Music Sec 1

Common time (C)

- 4/4 time

Dominant Seventh Chord

- AKA V^7 chord - What a dominant triad evolves into to intensify the pull to the tonic

Cut-time (¢)

- AKA alla breve - 2/2 time - Used in Embassy's Lament

Common-practice tonality

- AKA common-practice harmony - System of organizing pitch and harmony that we find intuitive today in Western cultures - Developed in Europe beginning in the Middle Ages - Codified about 1750 - Layers of complexity have been added ever since - Conventions still nevertheless govern nearly all music of the Western world

Polyrhythm

- AKA cross-rhythm - Occurs when two conflicting rhythms occur simultaneously - Most common are two against three and three against four - Often found in jazz

Mixed meter

- AKA irregular or asymmetrical meter - Different meters occurring in rapid succession - Irregular meter have different meters alternating in an irregular pattern - Ex. Symphony No. 5 has an extended passage in a 5/8 meter

Tonic triad

- AKA tonic chord or tonic - Diatonic triad built on scale degree 1 - Most stable chord in a key - Always major in a major key - Nearly all pieces end on the tonic

Clef

- Comes from the French word "key" - Each clef symbol is the "key" for reading the lines and spaces of the staff - Focuses on one line of the staff that the musician can use as a reference point 1) Treble/ G-Clef - The second line from the bottom of the staff is the pitch "G" - Line notes: EGBDF (Every Good Boy Does Fine) - Space notes: FACE 2) Bass/ F-Clef - Fourth line from the bottom of the staff should be read as the pitch "F" - Line notes: GBDFA (Good Boys Do Fine Always) - Space notes: ACEG (All Cows Eat Grass) *The C-clef is movable and has different nicknames 3) Alto Clef - Pitch "C" is on the middle line of the staff 4) Tenor Clef - Pitch "C" is on the fourth line from the bottom

Dominant triad (V)

- Contains the leading tone/seventh and fifth scale degree, both of which want to resolve to the tonic - Other harmonies "pull" to the dominant: these are called pre-dominant harmonies - The triads built on the second and fourth scale degrees (ii—also called the supertonic, and IV, the sub-dominant) are the most common predominant harmonies

Simple division

- Division of each beat into half - 1 & 2 & 3 or 1 & 2 & 3 & 4

Compound division

- Division of each beat into three equal parts - Ex. 6/8 measure can accentuate the first and third parts or the first and second

Musical advancements and WW2

- Electronic instruments came at the end - Enormous advances in electronics and radio technology had been made for wartime purposes, but after the war, many studios were no longer needed for military purposes - Scientists and composers began collaborating to make art with the new equipment

Musique concrète

- French term; first practitioners were in Paris - Music composition of electronically generated sounds and sounds produced by live instruments were recorded on tape, where they could be edited, manipulated, and mechanically recombined to form collages of sound that were "performed" via loudspeaker The basic techniques of tape music (later followed by more purely electronic music produced on computers) are looping and splicing, both of which permit compositions that cannot be reproduced by a human performer

Pitch on keyboard

- High-sounding pitches are on the right - Low-sounding pitches are on the left - Moving from left to right is called moving "up" - Moving from right to left is called moving "down"

Pitch

- Highness and lowness of a sound - A tuba is pitched lower than a piccolo - "A pitch" refers to a single tone whose highness or lowness does not change—that is, a sound that consists of a steadily oscillating sound wave

Tritone

- Interval made up two notes that are three whole steps apart (or six half steps) - Called augmented fourths or diminished fifth when the two notes are a fourth or fifth apart respectively - Two most natural sounding resolutions are either G♭ and B♭, or E and C

Bass line

- Lowest "voice" in a series of chords - Reinforces the pull to the tonic - Often play the root of a harmony - The most "final" sounding, strongest kind of bass line is one that descends a fifth -ˆ5 to ˆ1 is the most common bass motion at strong cadences (pausing points), like those which occur at the end of pieces or significant sections of music

Diatonic

- Means "within key" - Occurs when there are no accidentals others than the ones indicated in the key signature - The quality (major, minor, diminished, or augmented) of a diatonic triad depends upon which scale degree its root is on

