Terms cont’d. Harmony, Texture, and Form

“The Ball” Watching an unfamiliar sporting event It is difficult to try to absorb all the rules and protocols immediately My advice, “Watch the ball”. The ball is the object of primary importance. Watch the ball to try to follow gameplay. In music, the melody is “the Ball”.

Pitch = Frequency Frequency is measured in Hertz, or cycles per second. The sound wave vibrates a number of times per second, and it in turn produces a specific pitch or note. A=440 is a standard tuning pitch for instruments. 440 cycles per second is the pitch A.

Frequency 440 Hertz is a tuning A. Human hearing commonly extends from 20 Hertz to 20,000 Hertz (or 20 KiloHertz KHz).

Equalizer An Equalizer is a device that electronically boosts or cuts specific frequency ranges to tailor the TIMBRE of a musical selection. On sound systems, usually 6-10 or more sliding “faders” for adjusting different frequencies. iTunes has an Equalizer you can modify

Harmony Two or more pitches played at the same time

Harmony Key/Tonality - the idea of building a piece of music around a central or “ home sound ”

Harmony Consonance - stability. Pitch combinations that sound pleasant or stable Dissonance - instability. Pitch combinations that sound unpleasant or unstable

Harmony Scale - a series of pitches played in order from low to high or high to low. Major Scale - do re mi fa sol la ti do.The most common musical "menu" from which to choose pitches. Minor Scale - The scale with a darker quality, often times more emotional.

Harmony Drone - one repeated pitch among other changing pitches - more of a "folksy" quality.

Texture The interweaving of melody and harmony

Texture The interweaving of melody and harmony Monophonic - one unaccompanied melody Homophonic - one melody with some type of accompaniment (most common texture) Polyphonic - two or more melodies at the same time.May be with or without accompaniment. This is "the crowning achievement of Western Music".

Form Musical structure and design

Form Form. = formula; format = recipe.

Form Form can be followed by identifying repetition, variation, and contrast. Repetition - literal repeats of the same material. Contrast - completely new material from the first musical idea Variation - when the original material is slightly changed to create interest The above three methods used in conjunction are the methods used in achieving musical interest.

Form Theme - the tune in classical music.Not just repeated, but expanded and "developed" A motive is a part of a phrase. A complete phrase combines with other complete phrases to form a section. The Form of a composition is discussed in sections, not phrases or themes.

Form Thematic development - when a theme is fragmented and used in different ways. Motive - a fragment of a melody.Very little piece that is recognizable, but not as long as a phrase. Sequence - the repetition of a motive at a higher or lower pitch. Ostinato - a short musical pattern that is repeated over and over as the basis of a musical composition.

Classic vs. Romantic Classic - form, symmetry, balance, emotional detachment. Adoration of the Magi by Botticelli Death of Socrates by Jacques-Louis David

Adoration of the Magi

Death of Socrates

Classic vs. Romantic Romantic - freedom, emotion, drama, individual Meeting of Abraham and Melchizedek by Peter Paul Rubens Traveler Looking Over A Sea of Fog by Caspar David

Meeting of Abraham and Melchizedek

Traveler Looking Over A Sea of Fog

Common Practice Period Composers use the common language of “tonality” Music is written using a central key or “home sound” Can be both Classic and/or Romantic