Chapter 1 - Elements in Music.pdf

Chapter 1: Elements in Music What is Music?  Music consists of vibrations in the air that are observed and interpreted as sounds  Music is experienced spiritually - It calls up images, or a narrative  Music is also experienced physically - It cheers you up to feel the music vibe!  Music is als...

Chapter 1: Elements in Music What is Music?  Music consists of vibrations in the air that are observed and interpreted as sounds  Music is experienced spiritually - It calls up images, or a narrative  Music is also experienced physically - It cheers you up to feel the music vibe!  Music is also meant to be silence  Music is manifest as a symbol on a sheet of paper, musical notation, that can be studied and discussed  Music is dependent on its delivery as sound by way of a performance  Music as imitation, language and communication  Are You Aware of How Much Music That You Hear Everyday? Why We Like What We Like? Your Brain On Music A set of musical expectations that each of us engages as we listen to music; how we think the music ought to go; what sounds good, and what sounds bad Nature Nurture Common to all people around Assimilation of the musical the world environment throughout our life Awareness of consonant and Expectations of how a melody dissonant sounds should go… Sensitivity to a strong beat …or how a harmony should sound Music Appreciation Listening, Exploration, Engaging Popular music - Easily assimilated music marketed to the broadest possible audience - The power of the beat - The message of the lyrics Classical Music - “Art music” - Beat is subdued, texts less immediate - Listening demands deeper awareness Elements in Music 1 - Sound: Pitch, Dynamics & Tone Colour Sound Vibration of an object that is transmitted by air. The impulses are selected, organized and interpreted and are transmitted to the brain and our ears Pitch Highness or lowness of sound Do Indefinite pitch - Noises Ti La So Tone – A sound that has a definite pitch Fa Mi Example: Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do Re Do Range of pitches Pitch can create the mood of music Dynamics - The degree of loudness and softness in music The dynamics can be changed through the energy of playing the instruments or amount of musical instruments Term Abbreviation Meaning pianissimo pp Very soft piano p Soft mezzo piano mp Moderately soft mezzo forte mf Moderately loud forte f Loud fortissimo ff Very loud crescendo cresc. Gradually louder decrescendo/diminuendo decresc. / dim. Gradually softer Tone Color (timbre) - A quality that describes the musical sound Example: bright, dark, brilliant, sweet Every instrument has different tone colors, depends on its materials and mechanism To fulfill the mood of the music, the instruments are chosen specifically to produce certain tone color Example: Trumpet – marching; flute – singing birds Duke Ellington: C-Jam Blues Listening Outline: 1. Pitch 2. Dynamics 3. Tone colour 4. Mood 2 – Beat, Meter, Tempo Beat Divides musical time into equal units (Steady beat) Often creates a physical response: tapping the foot or clapping Can be strongly felt or barely perceptible Beats in pop songs Beats in classical music Imagine Dragons - Believer Ravel - Boléro Tchaikovsky – Sleeping Beauty Waltz Kapustin – Concert Etude Op. 40 No. 3 Downbeat (shown in blue to the right) The Most Common Meters First beat in a measure Has the strongest accent or stress Duple: 1 2 1 2 Upbeat (shown in yellow to the right) Triple: 1 2 3 1 2 3 Occurs before the downbeat Quadruple: 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 Usually only a note or two Meter The organization of beats into groups Each group of beats is called a measure, or bar The first beat in each unit is called the downbeat and gets the greatest accent or stress  Tempo The speed at which the beats occur Tempo markings indicate the speed Grave — grave Lento — very slow Largo — broad and slow Adagio — slow Moderato – Moderately Allegro – fast, lively Accelerando is used to speed up the tempo Ritardando slows the tempo Rubato allows for flexibility of the tempo 3 - Rhythm  Organization of time into compelling patterns of long and short sounds Flow of music Maurice Ravel: Bolero Listening objective: 1. Do the dancers dance according to beat or rhythm? 