Western music

- Music developed in Europe in the past two millennia/ 2000 years - Increasingly contains music from other cultures

Time signature

- Musical notation that indicates the meter - Top number indicates the number of notes that occur in a measure - Bottom number indicates duration of value/ type of note (2 for half, 4 for quarter, 8 for eight note, etc.) - Ex. time signature is 6/8; the measure has the combined time value of six eighth notes

Describe the rhythms used in swing music

- Notated in 4/4 or common time - Played as if 12/8

Syncopation

- Occurs in rhythm when accented or emphasized notes fall in between weak beats - Ex. Take the 'A' Train. It is highly syncopated, making it hard to predict

Four properties of a single, isolated musical sound

- Pitch - Duration - Volume - Timbre

Dissonance

- Quality of a pitch, interval, or chord that makes it seem unstable - The more dissonant, the more a listener longs to hear a resolution - Dissonance increases when a chord has a tritone - Ex. Dissonance in War Requiem adds tension

Key

- Refers to pitch relationships in music - Set of 7 notes or scale that has been selected - Gravitation center of the key is the tonic pitch - So if the tonic pitch is D, it is said to be in the key of D - Key of C is in C major unless otherwise specified - Whether the key is major or minor depends on the scale degrees 3, 6, and 7

Famous postwar centers for electronic music

- Rome - Paris - Cologne - New York City

Key signature

- Set of sharps or flats at the beginning of every staff to indicate the key - Signals which 7 pitches make up the piece by indicating which pitches will be consistently raised or lowered (unless otherwise indicated)

Triad

- Three note chord consisting of two intervals of a third - Root: lowest of the three notes - Third: middle note - Fifth: highest note - Root inversion when the root is on the bottom 1) Major triad (M) - Major third interval between the lower two pitches - Minor third between upper two pitches 2) Minor triad (m) - Minor third on bottom - Major third on top 3) Diminished triad (d) - Two minor thirds 4) Augmented triad (A) - Two major thirds

Chord

- Three or more pitches sounding simultaneously - Can be a forearm pressing on a piano - Most common and useful chords don't use adjacent pitches

Diminished triad

- Triad built on the seventh scale degree (leading tone) and consists of two minor thirds - Highly unstable - Listener wants it to resolve to something more restful - Indicated by a lower-case numeral with a small superscripted circle added

As common-practice harmony developed beyond 1750, how did it became more complex?

- Triads remained the basis of music but became embellished - The most common embellishing notes are a sixth, seventh, and ninth above the root of the chord - Diatonic seventh chords can be used to create a more complex, sophisticated sound. They can be built on any scale step by adding an interval of a seventh above the root to any diatonic triad - The addition of the fourth pitch, particularly when it is diatonic, rarely changes the function of the original triad, but it does add richness or atmosphere to the music

Chromatic scale

- Twelve different pitches in ascending order - Interval between two consecutive pitches is the half step

Polymeter

- Two or more meters sounding simultaneously - Ex. War Requiem. Male soloists perform in 2/4. Boys choir alternates between 2/2 and 3/2

Match the number of half steps to the interval name

1 half-step: minor second or half step (m2) 2: major second or whole step (M2) 3: minor third (m3) 4: major third (M3) 5: Perfect fourth (P4) 6: Augmented fourth (Aug4)/ diminished fifth (d5)/ tritone (TT) 7: Perfect fifth (P5) 8: Minor sixth (m6) 9: Major sixth (M6) 10: Minor seventh (m7) 11: Major seventh (M7) 12: Octave (P8)

Ethnomusicologists Curt Sach and Erich von Hornbostel categorized instruments in the late 19th century into which 4 groups? Sach and Hornbostel Classification

