Chapter 6. Musical Form
Key Points
• Form is the organizing principle in music; its basic elements are repetition, contrast, and variation.
• Strophic form, common in songs, features repeated music for each stanza of text.
• Binary form ( A- B) and ternary form ( A- B- A) are basic structures in music.
• A theme is a melodic idea in a large- scale work and can be broken into small, component fragments (motives). A sequence results when a motive is repeated at a different pitch.
• Many cultures use call- and- response (or responsorial) music, a repetitive style involving a soloist and a group. Some music is created spontaneously in performance, through improvisation.
• An ostinato is the repetition of a short melodic, rhythmic, or harmonic pattern.
• Large-scale compositions, such as symphonies and sonatas, are divided into sections, or movements.
“Music composition is an organic form in which the individual tones are bound together within a phrase, the phrases within a section, the sections within a movement (a complete, comparatively independent division of a large-scale work), and the movements within the work as a whole – just as a novel binds together the individual words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs, chapters, and parts.” (page 34)
Chapter 7. Musical Expression: Tempo and Dynamics
Key Points
• Tempo is the rate of speed, or pace, of the music.
• We use Italian terms to describe musical tempo: some of the most common are allegro (fast), moderato (moderate), adagio (quite slow), accelerando (speeding up), and ritardando (slowing down).
• Dynamics describe the volume, or how loud or soft the music is played; Italian terms for dynamics include forte (loud) and piano (soft).
• Composers indicate tempo and dynamics in music as a means of expression.
“If tempo and dynamics are the domain of the composer, what is the role of performers and conductors in interpreting a musical work?” (page 37)
Chapter 8. Voices and Musical Instrument Families
Key Points
• Properties of sound include pitch, duration, volume, and timbre, or tone color.
• An instrument generates vibrations and transmits them into the air.
• The human voice can be categorized into various ranges, including soprano and alto for female voices, and tenor and bass for male voices.
• The world instrument classification system divides into aerophones (such as flutes or horns), chordophones (such as violins or guitars), idiophones (such as bells or cymbals) and membranophones (drums).
“The human voice is the most natural of all musical instruments; it is also one of the most widely used – all cultures have some form of vocal music. Each person’s voice has a particular quality, or character, and range.” (page 39-40)
Chapter 9. Western Musical Instruments
Key Points
• The four families of Western instruments are strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion.
• String instruments (chordophones) are sounded by bowing and plucking.
• Bowed strings include violin, viola, cello, and double bass; plucked strings include harp and guitar.
• Woodwind instruments (aerophones) include flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and saxophone.
• Brass instruments (aerophones) include trumpet, French horn, trombone, and tuba.
• Percussion instruments include idiophones (xylophone, cymbals, triangle) and membranophones (timpani, bass drum); some instruments are pitched (chimes) while others are unpitched (tambourine).
• Keyboard instruments, such as piano and organ, do not fit neatly into the Western classification system.
Chapter 10. Musical Ensembles
Key Points
• Choral groups often feature a cappella singing, with no accompaniment.
• Chamber music is ensemble music for small groups, with one player per part.
• Standard chamber ensembles include string quartets, woodwind quintets, and brass quintets.
• The modern orchestra features eighty to one hundred players.
• Large ensembles generally use a conductor who beats patterns with a baton to help performers keep the same tempo.
Chapter 11. Style and Function of Music in Society
Key Points
• Music provides different functions—for religion, work, entertainment—in societies around the world.
• Most cultures have sacred music, for religious functions, and secular music, for nonreligious activities.
• There are many genres, or categories, of music; some works cross over categories, borrowing elements of one style for use in another.
• The medium is the specific group (e.g., orchestra, chorus) that performs a piece.
• Some music is not written down, but is known through oral transmission.
• The distinctive features of any artwork make up its style. A musical style is created through individual treatment of the basic musical elements.
• We organize styles of artworks into historical periods, each with its own characteristics.
“Just as the context of music – when, why, and by whom a piece is performed – varies from culture to culture, so do aesthetic judgment.” (page 64)
“In short, a style is made up of pitch, time, timbre, and expression, creating a sound that each culture recognizes as its own.” (page 65)
“The style of a period, then, is the total language of all its artists as they react to the artistic, political, economic, religious, and philosophical forces that shape their environment. We will find that a knowledge of historical styles will help us place a musical work within the context (time and place) in which it was created.” (page 66)
Key Points
• Form is the organizing principle in music; its basic elements are repetition, contrast, and variation.
