Music Appreciation- Unit 1

Synthesizers

1960's- electronic components that generate, modify, and control sound

Interrelated aspects of Rythm

: Beat : Meter : Accent : Syncopation : Temp

Make up of the Modern Band

: Brass : Woodwind : Percussion

Meter types based on beats

: Duple meter- 2 beats : Triple meter- 3 beats : Quadruple meter- 4 beats

Electronic instruments for performing and composing

: Electric piano : Electric organ : Electric guitar : Tape studios : Synthesizers : Computers : Various "hybrid" technologies

Best known keyboard instruments

: Piano : Harpsichord : Organ : Accordion

Four main properties of musical sound

: Pitch : Dynamics (loudness or softness) : Tone Color : Duration

Common playing techniques of the String Instrument

: Pizzicato (plucked string) : Double stop (two notes at once) : Vibrato (rocking the hand while pressing the string) : Mute (veil or muffle the tone) : Tremolo (quick up/down strokes of the bow to rapidly repeat tones) : Harmonics ( high-pitched tones with light touches on a string

Pitch is changed in 2 ways

: Pressure of player's lips (together or against mouthpiece) : Lengthening the instrument via slide or valves - Trombone uses sliding tubes - Others use valves connected to additional tubing : The longer the tube, the lower the pitch Tone color is altered by inserting mute into bell

Piano (created in 1700-refined through 1850's)

: Produces sound when felt-covered hammer strikes strings held under tension by an iron frame causing vibration : Has pedals that affect sound : 88 keys

Percussion Indefinite Pitch Instruments

: Snare drum (side drum) : Bass drum : Tambourine : Cymbals : Gong (tam-tam)

Four basic ranges of singing

: Soprano : Alto : Tenor : Bass

Ranges of Women

: Soprano : Mezzo-soprano : Alto (Contralto)

Harpsichord (important 1500-1775)

: Sound produced by small wedges plucking string : Controlled by one or two keyboards

6 broad categories of western instruments

: String : Woodwind : Brass : Percussion : Keyboard : Electronic

Make up of the Modern Symphony Orchestra

: String : Woodwind : Brass : Percussion : Keyboard (as needed)

Ranges of Men

: Tenor : Baritone : Bass

Percussion Definite Pitch Intruments

: Timpani (kettledrums) : Glockenspiel : Xylophone : Celesta : Chimes

Key

A central tone, scale, and chord Centering of a melody or harmony around a central note

Chord

A combination (group) of three or more tones sounded at once (simultaneous tones)

Grand Staff

A combination of the treble and bass staves when keyboard music calls for a wide range of pitches to be played by both hands

Melodic Theme

A melody used as a starting point and evolving throughout an extended piece of music

Theme

A melody used as the basis for a musical composition

Beat

A regular, recurrent pulsation that divides music into equal units of time- can be represented by marks on a time line

Sequence

A repetition of a melodic pattern at a higher or lower pitch

Cadence

A resting place at the end of a phrase-a point of arrival-gives a sense of conclusion

Sound

A result of a vibration of an object and transmitted by a medium

Melody

A series of single (individual) tones that add up to a recognizable whole

Staff

A set of five horizontal lines where notes are positioned either on the lines of the staff or between them, in the spaces; the higher a noted is placed on a staff, the higher the pitch

Tone

A sound that has a definite pitch

Notating Silence

A symbol called a REST indicates duration of silence

Notation

A system of writing music so that specific pitches and rhythms can be communicated

Consonance

A tone combination that is stable: Points of arrival, rest, and resolution

Dissonance

A tone combination that is unstable: Tense chords that demand onward motion : Can be more or less dissonance

Accent

A tone played louder than tones around it

MIDI (musical instrument digital interface)

Allowed connection of devices

Music Notation

Allows absent (or even dead) composers to communicate their ideas to others

Sampling

Allows the composer to record short segments of sounds digitally and then manipulate them. Advanced in 1990's

Benjamin Britten

An English composer who wrote "The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra" in 1946

The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra

An introduction to the instruments of the orchestra which demonstrated a listening outline for the main theme followed by variations, tone colors of instruments and families, and contrast of dynamics, speed, and tone color

Musical Instruments

Any mechanisim- other than the voice- that produces musical sounds

Musical Style

Based upon time period and the continuous development of music as an art form

Characteristics of a melody

Begins, moves, and ends Has direction, shape, and continuity Conveys tension and release (melodic curve or line)

