Class 21 - Harmony
Violin Concerto No. 1, First Movement
Max Bruch
Chord
A harmony of three or more pitches
True/False: Consonance is very important because it creates points of tension without which the music would soon become lifeless and boring.
False - This describes dissonance
What is the only style of Western music in which harmony is not always present in its traditional form?
Rap music, in which percussive and electronic sound effects and multiple, non-tonal voice lines provide a harmonic support.
Ludwig van Beethoven Born: 1770 Died: 1827 Period: Classical Country:
Symphony No. 5 in C minor: I. Allegro con brio
The relationship between consonance and dissonance has changed throughout music history, and it varies from culture to culture. What is the relationship like today?
Today, the general trend is towards an increasing use of dissonance.
True/False - The alternation between consonance and dissonance is what gives music much of its life, structure, and sense of motion.
True
True/False: Consonance and dissonance change constantly within a piece of music.
True
arpeggio
When the notes of a chord are played one after another rather than simultaneously
Harmony
involves the vertical aspect of music, that is, tones of different pitch that are sounded together. harmony is two or more pitches sounding simultaneously.
True/False: Although the violin is usually referred to as a melodic (one note at a time) instrument, it is also capable of playing more than one sound at a time.
True
True/False: Consonant harmonies tend to provide a feeling of stability and rest, as in the Kyrie from Pope Marcellus Mass by Giovanni da Palestrina (1525-1594). In contrast, dissonance creates a feeling of instability and the necessity for resolution. This passage from The Ride of the Valkyries by Richard Wagner (1813-1883) demonstrates how dissonant harmonies create tension and instability.
True
True/False: In Om, an example of Indian music, there is no harmony in the traditional Western sense of the word.
True
True/False: Melody is horizontal and harmony is vertical
True
True/False: The smallest harmonic unit is made up of two pitches with different letter names sounding together.
True
True/False: To most Western listeners, music without harmony sounds somewhat incomplete.
True
True/False: Composers use dissonance to create temporary tension within a series of harmonies or harmonic progressions.
True - This tension is relieved by the resolution of a dissonant harmony into a consonant one.
Unison
When two simultaneous pitches of the same letter name are sounded together, the result is not a harmony, but unison.
What is the difference between consonance and dissonance?
combination of pitches that we think go together well—are referred to as consonant, while discordant ones—pitches that sound as though they clash—are called dissonant.
