Elements of Music continued harmony, texture, and form

Harmony In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches (tones, notes), or chords. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic line, or the "horizontal" aspect. However harmony can also be implied by a melody that outlines a harmonic structure.

Harmony Interval and Chord The relationship between two pitches is referred to as an interval. Example: C-G, A-D, E-F, etc. A larger structure involving more than two pitches is called a chord. Triads Example: C chord—C, E, G

Harmony Scales and Modes Notes can be arranged into different scales and modes. Western music theory generally divides the octave into a series of 12 notes that might be included in a piece of music. This series of twelve notes is called a chromatic scale. major-minor tonality

Texture In music, texture is the way the melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic materials are combined in a composition (Benward & Saker 2003, 131), thus determining the overall quality of sound of a piece. Texture is often described in regards to the density, or thickness, and range, or width between lowest and highest pitches, in relative terms as well as more specifically distinguished according to the number of voices, or parts, and the relationship between these voices (Benward & Saker 2003, 131). A piece's texture may be affected by the number and character of parts playing at once, the timbre of the instruments or voices playing these parts and the harmony, tempo, and rhythms used.

Different types of Texture Monophonic Monophonic texture includes a single melodic line with no accompaniment Example: "Pop Goes the Weasel" melody (Kliewer 1975, p.270-301).

Different Types of Textures Polyphonic Multiple melodic voices which are to a considerable extent independent from or in imitation with one another. Characteristic texture of the Renaissance music, also prevalent during the Baroque period (Benward & Saker 2003,1999,199,158,137, 136,129,110,90,59,35,11,9,0). Polyphonic textures may contain several melodies

Polyphony A bar from J.S. Bach's "Fugue No.17 in A flat", BWV 862, from Das Wohltemperirte Clavier (Part I), a famous example of contrapuntal polyphony

Homophonic The most common texture in Western music: melody and accompaniment. Multiple voices of which one, the melody, stands out prominently and the others form a background of harmonic accompaniment. If all the parts have much the same rhythm, the homophonic texture can also be described as homorhythmic. Characteristic texture of the Classical period and continued to predominate in Romantic music while in the 20th century, "popular music is nearly all homophonic,” (Benward & Saker 2003, 136).

Homophonic Homophony in Tallis' "If ye love me," composed in 1549. The voices move together using the same rhythm, and the relationship between them creates chords: the excerpt begins and ends with an F major triad.

Musical Form The term musical form is often loosely used to refer to particular musical genres or styles, which may be determined by factors such as harmonic language, typical rhythms, types of musical instrument used as well as historical and geographical origins. It also has a more extended meaning, referring to the type of "architectural" structure on which the music is built.

Musical Forms—Level of Organization The smallest level of construction concerns the way musical phrases are organized into musical "sentences" and "paragraphs" such as the verse of a song. This may be compared to, and is often decided by, the verse-form or meter of the words or the steps of a dance. In the analysis of musical form, sections, units, etc. that can be defined on the time axis are conventionally designated by letters, as is the case in discussing poetic form.

Single Forms Strophic Form (AAAA...) indefinitely - the "unrelieved repetition" that is one extreme of the spectrum of musical form. Medley, or Chain form: this is the opposite extreme of "unrelieved variation": it is simply an indefinite sequence of self-contained sections (ABCD...), sometimes with repeats (AABBCCDD...).

Binary Form Using two sections (AB...); each section is often repeated (AABB...). In 18th-century western classical music simple binary form was often used for dances and carried with it the convention that the two sections should be in different musical keys but maintain the same rhythm, duration and tone. The alternation of two tunes gives enough variety to permit a dance to be extended for as long as may be required. For example, the following verse: Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are! Up above the world so high, Like a diamond in the sky! verse composed of two differently-rhymed couplets (AABB): its organization is binary.

Ternary Form Three parts. In Western classical music a simple ternary form has a third section that is a recapitulation of the first (ABA). Often the first section is repeated (AABA) In this example: There once was a fellow from Leeds Who swallowed a packet of seeds. In less than an hour he burst into flower And he died trying to pull up the weeds. There is a rhyme repeated in the second line, but in the third we find a variant, two half-lines sharing a new rhyme, followed by a final return to the first arrangement in the last line, giving the four lines the form AABA. This "same-different-same" form in music is called ternary.

Rondo Form Has a recurring theme alternating with different (usually contrasting) sections called episodes. It may be asymmetrical (ABACADAEA) or symmetrical (ABACABA). A recurring section, especially the main theme, is sometimes more thoroughly varied, or else one episode may be a development of it.

Theme and Variations A theme, which in itself can be of any shorter form (binary, ternary, etc.), forms the only "section" and is repeated indefinitely (as in strophic form) but is varied each time (AA1A2A3A4A5A6), so as to make a sort of sectional chain form.

Sonata Form Almost always cast in a greater ternary form having the nominal subdivisions of Exposition, Development and Recapitulation. Usually, but not always, the "A" parts (Exposition and Recapitulation, respectively) may be subdivided into two or three themes or theme groups which are taken asunder and recombined to form the "B" part (the Development)

Orchestral Instruments An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. A smaller-sized orchestra for this time period (of about fifty players or fewer) is called a chamber orchestra. A full-size orchestra (about 100 players) may sometimes be called a "symphony orchestra" or "philharmonic orchestra"

Instrumentation The typical symphony orchestra consists of four proportionate groups of similar musical instruments called the woodwinds, brass, percussion, and strings. The orchestra, depending on the size, contains almost all of the standard instruments in each group. In the history of the orchestra, its instrumentation has been expanded over time, often agreed to have been standardized by the classical period and Beethoven's influence on the classical model.

Instrumentation Woodwinds Piccolo Flutes Oboes

English Horn Clarinets in B-flat Bass Clarinet (and/or Clarinet in E-flat) (Saxophone) Bassoons, Contrabassoon

Instrumentation Brass French Horns Trumpets Trombones (2 Tenor, 1 Bass) Tuba

Instrumentation Percussion (Varies heavily according to composer's needs) Timpani Snare Drum Tenor drum Bass Drum Cymbals Triangle Wood block Tambourine Xylophone Vibraphone Chimes Marimba

Xylophone Vibraphone Marimba

Instrumentation Keyboards Celesta Piano Organ

Strings Harp Violins I Violins II Violas Violoncellos Double basses