GCSE
MUSIC
REVISION
GCSE MUSIC REVISION

What are the meanings of the following musical keywords and terms?
1. Texture
2. Pitch
3. Dynamics
4. Tempo
5. Melody
6. Rhythm
7. Crescendo
8. Diminuendo
9. Part harmony
10. Time signature
11. Ostinato
12. Call and Response
13. Sequence
14. Imitation
15. Riff
16. Motif
17. Theme
18. Binary Form
19. Ternary Form
20. Cadence
21. Key signature
22. Improvisation
23. Glissando
24. Concerto
25. Atonal
26. What are the differences between Major, Minor and Atonal?
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27. Name 3 features of music from the Romantic Period
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28. Describe the 12 bar blues
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29. Name 2 examples of musical theatre
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30. Name 2 classical structures
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31. Explain 3 features of African music
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32. What are the 3 main elements of Indian Music?
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33. What is Sonata form?
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34. What is the difference between Rap and Hip Hop?
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35. Describe how Samba, Salsa and Tango are different in style
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36. Name 2 instruments used in Indian Music
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37. Write out DR TIMPTOT with all the relevant keywords and meanings.
38. What does Allegro mean? ____________________________
39. What does Legato mean? _____________________________
40. What does Fortissimo mean? __________________________
GCSE MUSIC
Revision
KEYWORDS:
Pitch – how high or low the notes/music.
Dynamics – volume, loud or soft
Tempo – speed, how fast or slow
Texture – layers of sound, 1 instrument is a thin texture, 3 instruments or more
achieves a thicker texture. The more instruments the more layers of sound the
thicker the texture.
Instrumentation – what instruments are playing and how.
Mood – how the music makes you feel
Structure – how the music is put together eg in a song the structure might be
verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus, coda. In a sonata the structure
would be exposition, development and recapitulation (remember looking at
classical structures)
Tonality – what is the key of the music, is it major or minor or atonal?
Atonal – the music has no clear key and is not major or minor
Major – the music/chords sound happy
Minor – the music/chords sound sad
Time-signature – how many beats are in a bar
Rhythm – the beat
Melody - the tune
Part Harmony – voices/instruments playing at the same time but playing
different notes that fit together.
Unison – Different instruments playing the same thing at the same time
Crescendo – the music gets gradually louder
Diminuendo – the music gets gradually softer/quieter
Ostinato – a repeated pattern of notes, a repeated rhythm
Call and response – musical question and answer used a lot in African and
calypso music. A soloist sings or plays a phrase to which a larger group
responds with an answering phrase.
Motif – like a theme tune (the Jaws theme is like a theme tune for the main
character of the shark) or a repeated phrase that represents a character or a
mood.
A cappella – unaccompanied singing. Singing with no instruments.
Accentuation – the way that certain notes are emphasised by being on a
stronger beat.
Alto – a low female singing voice
Baroque Music – music typical from 1600 to 1750.
Bass – a low male voice or the lowest sounding part of a piece of music
Binary form – a musical structure in 2 sections (AB)
Cadence – a group of chords at the end of a phrase as an ending to that phrase.
Canon – a melody on 1 instrument is later repeated by another instrument
whilst the first instrument continues to play.
Chamber music – Music written for entertainment with just 1 instrument per
part.
Choir – a group of singers performing together
Coda – the final section of a piece of music.
Concerto – a composition for one or more solo instruments accompanied by an
orchestra.
Dominant – the 5th note of a major or minor scale.
Fusion – music in which 2 or more distinctive styles are blended together eg
folk-rock
Glissando – a slide along the notes from one pitch to another
Harmony – the combination of sounds to produce a chord or a progression of
chords.
Hook – a short and memorable musical idea in pop music.
Improvisation – the creation of music whilst actually performing it.
Interval – the distance between 2 notes eg the distance between C and G is 5
notes so it would be an interval of a 5th or a perfect 5th.
Key signature – an indication at the very start of the musical score of what key
the music is in.
Lyrics – the words of a song
Modulation – when the music moves from one key to another eg from C major
to A minor.
Ornamentation – use of decorative notes common in the Baroque period.
Syncopation – accented notes that sound off the beat or on a weak beat of the
bar. A ‘jazzy’ rhythm.
Sonata Form – A musical structure consisting of 3 sections (see revision notes)
Soprano – high female singing voice
Strophic song – a song in which each verse has the same music.
Symphony – A large scale composition for an orchestra.
Ternary Form – A piece of music in 3 parts ABA
Theme and Variation – a composition which has a theme and then variations on
this theme where the theme is altered in some way to make it sound different.
Tonic – the first note of a major or minor scale.
