a complete musical thought, concluded by a cadence, having two phrases, each usually two to eight bars (measures) in length
Period
Related Dictionary Terms
Polyharmony
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two or more complete sets of harmony played against each other
Complete cadence
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Plagal Cadence. A chord progression where the subdominant chord is followed by the tonic chord In the tonality of C major, an…
Imperfect Cadence
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Half Cadence. A chord progression where the dominant chord is the final chord of the cadence and is preceded by the tonic cho…
Sentence
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a complete, independent musical idea, usually consisting of two or four phrases, ending with a cadence
Walking bass
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a bass line that moves steadily in a rhythm contrasting to that of the upper parts; in jazz, a walking bass usually moves by…
Anacrusis
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Notation
An anacrusis is a pickup that leads into the first complete bar. In notation, the opening and final measures often complement…
Church Cadence
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Plagal Cadence. A chord progression where the subdominant chord is followed by the tonic chord In the tonality of C major, an…
Half Cadence
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A chord progression where the dominant chord is the final chord of the cadence and is preceded by the tonic chord in second i…