1) Chordophones - One or more strings are plucked, bowed, or strung - Vibrating string creates sound wave - Stringed instrument family - Ex. Violin, guitar, cello, double bass 2) Aerophones - Vibrating column of air - Ex. Woodwinds family: Flute, piccolo, oboe, bassoon, saxophone (they have reeds) - Ex. Brass family: Trumpet, trombone, French horn, tuba, baritone, bugle 3) Membranophones - Skin or membrane stretched across a frame - Membrane vibrates when struck - Part of percussion family - Ex. Timpani, bass drum, snare drum, tambourine 4) Idiophones - Body vibrates when struck - Part of percussion family - Ex. marimba, xylophone, vibraphone, tubular bells, gongs, cymbals, triangle, wood block *The keyboard family varies in their classification

Contour/ Profile

1) Conjunct - Melody moves smoothly in a step-wise motion (mostly in half and whole steps) - Ex. Row, Row, Row Your Boat with the "merrily" - Ex. War Requiem 2) Disjunct - Melody contains more leaps of intervals mores than a whole step - Ex. Star Spangled Banner has a major tenth (16 half steps) between gleaming and red rocket's glare - Ex. Credendum's opening Common contour is an arch that ascends at the beginning, reaching a climatic high point, then descending toward the end

Inversions

1) First inversion - Third of triad is on the bottom - Indicated by a six and chord symbol 2) Second inversion - Fifth is on bottom - Indicated by a six and a four aligned vertically, rather like a fraction with the line missing Any pitch on a triad can be moved up or down any number of octaves

Describe all of the minor scales

1) Natural/ pure minor 2) Harmonic minor - Used for its pull that makes it equally as easy to raise or lower a scale degree - Raises 7th scale degree by a half-step 3) Melodic minor - Raises 6th and 7th scale degree by a half-step - Upward motion to the tonic - Downward pull to 5th scale degree *Don't forget that all have a lowered 3rd

Strongest sound wave produced when a guitar string is pluck

110 Hz

In a blues scale, which scale degrees can be lowered as in a minor scale or normal in a major scale?

3 and 7 The pitches between can also be lowered

How many musical scales are there?

30 total - 15 major, 15 minor Each scale corresponds to a key of the same name

Other major triads that occur naturally in a major key are on scale degrees _____________

4 and 5 diatonic triads on degrees 2, 3, and 6 are minor

A pure sine wave at _________ sounds like an A above middle C

440 Hz Musicians usually tune to A-440

Diatonic scale

7 pitches in arranged in ascending order The C major scale is perhaps the most common scale When playing or writing down a scale, the first pitch is normally repeated at the top, as the last pitch.

What do all minor scales have in common?

A lowered third scale degree From the tonic to third pitch, the interval is a minor third (not a major)

Harmony/ Counterpoint

A series of pitches played simultaneously (at the same time)

Melody

A series of successive pitches (played one at a time in order) perceived by the ear to form a coherent whole

What does every major scale have (regardless of the pitch)?

A whole-step between scale degrees 6 and 7 A half-step between scale degrees 7 and 8 They all have the same sequence of intervals ^

Dot

Adds half the original value to a note Ex. Quarter note with dot = quarter note + half note

Cello's range

C2 to A5

Viola's range

C3 to E6

______________________ indicate major triads

Capitalized roman numerals lower-case numerals (with no superscripted circle) indicate minor triads.

How can chords be altered to have smoother voice leading?

Chords can be inverted. Root inversion is relatively conjunct and easy to sing If one person sings the top note of each chord, and another sings the bottom notes, and a third person sings the middle pitches, no one person has to leap around excessively, making the progression easier to sing.

Blues infection scale

Combines elements of major and minor scales

Improvisation

Composition and performance at the same time, sometimes through electronic composition

Which music listening example opens with a dramatic major ninth?

Credendum

Tie

Curved line that "ties" the value of notes with the same pitch so that the note lasts as long as their combined values

Enharmonic pitches

Different labels for the same piano key Ex. E♭ and D♯; B♯ and C, B and C♭

Interval from E to G flat

Diminished third (NOT a major second) * When you keep the same letter names but lower the G to G♭, it is still a third, but it is no longer minor, since it consists of only two half-steps; counts the letters - E to F - F to F sharp (g-flat) - E F G = 3 letters

Fifth category that was added to the Sach and Hornbostel classification

Electrophones: - Creates sound waves using a mechanical device known as an oscillator and are dependent upon electricity

Modern term for scholars who study the music of other cultures, or who study multiple cultures comparatively

Ethnomusicologists

Anacrusis/ pickup

First word before the downbeat

Very few pitches consist of a single, pure frequency. Rather, one frequency dominates, but many other frequencies are also present at very faint volume. What is the lowest frequency/pitch that sounds the loudest and strongest? Which pitch "colors" it by being a higher pitch that isn't as audible?

