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Music Terms Glossary - H
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half cadence An intermediate cadence, usually on the dominant chord, within a musical period.

half step (semitone) The interval between any two adjacent notes on a keyboard; the smallest interval in common use in Western music.

harmonic (1) In acoustics, a synonym for overtone or partial; (2) in string playing, a high-pitched, whistling tone made by bowing a lightly stopped string. harmonic minor scale The scale that results from flatting the third and sixth degrees of the major scale. harmonic rhythm The rate at which harmony changes and the degree of regularity with which it changes.

harmonize To provide a melody with a chordal accompaniment.

harmony (1) In general, the simultaneous aspects of music; (2) specifically, the simultaneous playing of two or more different sounds.

harpsichord A Baroque keyboard instrument in which the strings are plucked by quills.

head The beginning of a theme.

heavy metal A descriptive term for rock bands since the 1970s whose heavily amplified electric and percussion sounds have been associated with youthful rebellion and defiance.

heterophony (heter-off-ony) A texture in which two or more variations of the same melody are performed simultaneously, common in folk music.

hexachord the six usable degrees of the modal scale, often used to organize Renaissance music.

hocket In late medieval polyphony, the alternation of short melodic phrases (or even single notes) between two voices.

homophony;homophonic (ho-mof-ony;homo-fonick) Texture in which all the voices move more or less together (often referred to as the chordal style).

hymn A simple religious song in several stanzas, sung in a church service by the congregation.

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