Music appreciation midterm

CH.2 perfirming media

-pitch of tone varies with tension of vocal chords, tighter = higher pitch. -structures of singers lungs, vocal chords, oral cavity, nasal cavity all affect unique vocal tone color of voice.

Pitch, dynamics, tone color

-sound- begins with vibration of an object & transmitted to ears by a medium & impulses are transmitted to brain -4 main properties of musical sound: pitch, dynamics, tone color, duration -pitch- relative highness/lowness of sound& determined by frequency of vibrations (faster vibrations= higher pitch) -tone-sound that has a definite pitch/frequency. vibrations of a tone are regular & reach ear at equal time intervals. -interval-"distance" in pitch between only 2 tones -octave- interval between 2 tones in which the higher tone has twice frequency of lower tone. -pitch range- distance between highest and lowest tones that a given voice/instrument can produce -dynamics- degree of loudness/softness; related to amplitude of vibration -accent- emphasis of a note, which may result form it's being louder, longer, or higher pitch than the notes hear it.

cadence

1) resting place at end of phrase 2) progression giving a sense of conclusion, often from dominant chord

middle ages study guide

1. The Middle Ages (450 - 1450) - Historically, this time period marks the transition out of the Roman Empire and into the loose fittings of individual European territories. Control of all life in this era will come from the Roman Catholic Church. This control includes Government, Education, allocation of resources, etc. -As the Middle Ages was coming to a close, two very important historical events occurred and began to change the way citizens thought about the Catholic Church: The Hundred Years War and The Bubonic Plague . Both of these events represent an era of mass death and destruction to where the Catholic Church was unable to provide a satisfactory explanation. From this point on, people would forever challenge the teachings of the church and society would change forever. -As you read this chapter, pay attention to the timeline of when certain changes/developments will occur in music. You would be surprised how those changes line up with the dates of major historical events. History and the Arts are not separated from each other! Gregorian Chant Taking a look at this page of Gregorian Chant Manuscript (a score), it is easy to tell why historians have such a hard time identifying source and sound because the notation is so vague. This is not the traditional 5 line staff with notes, measures, and rhythms that musicians now are used to. Back in these days, Gregorian Chant was almost never written down, which lends it to sort of a bad game of "telephone" as one person is passing the melody on to someone else. If you ever played that game as a kid, you know that each time the message is passed, a little part of it may change. By the time several passes have been made, there could be a completely different melody from the original. Pay attention to the two chants in our text and note how they change and develop over time. Any music written for church use is called Sacred Music . Music NOT written for church use is known as Secular Music. Development of Organum Keep in mind how long this actually took to achieve. The church was extremely slow in having any sort of change in their music. Also pay attention to all the restrictions that went along with this technique. School of Notre Dame More specification in music than ever before. By the end of this period, music will be using notation that is closer to the version we now know. 14th Century New Art Note the timing of this period with the two big historical events described earlier. Major changes in music lining up with the major changes in history! GUILLAUME DE MACHAUT For French New Art, or Ars Nova , Machaut is the leading composer. Pay attention to both his Secular and Sacred Music Example.

renaissance

1450-1600

baroque

1600-1750

classical time period

1750-1820

Romantic Time Period

1820-1900

time signature

2 numbers one on top of the other at beginning of staff indicating meter. upper= how many beats in a measure lower= what kind of note gets beat.

triplet (shorten)

3 notes of equal duration lasting only as long as 2 notes of same length would normally last

Middle ages

450-1450

staff

5 lines and 4 spaces (higher note is on staff= higher pitch)

modern symphony orchestra

90 to 100 instruments from the string, woodwind, brass and percussion families

syncopation

Accenting of a note at an unexpected time, as between two beats or on a weak beat. major in jazz

keynote (tonic)

Central tone of a melody or larger piece of music. When a piece is in the key of C major, for example, C is the keynote.

downbeat

First beat of the measure, the strongest in any meter.

woodwind instruments

Flute Family (Piccolo, flute) Clarinet Family (Clarinet, bass clarinet) Oboe Family (Oboe, English horn) Bassoon Family (Bassoon, contrabassoon) -woodwind can only produce one note at a time -reed- piece pf cane to produce sound set into stream of air -single reed= clarinet, bass clarinet, sax -double reed= oboe, english horn, bassoon, contrabassoon

leap

Interval larger than that between two adjacent tones in the scale

whole step

Interval twice as large as the half step; for example, the interval between do and re.

