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Enjoyment of Music Notes

Part 1: Elements
Responses to musical performance/an artist is subjective and rooted in deep feeling
Basic elements of Music include: rhythm, melody, harmony, timbre, and texture
In order to be considered music, these aspects must be met:
Sound, organization by a human, moving through time, and the intent of eliciting an
aesthetic response (in a human)
I. Sound: Pitch, Dynamics, and Tone Color
Sound
Begins w/ the vibration of an object, which are transmitted to our ears by a medium (~air)
o Causes our eardrums start vibrating
o Impulses (signals) are transmitted to the brain and are selected, organized &
interpreted
Music is based on the org. of sounds in time
Distinguished by other sounds by recognizing 4 main properties of musical sounds:
Pitch, dynamics, tone color, and duration (length of time a musical sound lasts)
Pitch- relative highness/lowness that we hear in a sound
Tone- a sound that has a definite pitch
Vibrations of a tone are regular and reach the ear at equal time intervals
o Noise-like sounds have an indefinite pitch bc theyre produced by irregular
vibrations
Interval- distance in pitch b/w any two tones
Octave- when tones are sep. by the interval and sound much alike
Octave cycles and frequency #s are used to distinguish notes
Dynamics- degrees of loudness/softness
Loudness related to amplitude of vibration that produces the sound
Gradual inc. in loudness often creates excited
o Dec. = calamity
Accent- an emphasis in dynamics
Italizian words are notated in music to indicate dynamics
Tone Color (Timbre)- the quality that distinguishes two different sounds at the same time
Can be desc. By words bright, dark, brilliant, mellow, and rich
Creates variety & contrast; can be used to highlight a new melody
Diversity of different expressive effects
Listening Outlines, Vocal Music Guides, and the Properties of Sound
Stravinskys The Firebird, Finale Scene 2 vs. Ellingtons C-Jam Blues

II. Preforming Media: Voices & Instruments


Voices
Singing use wider ranges of pitch & volume than in speaking; vowels are longer
Demands grater supply and control of breath
Air from longs cntrlled by lower abdominal muscles & diaphragm
Air makes vocal cords vibrate
Pitch of the tone varies with the tension of the vocal cords; tighter they are, the higher the
pitch
The classification of voice ranges for women & men (highest to lowest)
o Women:
Men:
Soprano
Tenor
Mezzo-soprano
Baritone
Alto (contralto)
Bass
String Instruments
Violin, viola, cello (violoncello), and double bass (bass) = symphony orchestras string sect.
Vary in tone color, size and range
Violin: smallest & highest range
Bass: largest & lowest range
Played w/ a bow
Terms:
Pizzicato- plucked string
Double stop- two notes at once (theres also triple stop, quadruple stop)
Vibrato- throbbing, expressive tone
Mute- musician veils/muffles tone by using a clamp/mute on bridge
Tremolo- quick up and down strokes w/ bow
Harmonics- high pitched tones (like a whistle)
String instruments not played w/ bow & plucked instead: harp & guitar
Woodwind Instruments
Produce vibrations of air w/in a tube that was tradit. made of wood (~20th cent: piccolos and
flutes made of metal)
Have little holes along their length opened & closed by the fingers/pads controlled by key
mechanism
o Player changes length of vibrating air column & varies pitch
Edge tones in flutes
Mainly arranged in 4 Families (arranged in approx. order from highest to lowest):
Flute Fam:
Clarinet Fam:
Oboe Fam:
Bassoon Fam:
Piccolo (highest)
Flute
Clarinet
Oboe
English horn
Bass clarinet
Bassoon
Contrabassoon

Can only produce one not at a timefrequently given melodic solos


Reed- very thin piece of cane set into vibration by a stream of air
Single-reed woodwinds- reed is fastened over a hole in the mouthpiece & vibrates when blown
Double-reed woodwinds- 2 narrow pieces of cane held be/w musicians lips
Oboe, English horn, bassoon, & contra bassoon
Brass Instruments
Trumpet, French horn, trombone, & Tuba (often in jazz & rock)
Cornet, baritone Horn, & Euphonium (concert & marching bands)
Pitch of brass instr. is regulated by by varying lip tension & by using slides/valves to
change the length of the tube through which air vibrates
o Generates diff. pitches
o Source of vibrations initiating sound in brass instruments is the muscisians lips
Players can alter tone color by inserting a mute into the bell (common in jazz)
o Made of wood, plastic, or metal
o Creates mellow tone
o
Percussion Instruments
Struck by hand, w/ sticks, or hammers.
Subdivided into instruments of definite & indefinite pitch:
Definite:
Timpani (kettledrums), glockenspiel, xylophone, celesta (looks like piano, but works like
glockenspiel), chimes
Indefinite :
Snare drum (side drum), bass drum, tambourine, triangle, cymbals, gong (tam-tam)
Definite Pitch vs. Indefinite Pitch
Definite pitches have definite pitches of notes to be played
Keyboard Instruments:
Piano, harpsichord, organ and accordion
Piano invented around 1700 and perfected by 1850s
Produces sound through vibrating strings held under tension by iron frame
o Striking key causes felt damper to come down on string and end the tone
2 or 3 pedals:
o damper- lets pianist sustain tone
o una corda pedal (soft pedal)- veils sound
o sostenuto pedal- sustain some tones but not others
o
Harpsichord important from 1500-1775
strings plucked by set of plectra (sall wedges of plastic, leather, or qill)
one/two keyboards
Electronic Instruments
Produce/amplify sound through electronic means
Invented as early as 1904 but not significant until 1950

