Musical Features

• Anacrusis
• Augmentation, diminution
• Countermelody 
• Cross-rhythm: conflicting rhythms
• Descant:countermelody above main melody 
• Diminution
• Hemiola
• Imitation
• Inversion
• Melismatic/ syllabic
• Polyrhythm: different pulses
• Obbligato: prominent instrumental part
• Ornamentation: trill, mordent, acciaccatura
• Range/ tessitura
• Repetition
• Retrograde
• Sequence
• Syncopation

• A capella
• Arco
• Glissando
• Pizzicato
• Rubato
• Sotto voce
• Sprechstimme
• Staccato, legato
• Sforzando, accent
• Tremolo
• Vibrato
• Virtuosic

• Atonal
• Bitonal: two different keys used simultaneously
• Cadences: perfect, imperfect, interrupted, plagal
• Chromatic
• Diatonic
• Dissonant
• Enharmonic change: chords go from having lots of flats to lots of sharps or vice versa
• False relation: chromatic contradiction between notes heard simultaneously in different parts
• Harmonic rhythm: rate at which harmony changes
• Modulation
• Modes: dorian, aeolian, mixolydian
• Pedal: tonic, dominant, inverted
• Pentatonic
• Primary chords, secondary chords, chromatic chords
• Tierce de Picardie
• Whole tone

• Alberti bass accompaniment: arpeggiated- low, high, mid, high pattern
• Antiphony, call & response
• Arpeggio: the notes of the chord are played in order
• Block chords: harmonising a melody by having all the notes move in parallel
• Broken chords: separating the notes of the chord and playing them on alternate beats
• Heterophonic: musicians perform a single melody simultaneously, each add subtle variations
• Homophonic, chordal
• Monophonic, unison, octaves
• Parallel motion, contrary motion
• Polyphonic, contrapuntal
• Triadic

• Canonic: an initial melody is imitated at a specific time interval by 1+ parts
• Fugal: systematic imitation of the subject in simultaneous melodic lines
• Stretto: overlapping of statements of the subject in a fugue
• Strophic: the music is repeated for each verse
• Through-composed: (i) different music for each verse (ii) stage work not split into numbers
• Verse and chorus

• Doubling: When? Octave/unison? Instrument?
• Word painting: Which words/phrases are enhanced? How?
• Texture: Changes? Are vocals always at the top or doe instrumental lines weave in/out?
• Melody: Instrument? Imitation? Moves into a lower part?
• Instrumental tone colour: Different instruments for different sections? Special techniques e.g. pizzicato or mutes? 

• Read the block of text at the start of Section A on the question paper
• Re-read the relevant section of text so you know what the passage of music is about
• Refer to melody & rhythm, articulation & performance, harmony, texture, structure or accompaniment etc.

LISTEN for aspects which are not printed in the score. These might include:

• Tempo changes: faster/slower than indicated, unmarked tempo changes, accelerando, ritardando, oause, rubato
• Dynamic changes
• Rhythm changes
• Pitch changes
• Accents, staccato etc.
• Particular emphasis on certain words: extra clear enunciation, rolled 'r' etc.