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