Bach Choir of Bethlehem

Glossary P-R

partial signature: a key signature in which at least one accidental is omitted. This was common in the Renaissance when the "missing'' accidental would not be in use in all of the vocal parts. In Bach's day, partial signatures still occurred, though almost always in minor-key flat key signatures, such as in his early motet, "Ich lasse dich nicht'' (BWV 159a).

passion: a music composition which retells the story of Christ's passion, leading from the Last Supper through his crucifixion and death on the cross.

pedal tone: Sometimes called "pedal point.'' A long, held note, usually in the bass (where the pedals in the organ sound), which continues to hold even as the chords above it change. As a result, the pedal tone sometimes fits the chord, sometimes not, creating tension and dissonance. Sometimes, even with the dissonance, the pedal tone can be used to "anchor'' a given passage in a key, thus providing stability despite the alternating consonance and dissonance.

periodic phrasing: organization of phrases of a musical work into pairs of an equal number of measures (usually 4 + 4, sometimes 8 + 8), in an antecedent-consequent arrangement. In such an arrangement, the first phrase is open-ended and requires the second phrase (often based on a similar theme or idea) to achieve closure.

Permutation fugue: a fugue in which material after the original subject also becomes the object of imitation.

phrase: a complete musical thought. Like a phrase in grammar, a musical phrase can be dependent, requiring additional phrases to create a more complete sound, or independent and sound sufficient on its own.

phrygian: the church mode characterized by an overall minor sound, but with a flattened second degree. Usually uses the pitches E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E.

Picardy third: the major third above the tonic pitch on the final chord Ana piece otherwise written in the minor mode; that is, a minor key piece ends with the major version of the tonic (a C minor piece ends with a C minor chord). The term from a French word meaning sharp or pointed.

pitch: the perceived highness or lowness of sound. Pitch can be very specific (A or middle C, for example), or relative (high, low, lower, for example).

Pizzicato: plucked, rather than bowed. Refers to playing strings instruments from the violin family (as well as the string bass)

polacca: a stately Polish dance; sometimes used as a synonym for polonaise. Set in moderate triple meter.

Polonaise: country, rather than courtly, dance of Polish origin, though the word "polonaise" is actually French. Best known works are by Chopin, though Bach has written three works titled polonaise, and written polonaise-type pieces in other works. A triple-meter moderate tempo dance, in which the phrases lack upbeats, and frequently employ a repeated rhythmic pattern consisting of either four sixteenths and a half note, or two sixteenths and an eight note. The cadence points are often weak or "feminine," finishing on the second beat, rather than on the stronger downbeat.

polyphonic: a texture in which all parts are equal and independent

prelude: a short work which comes before a larger work. Used to establish the key of the work and sometimes the mood.

Proper: those parts of the Catholic Mass whose texts change daily.

Protestant Reformation: a movement in which a large number of Christians broke from the Catholic church and founded their own denominations. While they remained Christians, they tried to right what they saw as wrong with the Catholic Church. In the case of Martin Luther, he found 95 elements which needed fixing or correcting in the Roman Catholic Church and posted those on a cathedral door. The Lutheran movement was the most famous and probably the largest of the Reformation Churches to form, although it was not the first. (Jan Hus, founder of the Unitas Fratrum, or Moravian Church, actually broke from the Roman Catholic Church almost 100 years before Luther, but he was killed and his followers persecuted, so they remained a secret sect until the larger Reformation came to pass.)

Real answer: in a fugue, a subsequent statement of the subject (that is, any statement but the first) in which all intervals remain exactly the same as in the original statement, although the starting pitch may differ. For example, a fugue subject might begin on C, then leap up a perfect fifth, then down a major third. In a real answer, the statement of the subject might begin on G, then leap up a perfect fifth, then down a major third.

recitative [reh-sih-tah-TEEV]: speech-like singing. The term can be used to describe a movement, a texture, or a section within a piece.

recitative semplice: same as simple recitative. A recitative with simple accompaniment, often just continuo, or continuo with strings filling out the chords.

register: refers to relative height (or depth) of a pitch or group of pitches. Often a subset of “range,” which refers to the full array of pitches which can be played or sung by a specific instrument or voice. Register is particularly useful when referring to portions of an instrumental range. Different instrumental registers often produce very different timbres (particularly notable in the clarinet).

relative minor key: In the major-minor tonal system, the minor key which has the same key signature (same number of sharps or flats) as the major tonic. For example, C major has no sharps or flats; its relative minor key is a minor, which has no sharps or flats. The relative minor key is located a minor third below (or a major sixth above) the tonic key.

ripieno: equivalent to "tutti," or everyone. Used primarily in the concerto gross form to indicate the full ensemble, as opposed to the solo group (concertino).

ritornello: a recurring orchestral melody. Common especially in the concertos of Vivaldi.

rondeau: The term "rondeau'' goes back to the Middle Ages, where it was an important poetic and musical form in France. More relevant to Bach and later composers, the rondeau was an instrumental form from the 17th century, which alternated a refrain (usually 8 or 16 measures in length, and sometimes repeated itself), with "couplets,'' as they were called(basically, different "verses''. Each couplet was usually in a different, though closely-related, key to the refrain. The form was common in 17th-century French harpsichord music.

rondo: a popular form of the Classical era (c.1780-1815). Although it is primarily an instrumental form, rondos were adapted at time to vocal music (a good example is Cherubini's aria "Non so piß cosa son, cosa faccio'' from Le nozze di Figaro). Like its predecessor, the rondeau, the rondo was based on the principals of repetition and contrast: an initial theme begins a work, returns periodically, and usually closes the movement; interspersed are new, contrasting themes (usually 2). The form is usually diagrammed with letters representing each theme as such: ABACA (with A representing the original, rondo theme; B, C, and all other letters represent differing material).