pp
Pianissimovery soft
p
Pianosoft
mp
mezzopianomoderately soft
mf
mezzofortemoderately loud
ff
fortissimovery loud
crescendo
< becoming louder
Decrescendo
>becoming softer
Diminuendo
>becoming softer
Pitch
Highness or lowness of a sound-depends on frequency-change the size of the vibrating medium, causes it to vibrate at a different rate of speed & produce a different pitch-faster vibration=higher pitch-slower vibration= lower pitchindicated by a clef at the beginning of the staff
Frequency
Rate of a sound wave's vibration
Register
A particular range of pitches-an instrument is played in its lower or upper register
Tone
Sound with specific pitch, produced by a constant rate of vibration of the sound-producing medium-as opposed to a gong, which includes a wide range of pitches-referred to w/ letter names A through G-each key on keyboard represents one tone
Sharp
Sign indicating that a tone is to be performed one half-step higher than notated-ex. black key between C and D is C sharp
Flat
Sign indicating that a tone is to be performed one half-step lower than notated-ex. black key between C and D is D flat
Staff
Five lines and four spaces on which music is notated
Interval
Distance between two pitches-C to D is a second-C to E is a third-C to F is a fourth-interval of an eighth is an octave
Octave
Interval of an eighth, as from C to C-two tones of an octave look alike on keyboard- 2:1 relationship of their frequencies-higher tone is produced @ twice the rate of vibration of the lower tone
Whole
4 beats per note
Half
2 beats per note
Quarter
1 beats per note
Eighth
1/2 beats per note
Largo
slowbroad
Adagio
slowat ease
Adante
moderately slowwalking tempo
moderato
moderate
allegro
fastcheerful
presto
very fast
vivace
lively
molto
very
allegra molto
very fast
non troppo
not too much
allegra non troppo
not too fast
con brio
with spirit
Elements of music
rhythmmelodyharmonytimbre
dynamic level
level of volumeloudness or softness
Bass clef
C D E F G A B C D E F G AStarts with C, on lineEnds with A, on line
Treble clef
E F G A B C D E F G A B CStarts with E, on lineEnds with C, on line
Ledger Lines
extend staff up and downsmall lines
middle C
lies in the middle of the keyboardcan be notated in either the bass or treble clef
Acoustics
the science of soundhas to do with the qualities of a performance space that affect the way in which music heard in that space is perceived
2 ways to achieve changes in dynamic level during performance or music
1. the instruments or voices may simply play or sing more loudly or more softly2. a number of instruments or voices may be added or taken away
clef sign
indicates which tone is represented by each line and space
Rhythm
Arrangement of time in music- the "pulse" of music
Beat
Basic underlying pulse of music-the basic rhythmic pulse of a musical piece-strong beats are accents
Accent
Strong sound. May be achieved by: 1.stress2.duration3.position of a tone: placing a tone higher or lower than others
Tempo
Rate of speed at which a musical piece is performed
Rest
Sign that indicates silence, or the cessation of musical sound
metronome
instrument that may be set to sound regular beats within a wide range of speeds from very fast to very slow-composers can indicate tempo
Meter
Organization of rhythm into patterns of strong and weak beats-accent the first beat of each measure, >-when there are more than 3 beats per meter, there is a secondary accent on another beat (u)ex. America the Beautifulgrain is held for 3 beats
Measure (bar)
Unit containing a number of beats
Duple meter
Two beats per measureex. Russian Dance from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker
Triple meter
Three beats per measure
Quadruple meter
Four beats per measure
Downbeat
First beat of a measure-conductor indicates by bringing the arm down
Upbeat
Last beat of a measure -conductor indicates by raising the arm
Conductor
directing entrances and cutoffsestablishing temposindicates accentsindicates crescendo & decrescendo
Melody
Meaningful succession of pitchesA succession of tones logically conceivedTones of melodies vary in pitch & durationWritten melody forms a linear pattern on the music staff.-horizontal or linear, "melodic line"-consists of one or more phrases-melodic phrases punctuated by stopping points, cadences
Contour-Smooth (conjunct) melody line
Tones close to each other-smooth, stepwiseex. Yankee Doodle
Contour-Disjunct melody line
Tones widely separated from each other-wide skips between the tones-angularex. The Star Spangled Banner
Phrase
Section of a melody
Cadence
Stopping point-like commas, semicolons, periods-indicate varying degrees of pause or finality
Row, Row, Row Your Boat
consists of two unlike phrases (a & b)the first ascending, and the second descending in pitch
Tune
a melody that seems complete in itself, and is easily remembered and sung.-any # of phrases-smooth or disjunctex. Row your boat, Jingle bells, Deck the halls
3 Melodic Types
1. Theme2. Motivic Melody3. Lyrical Melody
Theme
