Pitch refers to high or low tones that are organized into scales described by terms like major, minor, chromatic, and pentatonic. Rhythm is the time element of music characterized by patterns in time that relate to a steady pulse or tempo organized into meter. Melody combines pitch and rhythm, sometimes as a theme, described by its contour and interval size between notes. Timbre is the tone color or quality of sound that distinguishes one instrument from another. Dynamics refer to the loudness or softness of sound that can change suddenly or gradually. Texture describes if the music has one or many voices including monophonic, polyphonic, homophonic, heterophony, or a collage of different textures

1. Elements of music
Pitch – register (high or low); Organization of pitches with a pattern of intervals between
them creates scales; Words we might use to describe scales: major/minor,
chromatic, gapped, pentatonic.
Rhythm – the time element of music. A specific rhythm is a specific pattern in time; we
usually hear these in relation to a steady pulse, and mentally organize this pulse
or tempo into meter(sometimes called a "time signature"). Meter organizes
beats into groups, usually of two or three; beats can be divided into small units
usually 2, 3 or 4 subdivisions
Melody, or musical line, is a combination of pitch and rhythm (some say
"duration"). Sometimes a melody is considered to be the theme of a
composition. We might characterize melody by itscontour (rising or falling) and
the size of the intervals in it. A melody that uses mostly small intervals (or scale
steps) and is smooth is said to be a conjunct melody. Not surprisingly, a
melody that uses large intervals is called a disjunct melody. A motif (or motive)
is either a very short melody or a distinctive part of a longer melody. I might
describe the opening four notes of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony as a "motific
cell."
Timbre – sound quality or tone color; timbre is the characteristic that allows us to
distinguish between one instrument and another, and the difference between
vowel sounds (for example, long "a" or "ee"). Terms we might use to describe
timbre: bright, dark, brassy, reedy, harsh, noisy, thin, buzzy, pure, raspy, shrill,
mellow, strained. I prefer to avoid describing timbre in emotional terms (excited,
angry, happy, sad, etc.); that is not the sound quality, it is its effect or
interpretation. Rather than describe the timbre of an instrument in other terms, it
is often more clear just to describe the timbre by naming the instrument, once we
have learned the names and sounds of a few instruments.
Dynamics – loud or soft. A composition that has extremely soft passages as well as
extremely loud passages is said to have a large or wide dynamic
range. Dynamics can change suddenly or gradually (crescendo, getting louder,
or decrescendo, getting softer.)
Texture – monophonic (one voice or line),
polyphonic (many voices, usually similar, as in Renaissance or Baroque
counterpoint),
homophonic (1. a melody with simple accompaniment; 2. chords moving in the
same rhythm (homorhythmic))
heterophony – “mixed” or multiple similar versions of a melody performed
simultaneously (rare in European music; possibly used in Ancient
Greece)
collage – juxtaposition & superimposition of extremely different textures or
sounds