Fundamental; Partial/overtone The overtone is at a relatively higher pitch compared to a fundamental *Frequency and amplitude are inversely proportional

Which two scales are the only ones that need an F# ?

G major and E minor (which are relative scales to each other)

Poco a poco

Gradual change in tempo

What is the interval between E and F on a C-major scale?

Half-step

What register does the vocalist sing in to portray the mountains?

High

Accent

Indicates that the note should receive a greater stress than unaccented notes around it

Fifth scale degree

It functions like a second gravitational center that sets melodies in motion by pulling them away from the tonic. The dominant pitch may appear in a melody more often than the tonic pitch, though the tonic remains the final resting point. In the key of C, G is the dominant pitch, and B is the leading tone.

What happens when you halve the length of a string?

It naturally vibrates twice as fast, producing a pitch twice as high

Circle of Fifths

Keys or tonalities ordered by ascending (for sharp keys) or descending (for flat keys) intervals of a fifth BEADGCF for flats FCGDAEB for sharps (note that it is just reversed)

Flat

Lower the pitch a half step

Double-flat

Lowers the pitch by a whole step/two half steps

Interval of 4 half-steps

Major third Ex. C to E - C to C sharp - C sharp to D - D to D sharp - D sharp to E

Allegro

Means "cheerful" in Italian; executed in a lively, fast manner BPM: 120 You've Got To Be Carefully Taught uses allegro

Interval from E to G

Minor third - E to F - F to F sharp - F sharp to G

Moderato

Moderate tempo BPM: 108

Unmetered music

Music with no tempo or discernable beat

Interval

Musical term for distance The distance between A and the next higher or next lower A is called an octave

White keys

Natural key - Has no sharps or flats - Span 7 alphabetical letters from A to G - Unless otherwise said, the key is natural. There isn't always the symbol

Meter

Pattern of emphasis superimposed on groups of beats/ measures 1) Duple meter - Groups of two beats - STRONG-weak-STRONG-weak - Ex. Embassy Lament 2) Triple meter - Groups of three beats - STRONG-weak-weak-STRONG-weak-weak - Ex. You've Got To Be Carefully Taught 3) Quadruple meter - Most common meter - Groups of four beats: first is the strongest, third is the second strongest, second and fourth beat is weak - Sounds the same as duple meter - Ex. Remember Who You Are 4) Irregular/ asymmetrical meter - Groups of beats that cannot be divided into steady pulsations of two, three, or four beats - Most common are five and seven-beat measures

The frequency of a sound wave is not always regular, therefore, there are 2 types of music: pitched and non-pitched. Which instruments produce most of the non-pitched music?

Percussion instruments

Chromatic pitches

Pitches outside the key of the scale; are usually decorative or expressive, but not structural

Sharp

Raise the pitch a half step

Double-sharp

Raises the pitch by a whole step/ two half steps

Which 2 music listening selections uses blues inflection scales?

Remember Who You Are; It Ain't Necessarily So

Scale

Sequence of pitches in ascending or descending order

Harmonic progression

Series of chords or intervals that move from tension (dissonance) toward resolution (consonance)

Accidentals

Sharps, flats and naturals not in the key signature that are added for harmonic or melodic inflections

Adagio

Slow tempo BPM: 72

Ritardando

Slowed down tempo Featured in Hoe-Down

Music

Sound organized in time: - Time frame - Sound waves - Mind to perceive and interpret sounds A composer that imagines the music and performer (human or mechanical) that creates these sounds are not required for music but are often employed. They may be the same person