Types of musical form

Binary (two-part)-gives sense of statement and counterstatement : AB : AAB : ABB : AABB

Digital (FM) Synthesis

Came to forefront in 1980's- points on sound waves as numbers : Effects devices integrated into digital synthesizers

Style

Characteristic way of using melody, rhythm, tone color, dynamics, harmony, texture, and form

Roger Kamien

Chopin's Prelude in E minor for Piano

Minor Scale (Dark, sad, serious, melancholy)

Consists of seven different tones and an eighth tone that duplicates the first an octave higher : Whole steps and half steps occur in another predetermined order

Tchaikovsky

Dance of the reed pipes from Nutcracker Suite

Dynamics (Second property of sound)

Degrees of loudness or softness in music

Small Computers

Developed in 1970's & 1980's which allowed composers to instantly hear the music they programmed

Mutes

Devices inserted into the instrument to alter its sound

Analog Synthesis

Dominated until 1980- based on representing data in terms of measurable physical quantities, in the case of sound waves

C-Jam Blues (1942)

Duke Ellington

Syncopation

Emphasis on unexpected note/beat

Accent

Emphasis placed on note/beat

Forte

F- Loud

Fortissimo

FF- Very loud

Georges Bizet

Farandole from L'Arlesienne suite No. 2 (1879)

Rythm

Flow of music through time- the particular arrangement of note lengths in a piece of music

Percussion sound

Generally produced by striking, shaking, or rubbing the instrument

Complete Cadence

Gives a sense of finality

Cresendo

Growing louder

Major Scale (Bright, happy)

Has two kinds of intervals in a specific pattern : Half step- the smallest interval : Whole step- twice as large as the half step

Baton

Held by the conductor to beat time and indicate pulse and tempo

Progression

How chords follow each other ( a specific series of chords)

Musical Texture

How many different layers of sound are heard, what kind of layers, how they relate : Three basic musical textures -Monophonic -Polyphonic -Homophonic

Firebird (1910)

Igor Stravinsky

Temp indication

Indicated at the beginning of a piece- terms that show the temp

Metronome

Indicates exact temp- an apparatus that produces ticking sounds or flashing lights at any desired musical speed

Key Signature

Indicates the key of a piece of music- : Consisting of sharp or flat signs (determines scale and key) immediately following the clef sign at the beginning of the staff

Notating Meter (time signature or meter signature)

Indicates the meter of a piece of music- : Appears at beginning of piece and appears again later if meter changes : Written as two numbers, one above the other -Top number is how many beats in measure -Bottom is what type note counts one beat

Percussion Instruments

Instruments of definite and indefinite pitch and produce tones and noise-like sound to emphasize rhythm and to heighten climaxes

Notating Pitch

Keyboard note naming with notation : Comprised of 7 letters of the alphabet: A,B,C,D,E,F,G : Staff : Clef signs : Grand Staff

Pipe Organ (most prominent 1600-1750

Known as "King of Instruments" : Sound produced by air being directed to pipes - Pipe sets of different materials produce different tone color - Pipe sets put into play by using knobs called stops

Woodwind sound

Largely from the different ways in which vibrations are produced: : Mouth hole : "Whistle" mouthpiece : Reed - single/double

Scale

Made up of the basic pitches of a piece of music arranged in order from low to high or high to low

Tape Studio

Main electronic tool of 1950's

Cornet- Baritone Horn- Euphonium

Mainly used in concert and marching bands

Leap

Movements in large intervals

Step

Movements in small intervals

Improvisation

Music created at the same time as it is performed

Notating Rhythm

Music notation indicates length of tone in relation to other tones in a piece. How a note looks indicates duration- : Note head & stem : Flag : Beam : Dotted note : Tie

Western art music

Music of each of these periods reflects the society that supported it Middle Ages: 450-1450 Renaissance: 1450-1600 Baroque: 1600-750 Classical: 1750-1820 Romantic: 1820-1900 Twentieth century to 1945 1945 to the present

Homophonic

One main melody accompanied by chords

Guitar and Harp

Only string instruments not played with a bow

Musical Form

Organization of musical elements in time

Note

Oval symbols that indicate exact pitches by their upward or downward placement on a staff

Piano

P- Soft

Pianissimo

PP- Very soft

Register

Part of the total range in which an instrument's tone color may vary

Music

Part of the world of sound based on the organization of sounds in time

Incomplete Cadence

Partial, setting up expectations

Major Key

Pieces of music using major scales

Minor Key

Pieces of music using minor scales

Clef

Placed at the beginning of the staff to show the pitch of each line and space and composed of two common clefs: Treble and Bass