Verse and Chorus – a standard form used in popular song in which a chorus is
repeated after most verses.
Waltz – A piece of music for dance with 3 beats in a bar. (oom pah pah)
Etude – a short piece of classical music for a solo instrument
ff – the music is very loud
f – the music is loud
mf – the music is moderately loud
mp – the music is moderately quiet
p - the music is quiet
pp - the music is very quiet.
Areas to Research
The listening exam covers 3 areas:
 The Western Classical Tradition
 Popular Music of the 20th and 21st Centuries
 World Music.
You should listen to the suggested listening examples and try to
describe the music you hear using the musical keywords.
eg instead of ‘the music made a loud noise and all the instruments were
playing’ you should write ‘The dynamics in the musical extract were loud
mainly because there were several layers of sound and a thick texture as
many instruments were playing in unison. These instruments were ……
and they were playing…… (eg the melody, an accompaniment, chords, a
quaver pattern, an ostinato rhythm etc) this created the effect of …..
The Western Classical Tradition
 The Baroque Period (Vivaldi - 4 seasons, Bach – Brandenburg, Handel
– Water Music)
 Classical Structures – The concerto (Haydn – Trumpet concerto,
Tchaikovsky Violin concerto N0. 1 in D)
- The Sonata (Scarlatti – Piano sonata in G
minor, Chopin – Piano sonata NO.2 in B flat Minor)
 Music for voices (Gibbons - The Silver Swan, Puccini – Nessun Dorma)
 Chamber Music ( Haydn – String Quartet in C, Stravinsky – 8 minatures
for 15 players)
Popular Music of the 20th and 21st Centuries
 The Blues (Johnson – Come into my kitchen, Clapton-Sunshine of my
love)
 1960’s song (Lennon/McCartney-She Loves You, Jagger/Richards-I Can’t
Get No Satisfaction)
 Rock, RnB and Hip Hop (Page/Plant – Stairway To Heaven, West –
Gold Digger, Ne-Yo – Take a Bow)
 Musical Theatre (Schwartz – Defying Gravity, Bart – I’m Reviewing the
Situation, Lloyd-Webber – Any Dream Will Do)
 Film Music (Williams – Star Wars, Marianelli – Atonement, Zimmer –
Gladiator. Listen to these extracts and try to describe how the music creates
the effect/atmosphere needed for the film)
World Music
 Music of the Caribbean (World of music – Caribbean various artists)
 Music of Africa (The Spirit of Africa-various artists, South African
Music a Rough Guide)
 Music of India (The Sounds of India – Ravi Shankar)
Revision Notes
Western Classical Traditions
THE BAROQUE ORCHESTRA
The origins of the modern orchestra date back to the Baroque period (1600-1750)
when many courts established small orchestras to provide entertainment.
By the start of the 18th century the orchestra was based on the string family – violins,
violas and cellos which were supported by one or more instruments such as the
harpsichord or organ that could fill out the harmony where necessary. The
combination of strings and harpsichord is one of the most characteristic sounds of the
Baroque orchestra. (listen to Bach’s ‘Brandenburg’)
If the music was grand or ceremonial trumpets and timpani were added to create
richer textures. (listen to ‘Zadok the Priest’)
(listen to Music for the Royal Fireworks by Handel)
SONATA FORM
Sonata form is a musical structure that first came about at the beginning of the
classical period (1750-1810). The music for a sonata is composed in 3 sections, the
exposition, the development and the recapitulation. In the exposition section the main
theme (main melody or musical phrase) is heard. In the development section this
theme is developed and extended with new ideas and then in the recapitulation section
we return to the original theme.
(listen to any of Mozart’s sonatas)
THE CONCERTO
A concerto is a piece of classical music written for 1 solo instrument accompanied by
an orchestra. The solo instrument plays the main part whilst the orchestra plays a
supporting role.
(listen to Mozart’s flute Concerto no. 2)
CHAMBER MUSIC
Is music written for small groups of instruments that first became popular in the
classical period when smaller groups of musicians were used for entertainment. The
music has one part for each performer so is a bit like 4 part harmony. Chamber music
does not usually include parts for solo instruments.
(listen to Haydn’s string quartet opus 20 no.4 in D major)
MUSIC FOR VOICE
The main development in music for voice in the classical period was the reformation
of OPERA. This is when orchestral music and song are combined with staging, acting
and costumes. Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven all wrote extensively for voice in the
classical period.
Popular Music of the 20th and 21st Centuries
THE BLUES
The Blues began as an African-American song-form in the south of the USA. In these
early days the blues was performed by a solo singer to the accompaniment of guitar
and the song lyrics had a sad quality to them. Later the blues moved to larger cities
like New Orleans where it influenced the development of Jazz and by the 1920s blues
singers were accompanied by bands made up of clarinets, trumpets, piano and double
bass.
