Recall — GCSE Flashcards
🎵 GCSE Music Flashcards
Theory, notation and musical elements — 10 free revision cards. Study them below, or add the whole deck to Recall and let FSRS spaced repetition schedule your revision so it actually sticks.
Name the notes of the treble clef lines and spaces.
Lines (bottom to top): E, G, B, D, F — "Every Good Boy Deserves Fun"
Spaces (bottom to top): F, A, C, E — spells FACE
Spaces (bottom to top): F, A, C, E — spells FACE
What are dynamics in music? Name 5.
How loud or soft the music is.
pp — pianissimo (very soft)
p — piano (soft)
mp/mf — mezzo piano/forte
f — forte (loud)
ff — fortissimo (very loud)
Crescendo = getting louder, decrescendo/diminuendo = getting softer.
pp — pianissimo (very soft)
p — piano (soft)
mp/mf — mezzo piano/forte
f — forte (loud)
ff — fortissimo (very loud)
Crescendo = getting louder, decrescendo/diminuendo = getting softer.
What is a major scale vs a minor scale?
Major scale: Tone-Tone-Semitone-Tone-Tone-Tone-Semitone (TTSTTTS). Sounds bright/happy.
Natural minor: TSTTSTT. Sounds darker/sadder.
Example: C major = C D E F G A B C; A minor = A B C D E F G A.
Natural minor: TSTTSTT. Sounds darker/sadder.
Example: C major = C D E F G A B C; A minor = A B C D E F G A.
What are the four families of the orchestra?
1. Strings — violin, viola, cello, double bass, harp
2. Woodwind — flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon
3. Brass — trumpet, horn, trombone, tuba
4. Percussion — timpani, snare, cymbals, xylophone
2. Woodwind — flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon
3. Brass — trumpet, horn, trombone, tuba
4. Percussion — timpani, snare, cymbals, xylophone
Define tempo and name 4 tempo markings.
The speed of the music (beats per minute).
- Largo — very slow (~50 bpm)
- Adagio — slow (~70 bpm)
- Andante — walking pace (~90 bpm)
- Allegro — fast (~130 bpm)
- Presto — very fast (~180+ bpm)
- Largo — very slow (~50 bpm)
- Adagio — slow (~70 bpm)
- Andante — walking pace (~90 bpm)
- Allegro — fast (~130 bpm)
- Presto — very fast (~180+ bpm)
What is a time signature?
Two numbers at the start of a piece showing how the beats are grouped.
Top number: beats per bar.
Bottom number: type of beat (4 = crotchet, 8 = quaver).
Examples: 4/4 (common time), 3/4 (waltz), 6/8 (compound).
Top number: beats per bar.
Bottom number: type of beat (4 = crotchet, 8 = quaver).
Examples: 4/4 (common time), 3/4 (waltz), 6/8 (compound).
What is the difference between melody and harmony?
Melody: a single line of notes — the tune you sing/whistle.
Harmony: notes played at the same time to support the melody (chords).
Most songs have both.
Harmony: notes played at the same time to support the melody (chords).
Most songs have both.
What is a cadence? Name two types.
A chord progression at the end of a phrase, creating a sense of pause or resolution.
- Perfect (V → I): sounds finished
- Plagal (IV → I): "Amen" ending
- Imperfect (any → V): unfinished
- Interrupted (V → vi): surprise
- Perfect (V → I): sounds finished
- Plagal (IV → I): "Amen" ending
- Imperfect (any → V): unfinished
- Interrupted (V → vi): surprise
What is a fugue?
A composition in which a single melodic theme (the subject) is introduced by one voice and then imitated in turn by other voices, often overlapping.
Baroque style. Master: J. S. Bach — The Art of Fugue, Well-Tempered Clavier.
Baroque style. Master: J. S. Bach — The Art of Fugue, Well-Tempered Clavier.
Name the four eras of Western classical music.
1. Baroque (c. 1600-1750) — Bach, Handel, Vivaldi
2. Classical (c. 1750-1820) — Mozart, Haydn, early Beethoven
3. Romantic (c. 1820-1900) — Chopin, Wagner, Tchaikovsky
4. 20th-century/Modern — Stravinsky, Debussy, Schoenberg
2. Classical (c. 1750-1820) — Mozart, Haydn, early Beethoven
3. Romantic (c. 1820-1900) — Chopin, Wagner, Tchaikovsky
4. 20th-century/Modern — Stravinsky, Debussy, Schoenberg
These 10 cards are a free starter deck — a companion for memorising the core facts, not a complete course. In the Recall app you can also paste your own class notes and have AI build decks for the topics your exam board covers.