Accelerando

Speed up tempo

Rubato

Speeding up and slowing down of tempo for expressive effect

Parallel scales

Start and end on the same tonic pitch; have different pitches

Beat

Steady underlying pulse of most music Sometimes is audible; always there

Downbeat

Strong beat; usually the first beat of any measure

Subito

Sudden change in tempo

Rest

Symbol for silence

Speed of beat

Tempo

Half step/ Semitone

The distance between any two adjacent keys on the keyboard; the smallest interval normally used in Western music

Whole step

The distance between every other key (2 half steps), regardless of color

Rhythm

The way music is organized in time

One of the first electronic instruments

Theremin: - Frequency is regulated in a hand, amplitude in the other - Disturbs electrical fields that surround protruding bars

Grand staff

Two bracketed staves that are played at the same time - The left hand plays the music on the lower staff (usually bass clef) - The right hand plays the music on the upper staff (usually treble clef) - Typically applied to keyboard instruments

Relative scales

Uses the same (7) pitches and different tonics Ex. C minor and E flat major are relative major-minor scales More closely related than parallel scores since they use the collection of pitches

Presto

Very fast tempo BPM: 200

Lento/Grave

Very slow tempo BPM: 40

Andante

Walking pace tempo BPM: 84

Sound

Wave of energy: 1) Amplitude - Affects decibel level - how loud or soft - Higher amplitude = louder 2) Frequency - Affects pitch - the highness or lowness of a sound - Greater frequency = higher pitch - Ranges from 20 to 20,000 cycles per second (Hz)

Equal temperament

Western traditional system of tuning developed in 1750 - Divides the octave into 12 equal parts - Very common that it is assumed

How do you note an interval bigger than an octave?

With an octave and the interval for the number of additional half-steps Ex. 13 half-steps = Minor ninth (P8+m2)

Multiple flagged notes have _________ or horizontal connecting lines that makes it easier to read

beams

In terms of ranges, pitches are numbered from ______________________

bottom staff up

A chain of triads, each pulling to the next, is called a ______________________

chord progression

All beats are of equal _____________

length

Different notes (values) have a different _____________

lengths 1) Whole note - Oval - Longest note 2) Half note - Oval + stem - Half as long as whole note 3) Quarter note - Filled oval + stem - Half as long as half note/ one-fourth as long as a whole note 4) Eighth note - Quarter note + flag on stem - Half as long as quarter note... Additional flags subdivide the note value by half again

The most consonant chords are the ones that stress _____________________________

lower partials on the overtone series

Louis Armstrong plays in the __________ range of the trumpet at the end of his solo in "Remember Who You Are"

lowest

Beats are grouped into ________________ or bars

measures

A five-line staff as a type of a ladder to indicate _________

pitches Each line or space on the staff is assigned to a letter of the musical alphabet—but the assignment can vary, depending on the clef symbol at the left-hand end of the staff

The most common chord progression is __________________

predominant-dominant-tonic. This can be ii-V-I or IV-V-I.

The high, middle, and low parts of an instrument's range are often called the high, middle, or low _______________

register

Leading tone

seventh scale degree; Western ears it begs to resolve upward to the C above

Any interval can be played harmonically or so that two pitches are played __________________ or melodically, so the pitches are played in __________________

simultaneously; succession Melodic intervals are either ascending or descending

Harmony and melodies follows regardless of _________________

the scale degrees

Transposition

the shifting of a piece of music to a different key by using the same patterns of intervals on a different note and still having the same melody

In the C major scale and the melodies that use it, C is the anchor, a point of repose and completion. Sometimes called the "resting tone" or "Do" and is most often known as ___________________

the tonic pitch In a C scale, C is the tonic pitch. In an A scale, A is the tonic pitch. In an A♭ scale, A♭ is the tonic pitch, and so on.

The black keys are arranged in alternating groups of _________________

two and three

A melody with a high tessitura calls for more pitches in the performer's high register than does a melody with a medium or low tessitura. This Italian term is applied most often to _____________

vocal music Soprano - Female singer, high tessitura Alto - Female singer, low tessitura Tenor - Male singer, high tessitura Bass - Male singer, low tessitura

Major scale's sequence of intervals

whole (step)-whole -half -whole -whole -whole -half step (or⊔-⊔-∨-⊔-⊔-⊔-∨).