ledger lines

Lines above or below the staff

triad

Most basic of chords, consisting of three alternate tones of the scale, such as do, mi, sol.

musical texture

Number of layers of sound that are heard at once, what kinds of layers they are, and how they are related to each other. (mono, homo, poly)

imitation

Presentation of a melodic idea by one voice or instrument that is immediately followed by its restatement by another voice or instrument, as in a round.

chromatic scale

Scale including all twelve tones of the octave each tone is a half step from the next. contributes a sense of motion and tension (grief, loss, sorrow)

clef

Symbol placed at the beginning of the staff to show the exact pitch of notes placed on each line and space.

concertmaster

The first-chair violinist of a symphony orchestra.

subdominant

The triad based on the fourth note of the scale

tonic chord

Triad built on the first, or tonic, note of the scale, serving as the main chord of a piece and usually beginning and ending it.

style

a characteristic way in which an artist or group of artists uses visual language to give a work an identifiable form of visual expression

electronic

amplified/ modified by electric means (synthesizer)

metronome

apparatus that produces ticking sounds or flashes of light at any desired constant speed

major key

based on major scale

tempo

basic pace of the music

tie

between 2 notes of same pitch saying 2nd note should be added to the duration of 1st (lengthen)

note

black/white oval with stem/flag

bands

brass, woodwind, percussion

natural sign

cancel a previous sharp/flat

variation

changing some features of a musical idea while retaining others

variation

changing some features of a musical idea while retaining others. unity and variety

chord

combination of three or more tones sounded at once

grand staff

combo of treble and bass staves

beam

connects flags of several eighth or sixteenth notes in succession

percussion

definite/ indefinite pitch produced by striking of hand/ stick/ shaking (drums, cymbals)

crescendo

gradually louder

decrescendo or diminuendo

gradually softer

harmony

how chords are constructed and how they follow each other; adds richness to melody

dotted note

increase duration by half (lengthen)

stem

indicates how long note is to be held relative to notes around it

treble clef

indicates relatively high pitch ranges, pianist right hand

string

instrument whose sound is produced by the vibration of strings

step

interval between two adjacent tones in the scale

Music in middle ages

liturgical singing, women not allowed to sing in church. Hildegard of Bingen. most music was vocal. manuscripts of the time dont indicate tempo, dynamics. sometimes pitch, not rhythm. Official music of roman catholic church was gregorian chant- melodies set to sacred latin texts, sung without accompaniment; monophonic in texture; set atmosphere for prayers &rituals; calm; represents voice of church; flexible rhythm; no meter; little beat. -mass- sacred (in latin) choral composition made up of 5 sections : Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, angus dei

dotted rhythm

long-short rhythmic pattern in which a dotted note is followed by a note that is much shorter

forte (f)

loud

theme

melody that serves as starting point for an extended piece of music

mezzo forte (mf)

moderately loud

mezzo piano (mp)

moderatley soft

sharp sign (#)

notates a pitch is one half step higher than the pitch

flat sign (b)

notates a pitch is one half step lower

homophonic texture

one main melody accompanied by chords

rhythm

ordered durations of sound & silences

meter

organization of beats into regular groups

form

organization of musical ideas in time

register

part of the total range of instrument/voice. Tone color may vary with register in which it is being played/sung.

polyphonic

performance of 2 or more melodic lines of relatively equal interest at same time

keyboard

pressing series of keys with fingers (piano)

woodwind

produced by air in a tube & has holed using fingers (flute oboe etc)

resolution

progression from diss. to consonance

tone color/ timbre

quality of sound that distinguishes one instrument or voice from another

beat

regular, recurrent pulsation that divides music into equal units of time

Repitition

reiteration of the same word or set of words at the beginning or end of successive clauses or sentences

3 part form (ABA)

represented as statement (A) , contrast (B) , return of A

measure/bar

rhythmic group set off by bar lines, containing a fixed number of beats

major scale

series of 7 different tones within an octave with an eighth tone repeating the first tone an octave higher, consisting of a specific pattern of whole and half steps; the whole step between the second and third tones is characteristic.