The blues consists of a repeated pattern with 4 beats in a bar. The pattern is usually 12
bars long and regularly takes the following form:
C
C
C
C
F
F
C
C
G
F
C
C
(remember playing the 12 bar blues in class)
Blues musicians create melodies based on this chord structure and using the blues
scale. They also improvise (make it up as you go along) melodies whilst the other
musicians stick to playing the chords.
Blues singers often bend the pitch of notes and slide between notes as they sing.
These effects can be very expressive, communicating to the listener the sadness and
sense of injustice expressed in the words of many blues songs.
MUSICAL THEATRE
Before the days of Rock and Roll (Rock and roll first came about in the 1950s) many
popular songs were from Musical Theatre productions. Usually called musicals, these
were plays and sometimes films which featured songs and choruses. The singing was
accompanied by an orchestra and occurred at importane moments in the play. Song
melodies from musicals were often played by jazz musicians who used them as the
basis for improvisation.. Famous composers of musicals included Irving Berlin, Cole
Porter and Richard Rodgers.
In 1968, Andrew Lloyd Webber composed a short musical for school ‘Joseph and the
Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat’ (listen to the songs from this musical) this was
influenced in style both by rock music and jazz. Joseph proved the starting point for a
series of longer musicals by Lloyd Webber which have become world famous they
include:
 Evita
 Cats
 The Phantom of The Opera
 Les Miserable
(try and listen to songs from these musicals)
1960s SONG
During the 1960s Britain became famous for its rock scene, groups like The Beatles,
The Rolling Stones and The Who wrote and performed songs in their own distinctive
styles. Both the Rolling Stones and The Who emphasised aspects of rhythm ‘n’ blues
in their songs. Performances were loudly amplified and typically involved ‘frantic’
guitars and drums and wild vocals.
(listen to The Rolling Stones ‘Satisfaction’ and The Who’s My Generation)
The Beatles created a new and original style of pop music that was influenced by rock
n roll, rhythm n blues and folk music. Their first releases were cheerful dance-songs
at a fast tempo such as ‘Love Me Do’ (listen to this) and ‘Please Please Me’ (listen to
this). Later their music became more adventurous as they began to experiment with
unusual instruments and write unconventional lyrics.
(listen to ‘Love Me Do’ and ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ and compare the difference)
RAP
Rap emerged as an alternative to disco in American inner cities at the end of the
1970s. The musical backing for rap was borrowed from existing records. The DJ
Grandmaster flash (listen to his work) used a drum machine to link 2 tracks on vinyl
records on 2 turntables together. Another DJ, Grand Wizard Theodor was among the
first to use the technique of scratching. Some examples of early rap songs are ‘White
Lines’ and ‘Rapper’s Delight’ by Grandmaster Flash.
More recently Snoopdogg, So Solid Crew, Missy Elliott and Eminem have become
leaders in the field of rap.
HIP HOP
A form of Rap called Hip Hop emerged in New York during the 1970s. The term was
used to define the music, dance and art of New York’s Bronx district. The styles of
dance included break-dancing and dancing with robot-like movements. Much of the
art associated with Hip Hop 6took the form of Graffiti. Hip hop has influenced some
jazz and soul musicians. Chaka Khan’s single ‘I Feel For You’ included a hip hop
introduction.
(listen to Soulja Boy ‘Tell’em Crank That’)
MUSIC FOR FILM
In the Listening exam there will be a question about Music for Film that will
concentrate on how the composer has used musical devices/keywords to create a
specific dramatic effect such as:
 Creating a sense of time or place
 Creating an appropriate mood
 Depicting characters (motif)
 Creating and releasing tension
You need to think carefully about how the composer had composed the music in such
a way that it represents and supports the action or characters in the film. In Jaws, the
shark itself is not seen until over an hour into the film but its presence is felt through
the repeated use of the well-known shark motif. This musical idea is incredibly simple
but highly effective. The music and your imagination creates the fear rather than
anything you see in the first part of the film as the composer uses the shark motif to
manipulate the audience’s emotions.
World Music
SAMBA
The Samba is the national dance of Brazil. Its drums and complex percussion rhythms
derive from West Africa while its syncopated harmonies are played on Portuguese
guitars. The dance has two main types that are called rural and urban. The rural type is
usually performed by smaller bands and is more adventurous rhythmically. Urban
sambas are often played by large bands using saxophones, trumpets and keyboards.
CALL AND RESPONSE vocal effects are also common.
