Forms of Music Vocab

Front

Beginning of music before it starts

Back

Introduction

Front

Italian for "tail"; the ending of music

Back

Coda

Front

A repeating musical idea—melodic, rhythmic, or chordal.

Back

Repetition

Front

Music with no repeating sections

Back

Through Composed

Front

A small musical "sentence" heard when a singer takes a breath between melody sections.

Back

Phrasing

Front

Repeated musical pattern—melodic, rhythmic, or chordal, often in classical music.

Back

Ostinato

Front

Repeated musical pattern in popular music

Back

Riff

Front

Order and arrangement of music parts

Back

Form

Front

A piece of music based on a single melodic idea, repeated by different instruments.

Back

Monothematic

Front

Music with two main sections, A B or A A B B

Back

Binary