A melody, tuneful or not, that recurs throughout a piece, often in altered versions. It is of some length. It may have several phrases. ex. Star Wars themeex. main melody of Strauss's Also sprach Zarathustra
Motivic Melody
A very short melodic phrase that sounds fragmentary or incomplete in itself but is suitable for many kinds of variation and development.ex. Trepak begins w. motivic melodyex. four-note motive beginning @ Beethoven's symphony no. 5 don't constitute a tune, too fragmentary to be a theme. Source of melodic & rhythmic material.ex. the Young Persons guide to the orchestra, ends with a motivic figure
Lyrical Melody
Longer than a motive, is often songlike in character. In a composition of some length, a lyrical melody is usually repeated with or without variation, rather than developed in the intellectual manner of a motive.-can be tuneful or notex. Adagio for Strings, too long & complex to be a tune
Scale
A melody is built on tones selected from an ascending or descending pattern of tones, within the range of an octave called a scale.-derived from Italian word for staircase-a series of steps-scale pattern defined according to the number & pattern of the half steps, whole steps, or both, is unlimited
Half Step
the distance from any key on the keyboard to its nearest neighbor (white or black, up or down)
Whole Step
the distance of two half steps
Major and Minor Scales
each contain 5 whole and 2 half steps-different order-sound different-most significant difference is the 3rd step, which is a whole step in the major scale and a half step in the minor scale
Major Scale
WW H WWW H- ^the ascending pattern of stepsex. Joy to the World, descending major scaleex. Do, Re, Mi, ascending major scale
7 scale tones
syllables:do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti
Minor Scale
W H WW H WW- ^the ascending pattern of stepssounds more mellowex. When Johnny Comes Marching Home Againex. 1st movement of Beethoven's Symphony no. 5
Tonic Note
The first and last note of the major or minor scale, to which all other notes in the scale are subordinate. ex. C is the tonic of the major or minor scale that ends on C-heard most often-as you play or sing up or down either scale you will feel a kind of magnetic pull to the tonic-major & minor melodies sound incomplete until the tonic note is soundedex. Row, Row, Row Your [Boat]
Key
The major or minor scale on which a composition is based-the tonic on which a composition is based is also the name of the key in which the piece is composedex. a piece based on the C major scale, is said to be in the key of C major
Chromatic Scale
composed entirely of 12 half stepsA A# B C C# D D# E F F# G G# A-poignant emotional effect
Whole Tone Scale
divides the octave into 6 consecutive whole stepsC D E F# G# A# C-absence of half steps gives a quality of endlessness-dreamy, ethereal effect
Pentatonic Scale
while any five-note pattern within the range of an octave, the particular pattern formed by playing up or down the five black notes on a keyboard is popular.ex. amazing grace
melody summary
the meaningful succession of pitches we call "melody" provides the linear aspect of musicHave distinctive outlines or contours, may be conjunct (stepwise) or disjunct (with wide skips between tones)tuneful melodies are easy to recognize & singfragmentary or motivic melodies offer rich potential for developmentlyrical melodies are songlike and seem relatively complete.a theme is a melody that recurs, in the same form or in altered form, throughout a piece or section of a piece of music.the scale on which a melody is based affects the emotional as well as the aesthetic character of the music.
Harmony
Simultaneous sounding of two or more different tones.-Harmony:music as perspective:painting because they add "depth"-developed during the Renaissance-melody & harmony work close togetherex. singers melody & instrumental harmony-neither positive or negative connotations-refers simply & objectively to meaningful combinations of tones
Chord
Meaningful (as opposed to random) combination of three or more tones/pitches sounded simultaneously & conceived not as an incidental result of combined tones but as a meaningful whole.-random combinations of pitches don't constitute chords, just as random successive tones don't constitute a melody-built of any combination of intervals-melodies often outline chords, implying appropriate accompanying harmonies
Triad
The chord most common in traditional Western musicConsists of one third piled on top of another.ex. triad outlined by the first six tones of "The Star Spangled Banner" suggests a likely harmonic accompaniment for that portion of the piece
Tonality, tonal system
System of harmony, based on the major and minor scales, that has dominated Western music since the 17th century.-tonality refers to the dominance of the tonic note over the other pitches in the major or minor scale.-each note w/in the scale is specifically distant or close to the tonic-each of the triads build on the notes of the scale leads systematically away from or toward the tonic triad.