Listening Outline

Points out notable musical sounds

String Instruments (have the greatest versatility and range)

Produce many tone colors and have wide ranges of pitch and dynamics. Sound is produced by vibrating a tight cable. For symphonic music, strings are played with a bow: Longer string= lower pitch : Violin : Viola : Cello (violincello) : Bass (double bass)

Electronic Instruments (1904- became significant after 1950)

Produce or amplify sound using electronics

Brass sound

Produced by vibration of player's lips while blowing into a mouthpiece

Brass Instruments (from high register to low)

Provides power and emphasis for climaxes and heroic statements. Main brass instruments of the symphony orchestra's brass section: : Trumpet : French Horn : Trombone : Tuba

Tone Color (Third property of sound) or Timbre

Quality of sound

Techniques that create musical form

Repetition: Creates a sense of unity Contrast: Provides variety Variation: Gives unity and variety at the same time

Modulation

Shifting from one key to another within the same piece : Brings a new central tone, chord, and scale

Phrases

Shorter units (parts) of a melody that have similar pitch and rhythm patterns that help unify the melody : Often appear in balanced pairs

Score

Shows the music for each instrumental or vocal category in a performing group: Will often show more than 15-20 different staves of notation or lines of music

Woodwind Instruments (single note instrument)

Sound produced by blowing air (breath)

Accordion

Sound produced when air bellows drives reeds controlled by keyboard and buttons

Types of musical form

Ternary (three-part)-can be represented as statement, contrast, or departure : Simple- ABA : Subdivided-aba,cdc,aba

Tonic (home) Key

The central key around which the whole piece is organized : Modulation away usually returns to the tonic key or home : Return home creates feeling of conclusion

Pitch Range

The distance between the lowest and highest tones that a voice or instrument can produce

Interval

The distance in pitch between any two tones

Bell

The flared end where the sound exits

Climax

The highest tone of a melody or emotional focal point

Steps and Leaps

The intervals by which a melody moves up or down

Conductor

The one who coordinates the performers and shapes the interpretation of a musical composition

Meter

The organization of beats into regular groups- : A group containing a fixed number of beats is a MEASURE : The first, or stressed beat of a measure is known as the DOWNBEAT

Vocal Range

The pitch of tone used in singing and based on training and physical makeup

Concertmaster

The principle first violinist who plays solo violin passages and coordinates the bowing of string instruments

Pitch (First property of sound)

The relative highness or lowness that we hear in a sound

Triad

The simplest most basic chord consisting of three tones : Made up of alternate tones of the scale : Noted on three adjacent lines or spaces

Tempo

The speed of beat- the basic pace of the music

Monophonic

The texture of a single melodic line without accompaniment : Having one sound

Chromatic Scale

The twelve tones of the octave : All the white and black keys in one octave on the piano : All the same distance apart; one half step

Harmony

The way chords are constructed and how they follow each other

Broken Chord (arpeggio)

Tones of a chord sounded in a series (one after the other)

Staccato

Tones of a melody played performed in a short, detached manner

Legato

Tones of a melody that are played or sung in a smooth, connected style

Dominant Chord

Triad built on the fifth note of the scale : Second in importance : Sets up tension that is resolved by the tonic chord (unstable) Dominant to tonic feels conclusive (cadence)

Tonic Chord

Triad built on the first note of the scale : The main chord of a piece : The most stable and conclusive

Polyphonic

Two or more equally important melodies sounding simultaneously : Counterpoint- combining several melodic lines into a meaningful whole : Imitation- When a melodic idea is presented by one voice or instrument and is restated immediately by another

Treble Clef

Used for relatively high ranges

Bass Clef

Used for relatively low ranges

Saxophone

Used mainly in bands

Plectrum

Used to pluck a string instrument: small wedge or pick

Singing

Uses a wider range of pitch and volume than in speaking

Keyboard Instruments

Uses piano-type keyboard for control that permits a performer to play several tones at the same time easily and rapidly

Variations

Varied repetitions of the Theme

Stopping the string

Varies the length of the vibration and in so changes the pitch

Vocal Music Guide

Vocal text with marginal comments about the relationship between words and musci

Resolution

When a dissonance moves to a consonance

Octave

When tones are separated by the interval

Changes of texture

Within a piece, creates variety and contrast

Mezzo Forte

m/F- Moderately loud

Mezzo Piano

m/P- Moderately soft