electronic instruments for performing/composing music include amplified electric pianos,


organs, and guitars
synthesizers, computers, and var. hybrid technologies
The tape studio- recorded sounds manipulated by early 1950 musicians by speeding them
up/slowing them down, altering pitch & duration, giving echos, mixing and other editing tapes t
replaced by synthesizers 1960s+
computer music
III. Rhythm
Essence is a recurring pattern of tension & release, expectation & fulfillment
rhythmic alternation pervades flow of time
Rhythm-the flow of music through time; the particular arrangement of note lengths in a piece of
music
related aspects: beat, meter, accent & syncopation, and tempo
Beat- a regular, recurrent pulsation that divides music into = amts. of time
occur as often as every second or as seldom as every 1
forms bkgd against notes of varying lengths placed
o used as basic units of time by which all notes are measured
When we talk about combos of diff. notes, we consider the rhythm
Meter- the organization of beats into regular groups based on the number of beats in a measure
(group containing a fixed # of beats)
duple meter- measure w/ 2 beats
triple meter, quadruple meter, quintuple meter, sextuple meter, septuple meter, etc.
Upbeat- first beat; accented pulse preceding the downbeat
Accent & Syncopations
Syncopation- when an accented notes comes where we normally wouldnt expect one
Tempo- speed of the beat-- the basic pace of the music
Tempo indications:

Qualifying words are sometimes are sometimes added to tempo indications to make more
specific
2 common examples: molto (much) & non troppo (not too much)
allegro molto (allegro molto)
allegro non troppo (not too fast)
Same temp. not used throughout a piece:
o Accelerando (becoming faster)

o Ritardando (becoming slower)


IV. Music Notation (Finish~!)
Notation- system of writing music so specific pitches & rhythms can be communicated
Notating pitch
Note
Staff- set of 5 horizontal lines
If n ote falls above/below range of staff, short horizontal ledger lines are used
Seven of 12 pitches: ABCDEFG, the other five are either sharp (#) or flat (b)
Clef

V. Melody- a series of single tones that add up to a recognizable whole


Legato- smooth connected style
Staccato- short, detached manner
Phrases- short melodies/units that may have similar pitch & rhythm patterns that help unify the
melody (contrasting phrases can furnish variety)
Begins, moves, and ends; has direction, shape, and continuity
Up and down movmt of pitches conveys tension & release, expectation & arrival
Moves by small steps, or intevervals, or larger ones called leaps
Note durations and pitches contribute to the distinctive character of a melody; specific order of
length of notes is important
Sequence- A repetition of a melodic pattern at a higher/lower pitch
Cadence- resting at the end of a phase; a pt. of arrival
Incomplete cadence- partial, sets up expectations
Complete cadence- sense of finality
Theme- melody that serves as the starting pt for a more extended piece of music
Motive- Very small theme or a fragment of a larger theme
VI. Harmony
Refers to way chords are constructed and how they follow each other
Tones
Dissonance- created by unstable, discordant combos of tones
Modulation- shifts from one key to another

VIII. Musical Texture


How many sounds are heard at once
How layers of sound are related to each other
What kind of layers of sound are heard (melody/harmonic)
Monophonic Texture- texture of a single melodic line w/o an accompaniment
one sound
fuller, richer sounding monophonic texture = one melodic line atht e same pitch w/ other
instruments
Heterophonic Texture 2 or more diff. versions of same basic melody
often improvised; usually used in jazz
Polyphonic (contrapuntal) Texture- simultaneous performance of two/more melodic lines of
relatively interest
having many sounds
several melodic lines compete for attention
each line enriches others
counterpoint- combining several melodic lines into a meaningful whole
often contains imitation
o ex: a round, where one melodic is presented and restated immediately by another
at a diff. time
Homophonic Texture- one main melody accompanied by chords
focus placed on melody, usually accompanied by harmonized chords
consoncance- stable and restful tones

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