Instructor: Dr. Louchrisa High Music 1030 – Music Appreciation Part I Elements of Music

Music—vital part of human society Heard everywhere in modern life Provides entertainment, emotional release, accompanies activities Experience affected by emotional state of both performer and audience Live performance—special excitement Evaluating music performances Perceptive listening enhances enjoyment Knowledge of musical elements enhances perception Internet access, portable audio Recorded music is a 20 th century innovation Background music vs. alert, active listening

- Sound: Pitch, Dynamics, and Tone Color Our world is filled with sounds Sounds can be pleasant or unpleasant Sound Begins as result of a vibrating object Humans are able to focus on specific sounds Can ignore sounds that do not interest us Transmitted through a medium - air Our eardrums vibrate, too Impulses sent to brain for processing Music: organization of sounds in time Four main properties of musical sounds PitchTone color DynamicsDuration

Determined by frequency of vibration Pitch: Highness or Lowness of Sound Fast vibration=high pitch; slow vibration=low pitch In music, definite pitch is a tone Tones have specific frequencies Interval: distance between 2 tones e.g., 440 cycles (vibrations) per second = A Generally, smaller vibrating objects=higher pitches Irregular vibrations create sounds of indefinite pitch Octave: doubling/halving of frequency Tones an octave apart seem to blend together Western music divides octave into 12 tones Non-western music may divide into different number Range: distance between voice or instrument’s highest & lowest possible tones

Relative loudness of a sound Dynamics Related to amplitude of vibration producing sound Accent: tone played louder than tones near it Italian terms used to indicate dynamics Changes in dynamics may be sudden or gradual pianissimo ppvery soft pianop soft mezzo pianomp moderately soft mezzo forte mf moderately loud fortef loud fortissimoffvery loud Extremes: ppp, pppp, fff, ffff Crescendo: gradually louder Decrescendo (diminuendo): gradually softer

Quality that distinguishes tones Tone Color – also called timbre Can be bright, dark, mellow, etc. Changes in tone color create variety and contrast Tone colors add a sense of continuity Unlimited variety of tone colors Composers frequently blend sounds of instruments to create new tone colors Modern electronic techniques create new tone colors Specific melodies with specific tone colors

- Performing Media: Voices and Instruments Voices – unique ability to fuse words & musical tones Voice range is based on physical makeup & training Voice classifications FemaleMale Soprano (highest)Tenor Mezzo-sopranoBaritone AltoBass (lowest) Vocal music is frequently performed with instrumental accompaniment

Musical Instruments – mechanism (other than the voice) that produces musical sounds Western instruments: 6 broad categories String Woodwind Brass Percussion Keyboard Electronic Made in different sizes for range Tone color varies with the register Provide entertainment; used for accompaniment Instruments’ popularity rises & falls with changing musical tastes

Sound produced by vibrating a tight cable String Instruments The longer the string, the lower the pitch Orchestral bowed instruments Common playing techniques Pizzicato Violin Viola Cello (violoncello) Bass (double bass) Vibrato Mute Tremolo Harmonics Some string instruments not played with bow Guitar & harp use plectrum (small wedge—pick) Double stop

Traditionally, woodwinds made of wood Woodwind Instruments In 20 th Century, metal & plastic became common Sound produced by blowing—player’s breath The longer the tube, the lower the pitch Holes along instrument serve to lengthen the tube Main orchestral woodwinds and ranges: Flute FamilyClarinet FamilyOboe FamilyBassoon Family Piccolo FluteClarinetOboe English horn Bass clarinetBassoon Contrabassoon Woodwinds—single note instrument “Whistle mouthpiece” Saxophone—single reed inst. common in jazz Single reedDouble reed

Orchestral brasses (in order of range): Brass Instruments Trumpet, french horn, trombone, tuba Brass provides power and emphasis in music Cornet, baritone horn & euphonium used mainly in concert and marching bands Pressure of player’s lips (together or against mouthpiece) Sound produce by blowing into mouthpiece Vibration of player’s lips produces sound Sound exits through flared end called bell Pitch changed in 2 ways: Lengthening the instrument via slide or valves Trombone uses sliding tubes Others use valves connected to additional tubing Generally, the longer the tube, the lower the pitch Tone color is altered by inserting mute into bell

Sound (generally) produced by striking, shaking, or rubbing the instrument Percussion Instruments Instruments of definite pitch produce tones Those of indefinite pitch produce noise-like sounds Definite PitchIndefinite Pitch Timpani (kettledrums)Snare drum (side drum) GlockenspielBass drum XylophoneTambourine CelestaTriangle ChimesCymbals Gong (tam-tam) Membranes, pieces of wood or metal vibrate Percussionists must play many instruments Percussion traditionally emphasizes rhythm 20 th Century music—greater use of percussion