minor scale

series of 7 tones within an octave, with an eighth tone repeating the first tone an octave higher, composed of a specific pattern of whole and half steps; the half step between the 2nd and 3rd is characteristic

progression

series of chords

scale

series of pitches in ascending or descending order, comprising the notes of a key

melody

series of single tones that add up to a recognizable whole

modulation

shift from one key to another within the same piece

staccato

short, detached manner of performing a melody

half step

smallest interval traditionally used in western music( between ti & do)

legato

smooth, connected manner of performing a melody

percussion instruments (indefinite pitch)

snare drum, bass drum, tambourine, triangle, cymbals, gong

piano (p)

soft

women vocal range

soprano= high range mezzo soprano= fairly low alto or contralto = low range

elements study guide

sound is the basic component that all music consists of. What makes music unique to all the other sounds in the world is the element of time. No matter what type of music you are listening to, there is a beginning and an end. So, the definition of Music would be sound organized over a definite amount of time. When a sound is made, it sends wave lengths through the air that reach a listening device. In the case of people, that device is the human ear. The reason musical sounds are so pleasing is because their waves move regularly in an even pattern, while random sounds are very choppy. UNIT I: ELEMENTS Content Part 1 Sound is the basic component that all music consists of. What makes music unique to all the other sounds in the world is the element of time. No matter what type of music you are listening to, there is a beginning and an end. So, the definition of Music would be sound organized over a definite amount of time. SOUND AS A PHYSICAL PROPERTY The image here shows the physical difference between a musical sound and an everyday sound, such as the hitting of a hammer. When a sound is made, it sends wave lengths through the air that reach a listening device. In the case of people, that device is the human ear. The reason musical sounds are so pleasing is because their waves move regularly in an even pattern, while random sounds are very choppy. FOUR PROPERTIES OF SOUND AS USED IN MUSIC 1. Pitch Pitch refers to how high or low a sound is when heard. Take a piano for example: as you move up (to the right) on a piano, pitch goes up. Moving down (to the left) will make the pitch go down. This map shows the physical difference between different pitched sounds. The more waves per second, the higher the pitch. Hertz is the physical unit of measurement for pitch. Each pitched sound a performer makes is called a note, and is assigned a specific pitch. In sheet music, a musician will be looking at a score to give them all the information they need to performan a particular piece of music. When it comes to the property of pitch, there is the staff. The staff assigns each musical note a specific pith.Here is an example of a staff. At the beginning of each staff, a symbol called a clef will be placed to assign each line and space of the staff a specific lettered pitch. Musicians only use letters A-G when assigning pitch (this will be explained more later on). Notice how this staff has two different clefs and are connected with a long beam. A staff like this would be called a Grand Staff and would typically be used with instruments that have lots of potential for pitch, such as a piano. Most other instruments would be reading sheet music that would contain only one staff and clef. Those notes that you see labeled that are outside of the staff are put on ledger lines . 2. Duration Since music deals with sound governed by time, there needs to be a way to actually measure the time element. Duration refers to any element of time in a particular piece of music. Individual sounds in a piece of music are assigned a duration. These are called notes . The duration of the notes is measured in a fractional system that is outlined in page 34 of your text. To go with that, music also has symbols and markings to denote silence. These are called rests. Rests use the same fractional system that notes do and their symbols are found on page 34 as well. For every value of sound that exists, an equal value of silence does as well. Duration is also determined in the overall length of a work. How fast? How slow? These are questions best answered with the term Tempo . Tempo refers to how fast or slow your music is moving. Tempo can be changed instantly or gradually during a piece. Refer to page 32 in your text to see the list of all terms and their meanings. ic never stays at the same volume and will change from loud to soft in order to create variety. Volume indicators in music are called dynamics . Musical dynamics, just like tempo, can change instantly or change gradually. The picture shows the physical property of dynamics. The wave height gets higher as the volume gets louder, and lower when softer. Please refer to page 6 in your text for dynamic terms and definition. ndividual instruments are put into certain categories based on their sound, construction, method of playing, and pitch range , which is the amount of notes that any single particular instrument is able to play. In each category, there will be instruments that have either a low or high pitch range to create a wide variety amongst an entire group. The following outlines the main categories that are used in most classical music: 1. Vocals The most common group of instruments has to do with the human voice. It is the oldest form of music making dating back to the Middle Ages (around 400 AD). Vocal music is found just about everywhere in all walks of society. Refer to page 9 of your text for the list of different voice types, both male and female, in order of highest to lowest pitch. Vocals can come in either the solo variety or in group. A choir is the name of a large vocal ensemble.hen all of the different voice types are put together, it creates a beautiful sound with lots of pitch range, depth, and variety. Notice that both choirs are singing the same music, but excerpt 2 is actually an all-male choir, while excerpt 1 is a mix of male and female. There is a male voice type known as the counter-tenor that can sing in the high range usually reserved for the female voice. 