• Opera


  Singing to orchestral music to tell a story
• Key signatures


  No sharps or flats means that it is either C major or A minor, to tell listen for minor and major sounds. One flat means that it's F major, One sharp is G major