The samba is usually in a major key and has 2 or 4 beats in a bar. Lots of percussion
instruments are used to create thick rhythmic textures.
(listen to ‘Swing de Campo Grande’)
SALSA
The Salsa is a dance form the Caribbean island of Cuba .Cuban musicians emigrating
to the US have made salsa an important element 0of the dance scene in Miami and
New York.
The dance is recognised by its syncopated rhythms and energetic movements and use
of percussion instruments like bongo drums, claves, guiro and maracas. It uses a
repeated rhythm that is often heard on claves (a bit like a woodblock) and the other
instruments fir their parts around this central rhythm.
(listen to ‘Cumbia pa’ Columbia’)
TANGO
The Tango is a well-known dance from Argentina. It has 2 or 4 beats in a bar and can
be easily recognised by its repeated rhythmic pattern. It uses instruments such as
violin, piano and double bass so it sounds very different from the Samba and Salsa.
(listen to ‘Libertango’ by Piazolla )#
JAMAICAN MUSIC
During the 1960s 2 forms of popular music emerged from Jamaica, they were Ska and
Rocksteady.
SKA – was developed in the ghettoes of Kingston, Jamaica at the beginning of the
1960s. It uses swing rhythms from rhythm and blues to create an off-beat rhythm that
is characteristic of all reggae music.
ROCKSTEADY – was slower than SKA and had more complicated song melodies. It
focused on short repeated patterns called riffs.
REGGAE – was a later version of Ska and Rocksteady but with a slower more
relaxed feel. It has 4 beats in a bar but the emphasis is on beat 2 and beat 4. The lyrics
of reggae songs had themes of poverty and were often linked to Rastafarianism.
(listen to ‘Trenchtown Rock’ and ‘Liven Up Yourself’ by Bob Marley and the
Wailers)
It was not until the 1970s that reggae became known in Britain. Eric Claptom
recorded a cover version of Bob Marley’s I Shot The Sheriff and Marley’s work
became more well known.
(listen to Aswad’s ‘Back to Africa’)
MUSIC OF AFRICA
African music has strongly influenced the music of the west and performers of
western popular songs have been strongly influenced by African-American forms of
music like the blues, rhythm and blues, jazz and soul. Songs on Paul Simon’s
Graceland album mix elements from South-African Music with a rock style due to
collaborations with South-African singers ‘Ladysmith Black Mambazo’ (try and listen
to these on youtube)
THE MUSIC OF INDIA
Indian instruments like the Sitar and Tabla have been used in popular songs since the
60s. Most Indian Music is made up of 3 main parts, the raga (melodies) the tala (the
rhythm) and drone (a long, low pitched note that is continuous). Bhangra is a type of
Indian music from north-indian traditional music and uses a combination of western
rock and Indian instruments.
***listen to:
 Ravi Shankar
 Kula Shaker (a western band heavily influenced by Indian music)
 Apache Indian (a fusion of bhangra and reggae)
 Asian Dub Foundation ( Indian music mixed with rap, reggae and rock)
 Sangeeta’s ‘Pyar Ka Hai Bairi’
Italian Terms
Italian words are often used to describe music so it would
be really useful to understand the following vocabulary:
A cappella – sung with no instrumental accompaniment
Agitato – excited and fast
Allegro – moderately quick
Allegretto – a moderate pace
Andante – at a walking pace
Accelerando – getting gradually faster
Adagio – slow
Battaglia – a piece suggesting a battle
Cantata – a piece for orchestra and singers
Capriccio – a lively piece of music
Coda – the end of a piece
Crescendo – gradually getting louder
Con fuoco – with a fiery manner
Con sordino – with mute
Con brio – with spirit
Cantabile – in a singing style
Dolce – softly and sweetly
Diminuendo – gradually getting quieter
Da Capo – repeat from the start
Falsetto – a vocal technique that allows a man to sing higher notes (like Matt Cardle)
Fortissimo (ff) – very loud
Forte (f) – loud
Fine – the end
Grazioso - gracefully
Glissando – a slide along the notes in scale from one pitch to another
Legato – smooth
Largo – very slow
Maestoso - majestically
Mezzo – half
Pianissimo (pp) – very quiet
Piano (p) - quiet
Pizzicato – plucked (string instruments)
Poco – a little
Poco a poco – little by little
Portamento – to slide between notes (similar to glissando)
Presto – very fast
Rubato – free flowing, with feeling
Rallentando – gradually getting slower
Tremolo – like a drum roll but on a pitched instrument
Tutti – everyone together
Staccato – detached
Vivace – vivacious, up-tempo
Molto – very
Piu – more
Ma non troppo – but not too much.