2. Instruments Basically, anything that is not the human voice is a musical instrument of some kind. There are several categories that will be outlined below: A. Strings : Any instrument that is played by having the sound come from a string. Refer to page 12 in your book for detailed information on type and pitch range. Percussion: Instruments that are played with mallets, sticks, or hands. These instruments can come in all sorts of varieties and are used to create a strong sense of rhythm as well as provide the occasional "splash" of color when needed in the context of a larger ensemble. wo basic categories of percussion instruments: The Definite Pitch instruments provide sound that can be measured with notes just like any other instrument. Their wave pattern will look similar to that of a wind instrument or the voice. Most of the others are in the Indefinite Pitch category and will have the erratic wave pattern that we saw from the hammer in the first lesson. These instruments are used for their unique sound and not to play any sort of recognizable line. . Keyboard : Any instrument that has an extremely wide pitch range and is played with two hands. These instruments, while individually unique, provide the widest individual range of any instruments, and therefore can be used in a lot of different ways. Page 23 in text gives you images and info while the E-book on this same topic will also provide videos to show the unique qualities of each common keyboard instrument. ELEMENTS 3 MUSIC THEORY AND TERMINOLOGY Beat When you listen to a piece of music, and the urge to clap your hands or snap your fingers comes on, it is usually the result of the music having a very strong sense of movement in a particular pattern. This is the music's beat . It's what drives music and gives it motion. We know how to "feel" a beat, but how can a music writer (composer) convey that to their performers? Sheet music's notation will give the answer. Take a look at this small sample of sheet music: This is just a small example of a larger work, but it will help understand the mechanics of counting beat. Every so often, you see a line that is drawn through the staves of music. These lines mark out measures, which are individual units of music. Every piece has a certain number of these that contains all musical material for a particular work. Notice also that immediately to the left of the first music note is a number that looks sort of like a fraction. This is called a Time Signature , and it is the indicator of beat. The time signature (highlighted in red here) gives us two pieces of information. The top number will tell us how many beats are in each individual measure while the bottom number will tell us which type of note from our list of note types (refer back to that page in text) will count for one beat. So in this particular time, one quarter note equals one beat and there are four of them in a measure. So each measure of this music will have a beat that counts "1, 2, 3, 4" and then will repeat with each new measure. Different pieces of music will use different time signatures depending on how the beats are counted, so always check the time signature before listening for clues! Once you have all of the above information, then you have the piece's rhythm. Rhythm is the overall term that describes the flow of a particular piece of music. It is what gives music its "drive" and "feel," just to name a few adjectives. MELODY When you listen to music and it is a song you know, do you sing along? If you do, then you are most likely singing the main line of music. This is called a melody , and is the foundation of most pieces of music that exist in the world. Melodies can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Each one is designed to combine elements of rhythm and pitch to create the main idea for a piece of music. As you sung along with The Beatles, you probably noticed that there were certain areas of pitch that kept coming back throughout the melody, with one particular note recurring more than the others, particularly at the beginning and end of the tune. This is common in melodies and is called the keynote . All melodies have a keynote, also called a tonic , that it centers itself around. Take a look here at this common melody. Notice how the note located just below the staff and the note on the third space up on the staff is used more than the others? And how it also is the first and last note that is used? This is the note C , and that note is the tonic of this melody. The rest of the pitches used are part of a collection known as a scale . The scale takes all of the letter named notes, starting with the tonic, and orders them from low to high, or high to low. Each possible pitch between A-G can be the keynote of a melody. There are two main types of scales: Major and Minor. MELODY When you listen to music and it is a song you know, do you sing along? If you do, then you are most likely singing the main line of music. This is called a melody , and is the foundation of most pieces of music that exist in the world. Follow the link below to watch a video of The Beatles' "Let It Be." Can you find the melody? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEogJacjLTE Melodies can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Each one is designed to combine elements of rhythm and pitch to create the main idea for a piece of music. As you sung along with The Beatles, you probably noticed that there were certain areas of pitch that kept coming back throughout the melody, with one particular note recurring more than the others, particularly at the beginning and end of the tune. This is common in melodies and is called the keynote . All melodies have a keynote, also called a tonic , that it centers itself around. Take a look here at this common melody. Notice how the note located just below the staff and the note on the third space up on the staff is used more than the others? And how it also is the first and last note that is used? This is the note C , and that note is the tonic of this melody. The rest of the pitches used are part of a collection known as a scale . The scale takes all of the letter named notes, starting with the tonic, and orders them from low to high, or high to low. Each possible pitch between A-G can be the keynote of a melody. There are two main types of scales: Major and Minor . Use pages 50 - 52 in your text to learn the differences and how to construct both. Then, take a look at the two clips below. The first one uses a major scale and the second one uses minor. Do you hear the difference? Major: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmaR0h6-giE Minor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGKY33n9Okg Harmony Harmony is the supporting material to go with a melody. It is usually made up of chords so as not to distract from the melody. Chords happen when three or more notes sound at once. These chords will be ordered in a progresssion to help support the flow of melody. At certain points in music, there are points of "rest," or "pause" when a particular segment has reach conclusion. These are called cadences . At this point in the music, it is at its most "stable". Consonance is the term for music that is at a stable point. Any other part of the music that is unstable is in dissonance. The relationship between those two entities is what gives music its overall variety and direction. Refer to the text pages 46-47 for more detailed information. Musical Texture Texture describes the relationship that melody and harmony have in music.