dominant V
-Fifth note of the major or minor scale.The strongest relationship exists between the tonic triad and the triad built on the 5th step of the scale, called the dominant.-dominant triad seems to lead or pull toward the conic, many compositions end with the harmonic cadence V-I
subdominant IV
-Fourth note of the major or minor scale.The next-closest chord to the tonic is the triad built on the fourth, or subdominant step of the scale, which gives a somewhat weaker sense of drive toward the tonic.ex. resolve directly to the tonic, as in "Amen" ORex. can lead through V to I
dissonance
when two or more tones occur simultaneously can result in an: -Active, unsettled sound.-evoking a sense of tension or drive*near the end of a piece, dissonance sometimes plays a purely functional role, suggesting an impending resolution to a consonant conclusionex. dissonant music combinations may alternate w/ consonant harmonies to raise & lower levels of tension & lend variety to the sound
Consonance
when two or more tones occur simultaneously can result in a:-passive (stable) sound that seems to be at rest.ex. dissonant music combinations may alternate w/ consonant harmonies to raise & lower levels of tension & lend variety to the sound
texture
manner in which melodic lines are used in musica composer uses melody lines-singly, combined with one another, or accompanied by harmony- to create texture in music.defined in terms of its predominantly melodic or harmoniac conception.ex. western music we have three basic textures, 2 primarily melodic and the third primarly harmonic.melodic lines="the threads of musical texture
monophonic texture (monophony)
(one melody line)one unaccompanied melodic line-whether sung or played on one or more musical instrumentsex. gregorian chant
polyphonic texture (polyphony)
(melody in more than one line; with or without accompanying chords)Combination of two ore more simultaneous melodic lines.-can involve a combination of melodies different from each other, compared to a round in which the same lies are sung.Ex. Its a small world after all-the two melodies sung together form harmony, though each line retains it melodic integrity.
I, IV, V
3 chords have importance not only @ cadence points but throughout traditional western music.-using these 3 related chords a musician can accompany melodies
Sharply dissonant sounds affect the viewer
increasing the level of tension, fear, or excitement.
Serene or romantic scenes of movies:
often occur to the accompaniment of consonant, or gently-perhaps sensuously-dissonant music.
London Bridge is Falling Down
dissonant harmonies form: theme and variationstuneful melody sering as the them that unites the piece, and the (harmonic, rhythmic,etc.) variations of the melody adding interest
Gregorian Chant
example of monophony-sung in unison (all voices on the same pitch or in octaves) by an unaccompanied choir
Round
A melody that may be performed by two or more voices entering at different times, thus producing harmony, though all of the voices are singing melody lines.
Homophony
(a melody accompanied by chords)On the other hand, a melody accompanied by other voices that are producing harmony, but are not primarily of melodic significance themselves, produces the texture called homophony.-a melody is accompanied by chordal harmony, a concept we consider essentially harmonicex. hymns usually accompanied by chords on a pianoex. folk singers play chords on an instrument to accompany themselves.ex. a band provides harmonic accompaniment while crowd sings "star spangled banner
Heterophony
A kind of inexact unison, hear more often in non-western than in western, results in a fourth texture.(two ore more versions of the same melody)-several voices and or instruments perform the same melody but freely embellish according to individual inclination resulting in the simultaneous sounding of different tones
Harmony Summary
-sophisticated, late, development in history of western music-accomplished by the simultaneous sounding of two or more different tones-active or dissonant combinations work together with passive, or consonant sounds to produce varied effects in western music-a meaningful combination of 3 or more tones is called a chord, and the most basic chord is called a triad-there are 3 basic texture in western music: monophony (a single melody line with no harmony), polyphony (the result of the combination of simultaneous melodic lines), homophony (a melody accompanied by chordal harmony)-free & independent embellishment of a melody resulting in an inexact unison is called heterophony
orchestra
mixed ensemble of string, wind, and percussion instruments