Use piano-type keyboard for control Keyboard Instruments Capable of several notes at once Piano Harpsichord Important ~1500 through ~1775 Best known: Sound created when felt hammer strikes tight string Pedals affect sound88 keys Created ~1700 & refined through ~1850 Sound produced by small wedges plucking string Pipe Organ Most prominent ~1600 to ~1750 Wide range of pitch, dynamics, & tone color Sound produced by air being directed to pipes Pipe sets of various materials produce different tone color Pipe sets put in play by using knobs called stops Accordion Air bellows drives reeds controlled by keyboard & buttons

Produce or amplify sound using electronics Electronic Instruments Invented ~1904, significant impact only after 1950 Modern technology blurs lines between instrument types, recording, computer, and hybrid devices Tape studio: main electronic tool of 1950s Synthesizers came into use in 1960s Huge machines first built in mid-1950s Analog synthesis dominated until ~1980 Digital (FM) synthesis came to forefront in 1980s Effects devices were integrated into digital synthesizers Sampling technology advanced in 1990’s MIDI (1983) allowed connection of devices Small computers develop in 1970s & 80s Modern composers connect these devices, use software, and write new types of music

Listening The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, Op. 34 (1946) by Benjamin Britten YouTube: Listen for:Theme, variations Contrast Repetition Various orchestral instruments

- Rhythm ~ Flow of music through time ~ Particular arrangement of note lengths Divides music into equal units of time Recurrent pulsation Beat Grouping of beats 2’s & 3’s and strong & weak beats Meter Accent: note is emphasized Accent and Syncopation Syncopation: emphasis placed on an unexpected note or beat

Associated with emotional effect The speed of the beat, the pace Tempo Tempo indicated at beginning of piece As with dynamics, Italian terms are used Metronome—indicates exact tempo Molto, non troppo, accelerando, ritardando

- Music Notation Written music stores information Notating Pitch Letter names: A B C D E F G Allows composers to communicate their ideas to others Staff Grand staff G Clef or Treble F Clef or Bass

Notating Pitch Keyboard note namingKeyboard note naming with notation

Notating Rhythm Music notation indicates length of tone in relation to other tones in the piece How note looks indicates duration Notating Silence Rests indicate notated silence

Notating Meter Time signature indicates the meter of a piece of music Appears at beginning of piece Appears again later if meter changes The Score Includes music for every instrument Written as two numbers, one above other Top number: how many beats per measure Bottom number: what type note counts 1 beat Common & cut time, duple & triple meter Can include 20+ lines of music at once See example in text

- Melody A series of single notes that add up to a recognizable whole Begins, moves, ends Tension & release Stepwise vs. leap motion Climax Legato vs. staccato Made of phrases (parts) Sequence within melodies Cadence: Complete vs. Incomplete

- Harmony The way chords are constructed and how they follow each other Chord: 3 or more tones sounded at once Stable, restful chords—consonant Consonance and Dissonance Chord is simultaneous tones Melody is series of individual tones Progression: how chords follow each other Unstable, tense chords—dissonant Resolution—movement away from dissonance Degree of dissonance—more & less dissonant

The Triad Simplest, most basic chord Made up of three notes Broken Chords (Arpeggios) Chord tones sounded in series Triad built on 1 st scale note called tonic Pieces usually begin & end on this chord Most stable, restful chord Triad built on 5 th scale note: dominant Dominant to tonic movement feels conclusive Most unstable, tense chord Notated on 3 adjacent lines or spaces

- Key Centering of a melody or harmony around a central note Whole steps and half steps occurring in a predetermined order Bright, happy sound The Major Scale Whole steps and half steps occurring in a different predetermined order Dark, sad sound The Minor Scale

The Key Signature Pieces using major scales—major key The Chromatic Scale Utilizes all 12 notes within the octave Number of sharps or flats played determines scale and key Key signature notated at beginning of piece between clef sign and time signature Also determines key signature Pieces using minor scales—minor key Includes both black and white piano keys This scale does not define a key

Modulation: Change of Key Provides contrast within longer piece Tonic Key The main key of a piece New tone and key becomes “home” Modulation like temporary shift in gravity Modulations away usually return to the tonic key Return to tonic creates feeling of conclusion Return to tonic usually occurs near end of piece

- Musical Texture Layering of sound, how layers relate Monophonic Texture Single, unaccompanied melody Literally “one sound” Polyphonic Texture 2 or more equally important melodies sounding simultaneously Homophonic Texture One melody with chordal accompaniment Changes of Texture Within a piece, creates variety and contrast

- Musical Form Organization of musical elements in time Simple A B A Techniques that Create Musical Form Repetition—restating musical ideas Contrast—avoiding monotony w/ new ideas Variation—reworking ideas to keep them new Types of Musical Form Ternary Subdividedaba cdc abaSubdividedaba cdcSubdividedaba

Types of Musical Form Binary A B A A B A B B A A B B

- Musical Style Characteristic way of using melody, rhythm, tone color, dynamics, harmony, texture, and form Western art music can be divided into: Middle Ages— Renaissance— Baroque— Classical— Romantic— th Century to to present Shaped by political, economic, social, and intellectual developments