accelerando—Getting gradually faster.
accent—Emphasis placed on certain tones.
beat—A repeated pulsation that is basic to musical rhythm.
cadence—A melodic and/or harmonic progression of music that forms a resting place, which may be a temporary pause or a conclusive ending. It provides punctuation to statements of musical ideas.
canon—Type of contrapuntal music in which melodic lines (or fragments) are repeated in a staggered way, as in a round, with overlapping of the various lines. A canonic moment occurs in the main-title theme in On the Waterfront and again at the end of the film.
chaconne—Type of contrapuntal music in which a musical pattern, usually in the bass, is repeated continuously, with ever-changing melodic lines overlaid. Same as passacaglia. It is prominently featured in the score of The Red Violin.
chord—Any combination of three or more tones sounded simultaneously as harmony.
chordal style—Music in which the various voices are sounded in a mostly simultaneous rhythm. Can also be referred to as hymn style. A good example is the rhythmic uniformity heard in the main-title theme of The Red Pony.
chromatic—Refers to the use of tones not included in the diatonic major and minor scales. The chromatic scale includes all twelve pitches within the octave. A good example is the paranoia theme in Spellbound, with the melody sounded by a theremin.
consonance—A stable and pleasant-sounding combination of tones (especially triadic tones).
contrary motion—refers to music in which melodic lines move in opposite directions.
counterpoint—Music in which various lines of music overlap; may include the same melody or different melodies sounded simultaneously (also referred to as contrapuntal style).
crescendo—A gradual increase in volume. The opposite of a descrescendo.
cue—A single piece of music within a film score; it may last a few seconds or several minutes.
decrescendo (or diminuendo)—A gradual decrease in volume.
diegetic music—see source music.
dissonance—An unstable and restless combination of tones. Usually leads to a resolution of musical tones into a more stable consonance.
fugue—A type of contrapuntal music in which a basic melodic idea is stated and then two or more additional lines or layers of music repeat the fugue melody in staggered fashion. A good example occurs during the police chase in A Place in the Sun. Less strict than a canon, a fugue may include other musical ideas besides the basic fugue melody.
harmonic progression—A succession of harmonies that lead toward a musical cadence, or resting place in the music. A final progression leading to the conclusion of a musical theme, section, or entire work.
harmony—Music heard as accompaniment or background to a melodic idea.
interval—Difference in pitch between tones. The size of an interval is referred to numerically, such as a second (adjacent pitches), third (a basic building block for triadic harmony), fourth, fifth, and so on. Intervals are both harmonic (simultaneous) and melodic (successive).
key—Refers to the scale the music is based on. The keynote (or tonic), is the first tone of the scale. The composer determines the key of a piece by selecting a particular scale pattern for the music.
leitmotif—A basic melodic idea (or motif) used in creating a piece of music. Based on Richard Wagner’s concept for his operas, the leitmotivic method refers to the use of short melodic ideas to represent characters, places, and things. Used by Korngold and Steiner in films of the 1930s and 1940s. More recently used in the Lord of the Rings films.
main title—Refers to music heard during the opening credits of a film. This is often the principal theme of a film score.
major scale—Basic tone pattern used to create a positive mood, with a whole step between steps 1, 2, and 3 (as in “do-re-mi”).
meter—The recurring pattern of accented and unaccented beats. The choice of a metric pattern is often related to the use of a specific kind of music, such as a march or a specific type of dance. A metric accent normally occurs on the first beat of the pattern (or measure).
Mickey Mousing—music that mimics action. In Steiner’s King Kong, the music often reflects physical movement, as when the jungle chief descends steps. Here the music is synchronized with each step he takes and features descending melodic tones. Conversely, a rising action is accompanied by ascending tones.
minor scale—Basic tone pattern used to create a more somber or dramatic mood. Tones 1 and 2 are a whole step apart, while tones 2 and 3, unlike the major scale, are a half step apart. Famous minor key theme: “Imperial March” in The Empire Strikes Back.
modal scales—Scales based on ancient or medieval patterns that differ from the major and minor scales. One example is the Dorian scale (or mode) which resembles the minor scale, but with a higher sixth step, as in D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D (without a B flat on the sixth step). A good example is the main-title theme in the 1961 film King of Kings.
modulation—The changing of key within a piece. Music often has a tonal center from which the music can modulate (or shift); there is often an eventual return to the original key.
motif (motive or motiv)—Short pattern of tones used repeatedly as a basic part of a theme. For example, the opening theme of The Godfather features a seven-note idea played by a trumpet. A short three-note motif is heard in the bride theme in The Bride of Frankenstein.
non-diegetic music—See underscore.
ostinato—A phrase that repeats continuously, usually starting on the same pitch throughout a section of music or an entire piece.
parallel motion—Melodic motion in which tones move in the same direction. Reflects music from ancient or medieval times. For example: the beginning of the Christ theme in Rózsa’s Ben-Hur.
pitch (also tone or note)—The relative highness of lowness of a musical sound. Musical sounds have specific pitches, whereas noises lack a specific pitch.
rhythm—The element of time in music, which is basically governed by the choice of rhythmic devices such as beat, tempo, meter, and syncopation.
Romanticism—A movement in art and music chiefly of the nineteenth century characterized by highly dramatic and emotional themes.
score—The complete musical composition for a film. Individual pieces within a film score are referred to as cues. A good example of a score with a large number of cues is Gone with the Wind, the score of which includes ninety-nine separate cues.
soundtrack—A film’s music as a whole, similar to the score. May also refer to a commercial recording of a film’s music. Many films release soundtrack albums of their music. Other releases are rerecordings of a film’s original score.
source music—Music in a film that can be heard by the story’s characters. It may emanate from a radio or TV, a band in a nightclub, a church choir, an orchestra in a concert hall, and so on. It can be original music, but often is borrowed from previously existing sources, as in Casablanca, which includes several period tunes, most famously “As Time Goes By.” Also known as diegetic music.
spotting—The determination of where music should be placed in a film that is in production. Spotting sessions take place, usually with the composer present, to identify the length of cues for specific moments in the film. These timings are crucial to the composer’s work.
syncopation—Rhythmic accents that occur in between beats or on usually unaccented ones. It sets up surprising accents and enhances tension and excitement in the music.
temp track—A temporary soundtrack, usually prepared by a film’s director, that includes borrowed music from a variety of sources and is used as a temporary score for the rough cut, or early editing stage, of a film. It is usually replaced by an original score. An exception is 2001: A Space Odyssey, in which the temp track was chosen by Stanley Kubrick as the actual score.
tempo—The rate of speed of the beat. Composers designate tempos by metronome markings and also by words, often in Italian, that appear on the printed pages of both solo sheet music and scores for large vocal and/or instrumental ensembles.
theme—A principal melody of a piece of music, or of a section within a larger piece. A thematic idea can be based on short melodic fragments called motifs.
theme song—A song written expressly for a film, or borrowed for use in a film.
theremin—An early electronic instrument played by moving the hands near its two sensitive antennas to regulate pitch and volume. It has often been used in science-fiction or mystery films because of the eerie quality of its sound.
triad—A three-note chord, built in thirds. Triads are usually major (as in C-E-G), or minor, as in (C-E flat-G).
underscore—Music that accompanies a film, and cannot be heard by the story’s characters, as opposed to source music. It provides background, sets the mood, creates pace, and helps to define both characters and situations. Also known as non-diegetic music.