• Strophic form, common in songs, features repeated music for each stanza of text.
• Binary form ( A- B) and ternary form ( A- B- A) are basic structures in music.
• A theme is a melodic idea in a large- scale work and can be broken into small, component fragments (motives). A sequence results when a motive is repeated at a different pitch.
• Many cultures use call- and- response (or responsorial) music, a repetitive style involving a soloist and a group. Some music is created spontaneously in performance, through improvisation.
• An ostinato is the repetition of a short melodic, rhythmic, or harmonic pattern.
• Large-scale compositions, such as symphonies and sonatas, are divided into sections, or movements.
“Music composition is an organic form in which the individual tones are bound together within a phrase, the phrases within a section, the sections within a movement (a complete, comparatively independent division of a large-scale work), and the movements within the work as a whole – just as a novel binds together the individual words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs, chapters, and parts.” (page 34)
Chapter 7. Musical Expression: Tempo and Dynamics
Key Points
• Tempo is the rate of speed, or pace, of the music.
• We use Italian terms to describe musical tempo: some of the most common are allegro (fast), moderato (moderate), adagio (quite slow), accelerando (speeding up), and ritardando (slowing down).
• Dynamics describe the volume, or how loud or soft the music is played; Italian terms for dynamics include forte (loud) and piano (soft).
• Composers indicate tempo and dynamics in music as a means of expression.
“If tempo and dynamics are the domain of the composer, what is the role of performers and conductors in interpreting a musical work?” (page 37)
Chapter 8. Voices and Musical Instrument Families
Key Points
• Properties of sound include pitch, duration, volume, and timbre, or tone color.
• An instrument generates vibrations and transmits them into the air.
• The human voice can be categorized into various ranges, including soprano and alto for female voices, and tenor and bass for male voices.
• The world instrument classification system divides into aerophones (such as flutes or horns), chordophones (such as violins or guitars), idiophones (such as bells or cymbals) and membranophones (drums).
“The human voice is the most natural of all musical instruments; it is also one of the most widely used – all cultures have some form of vocal music. Each person’s voice has a particular quality, or character, and range.” (page 39-40)
Chapter 9. Western Musical Instruments
Key Points
• The four families of Western instruments are strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion.
• String instruments (chordophones) are sounded by bowing and plucking.
• Bowed strings include violin, viola, cello, and double bass; plucked strings include harp and guitar.
• Woodwind instruments (aerophones) include flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and saxophone.
• Brass instruments (aerophones) include trumpet, French horn, trombone, and tuba.
• Percussion instruments include idiophones (xylophone, cymbals, triangle) and membranophones (timpani, bass drum); some instruments are pitched (chimes) while others are unpitched (tambourine).
• Keyboard instruments, such as piano and organ, do not fit neatly into the Western classification system.
Chapter 10. Musical Ensembles
Key Points
• Choral groups often feature a cappella singing, with no accompaniment.
• Chamber music is ensemble music for small groups, with one player per part.
• Standard chamber ensembles include string quartets, woodwind quintets, and brass quintets.
• The modern orchestra features eighty to one hundred players.
• Large ensembles generally use a conductor who beats patterns with a baton to help performers keep the same tempo.
Chapter 11. Style and Function of Music in Society
Key Points
• Music provides different functions—for religion, work, entertainment—in societies around the world.
• Most cultures have sacred music, for religious functions, and secular music, for nonreligious activities.
• There are many genres, or categories, of music; some works cross over categories, borrowing elements of one style for use in another.
• The medium is the specific group (e.g., orchestra, chorus) that performs a piece.
• Some music is not written down, but is known through oral transmission.
• The distinctive features of any artwork make up its style. A musical style is created through individual treatment of the basic musical elements.
• We organize styles of artworks into historical periods, each with its own characteristics.
“Just as the context of music – when, why, and by whom a piece is performed – varies from culture to culture, so do aesthetic judgment.” (page 64)
“In short, a style is made up of pitch, time, timbre, and expression, creating a sound that each culture recognizes as its own.” (page 65)
“The style of a period, then, is the total language of all its artists as they react to the artistic, political, economic, religious, and philosophical forces that shape their environment. We will find that a knowledge of historical styles will help us place a musical work within the context (time and place) in which it was created.” (page 66)