broken chord (arpeggio)

sounding of the individual tones of a chord in sequence rather than simultaneously

2 part form (AB)

statement A & counter-statement B; conclusion signaled by cadence, held tones, brief pause. Part A begins in tonic (home) key & ends in tonic or new. Part B ends in home.

contrast

striking differences in pitch, dynamics, rhythm, tempo, that provide variety and change of mood

men vocal range

tenor= high range baritone= middle bass= low range

counterpoint

the technique of combining several melodic lines into a meaningful whole

percussion instruments (definite pitch)

timpani (kettledrums) glockenspiel xylophone celesta chimes

consonance

tone combination that is stable and restful

dominant chord

triad built on the fifth note of the scale, which sets up tension that is resolved by the tonic chord

bass instruments

trumpet=highest range french horn =medium trombone= moderately low tuba=lowest cornet= similar shape to trumpet with mellower tone baritone horn= similar to tuba wit higher range euphonium= similar to tube with higher range -jazz & rock groups= trumpets & trombones -concert & marching bands= cornet, baritone, euphonium -vibrations from lips and mouthpiece -pitch varies by lip tension & slides/valves -alter tone color by inserting a mute

dissonance

unstable and tense

fortissimo (ff)

very loud

pianissimo (pp)

very soft

brass

vibrations of players lips into mouthpiece (trumpet, french horn, trombone, tuba)

string instruments

violin= highest range viola= medium but higher than cello cello= lower than viola higher than bass double bass= lowest -speed & pressure of bow control dynamics & tone color & pitch controlled by left hand. -stopping- vibrations stopped at certain point making a range of pitch (double, triple, quad) -pizzicato (plucked string)- strings are plucked by right hand -vibrato-small fluctuations of pitch that make the tone warmer -mute-device used toe veil/muffle the tone of instrument (string=clamp & brass=wood) -tremolo- rapid repetition of a tone by quick up and down strokes of a bow -harmonics- very high pitched whistle like tones produced in bowed string instruments by lightly touching the string at certain points while bowing. -plectrum- used to pluck strings such as harp