2. Are the choreographs/movements match with the beat or rhythm? When there is no more steady beat pulse, will you still be able to play the rhythm on time? 4 - Melody  A series of single tones that add up to a recognizable whole Pitch is identified by letter names (A, B, C, D, E, F, G) It has direction, shape & continuity – Curve, Line An interval is the distance between pitches The octave is an interval common to all cultures Interval can determined the range of the melody – Wide, Narrow 5 - Harmony  A tool that adds support, depth and richness the melody – Harmonizing One or more pitches that support and accompany a melody (Voice & Instruments) Usually consists of chords: or three or more pitches sounding at the same time Chord progressions will enrich a melody by adding emphasis, surprise, suspense, or finality - Cadence Consonance Dissonance Pitches sounding agreeable Pitches sounding momentarily and stable disagreeable and unstable 6 – Musical Texture  The density and arrangement of musical elements Van Gogh uses lines and spaces to create a texture heavy at the bottom but light at the top Use of different textures add contrast and interest thin density: sounds sparse, bare, intimate thick density: powerful, complex, heavy  Musical Texture Monophonic Homophonic Polyphonic/ Contrapuntal Involves only one Involves one or same Involves more than one melodic line without melodic line with melody that appear at the harmony and harmony and same time accompaniment accompaniment Counterpoint (Several Unison (same pitch) melodic lines to be played) Imitation (e.g. Round)  Musical Texture Monophonic Homophonic Polyphonic Handel's Hallelujah Polyphonic Music  Changes of Texture Able to create variety contrasts within a composition Monophonic Monophonic + homophonic Homophonic + polyphonic George Bizet: Farandole from L’Arlesienne Suite No. 2 7 – Musical Form  Form in music is the organization of musical elements in a time In music, composers arrange musical elements to create a satisfying sequence of events Melody Statement Harmony Repetition Rhythm Contrast Color Variation Texture Composers employ four basic processes to create formal designs from the elements of music: Example: I am so happy today! Statement Presentation of an important musical idea Repetition Create a sense of unity The melody is engraved in the memory To emphasize something that is important Contrast Provide variety Change of mood Opposition of loud and soft, fast and slow, major and mino Variation The original melody is still there, but altered in some way The listener hears both the familiar and the unknown  Types of Musical Form Strophic Form / Repetition A A A A The most familiar musical form Used in hymns, pop songs, folk tunes, and patriotic songs Song form in which the basic unit (often called a stanza) is continually repeated Each strophe begins with a verse of text and ends with a chorus, or textural refrain that repeats  Binary Form Two contrasting units (A B) balance and complement each other Dissimilar mood, key, or melody creates variety Sections often repeated A A B B Symbol indicates repetition in the music: ||: A :||: B :|| Ternary Form Most common form in classical music (ABA) B section in a contrasting style Change in melody and key Usually a change in timbre instrumentation, range) Third section returns to the opening  Rondo Form Refrain (A) alternates with contrasting music (B, C, etc), usually with at least two contrasting sections One of the oldest musical forms Simple style Common patterns: ABACA ABACABA ABACADA Musical Style Simply stated, the common attributes that unite similar works of art The “attributes” for music include all we have learned thus far about listening to music (rhythm, melody, harmony, color texture, and form) Music historians identify eight style periods, ranging from the Middle ages to the Postmodern era: 476-1450: The Middle Ages 1820-1900: Romantic Era 1450-1600: Renaissance 1880-1920: Impressionist Era 1600-1750: Baroque Era 1900-1985: Modern Era 1750-1820: Classical Era 1945-present: Postmodern Era How to Listen to Music? Listening Objective: What individual musical elements do you hear? What words might you use to describe each of them? Do any elements change as the composition progresses? If so, what are the elements and how do they change? What is the musical form and texture?  Summary Three planes of music listening: 1. The sensuous – Enjoy music simply for the pleasure & beauty of the sound 2. The expressive – meaning, understand uniquely personal aspect of what the music “says” to us 3. Purely musical – Understand the components of music and the interactions among them “What to Listen For in Music (1939)” – Aaron Copland (1900-1990) Thank You