WEAVING THREADS OF
SONG
MUSIC IN FICTION
PERIODS OF WESTERN MUSIC
• Medieval (Before 1400): Simple, Gregorian chant, organum,
religious forms
• Renaissance (1420-1600): religious and secular, the madrigal,
polyphony
• Baroque (1600-1750): “large pearl”, opera, oratorios, dance
music, Johann Sebastian Bach
• Classical (1750-1820): “classical music”, rules of music,
symphonies, opera, concertos, Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn
• Romantic (1820-1900): music focusing on emotion, epic,
storytelling, Wagner Opera, Wagner, Mendelssohn, Chopin,
Berlioz, Tchaikovsky
• 21-Century (1900-Present): Breaking all the rules, jazz, modern
music, new takes on classical music. Rachmaninoff, Bartok,
Mahler, Debussy, Schoenberg, Stravinsky
• For More Information: http://www.ipl.org/div/mushist/
HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN
“Where words
fail, music
speaks.”
WHAT DOES MUSIC DO?
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Music for Celebration (weddings, birthdays, etc.)
Music for Mourning (funerals, etc.)
Music for Storytelling (oral tradition)
Music as Art (concerts, recitals)
Music for Worship (church, holidays)
Music for Battle (war cries, sports, competitions)
Music as a Messenger (influencing culture)
Music as Entertainment (concerts, radio)
Music as Inspiration (writers, artists, etc)
MUSICAL FEELINGS
• Major vs. Minor (some music
sounds sad, some happy)
• Dynamics, (the changes in
volume)
• Tempo (the speed)
• Instruments and Timbre (the
quality of the sound: brass
vs. strings)
• For more:
http://www.musictheory.net
/
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN
“Music is a
higher
revelation
than all
wisdom and
philosophy.”
SECTIONS OF THE ORCHESTRA
• Brass: Tuba, French horn, trumpet, trombone
• Used for: fanfare, royalty, pomp
• Woodwind: Oboe, bassoon, flute, clarinet
• Used for: gentle, peaceful, jazzy
• Percussion: drums, etc
• Driving, excitement, accent, emphasis
• Strings: violin, viola, cello, string bass
• Intense emotion, mellow, supporting
THE ORCHESTRA
METER IN LYRICS
• When writing lyrics, you need to think about the
meter of the lines.
• The meter is equal to the number of syllables on
each line.
• A meter is often represented by a series of numbers:
• 868686 or 8888
• Think about stressed and unstressed syllables, usually
in groups of two or three, called “feet”.
• For example: x _ _/ x _ _/ x _ _/ x_ _
TYPES OF METER
Foot Type
Style
Stress Pattern
Syllable Count
Iamb
Iambic
U+S
Two
Trochee
Trochaic
S+U
Two
Spondee
Spondaic
S+S
Two
Anapest
Anapestic
U+U+S
Three
Dactyl
Dactylic
S+U+U
Three
Amphibrach
Amphibrachic
U+S+U
Three
Pyrrhic
Pyrrhic
U+U
Two
One foot = monometer
Two feet = dimeter
Three feet trimeter
Four feet = tetrameter
Five feet = pentameter
BERTHOLD AUERBACH
“Music
washes away
from the soul
the dust of
everyday
life.”
RHYME SCHEME
• The “rhyme scheme” refers to the pattern to the
rhymes at the end of each line.
• You can choose a traditional scheme, or none at all
depending on the type of song.
• These are usually shown through pairs of matching
letters.
• Examples: ABAB, AABB, ABABCDCD
• Put an “x” to show where things do not rhyme
COMMON TYPES OF SCHEMES
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ABAB
XAXA
AABB
AAAA
AXAA
ABBA
AXXA
OTHER NAMES
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Couplet = AA
Triplet = AAA
Ballade = ABABBCBC
Limerick = AABBA
Sonnet = ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
VICTOR HUGO
“Music
expressed that
which cannot
be said and
on which it is
impossible to
keep silent.”
WHY INCLUDE MUSIC?
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It can help you tell the story, especially backstory.
It can be a great world building tool.
It can provide variety and spice.
It can help invoke strong feelings such as wonder,
horror, excitement.
WHY NOT INCLUDE MUSIC?
• It can break the narrative flow.
• It can be hard to get “just right”.
• It can be done “just because” or for the wrong
reasons.
• Some people will skip over it no matter what.
LEAVE IT TO THEIR IMAGINATION?
• You can describe music without writing everything
down.
• You avoid problems with copyright.
• Unless you are a gifted songwriter, your reader’s
imagination might be better than what you can
come up with on your own.
• You can describe the emotions associated with the
music and other effects without talking about the
music in detail.
PLATO
“Music is a
moral law. It
gives soul to the
universe, wings
to the mind,
flight to the
imagination,
and charm and
gaiety to life
and to
everything.”
COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS
• You cannot use copyrighted lyrics without getting
permission from the copyright holder.
• You can use anything that is in public domain,
usually older texts.
• “Fair Use” may protect you, but it is still risky.
• Learn more at copyright.gov.
• Titles are not copyrighted, but play it safe.
MUSIC = MAGIC
• Music can be white magic or black magic.
• Evil magic
• The Pied Piper Mind Control
• The Lorelei, Seduction
• The Magic Flute, Black Magic
• Good Magic
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Tangled, Restoring Youth
The Little Mermaid, Love
The Ocarina of Time, All sorts of magic
The Chronicles of Narnia/Lord of the Rings, Sleeping spells,
others
MARTIN LUTHER
“Beautiful music is
the art of the
prophets that can
calm the
agitations of the
soul; it is one of the
most magnificent
and delightful
presents God has
given us.”
MUSIC HAS REAL POWER
• Can help motivate, calm, inspire.
• King Davis and King Saul
• It can send messages between those who do not
speak the same language.
• It can enhance the memory of an event.
• It can help people learn.
• It reduces stress and improves health.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
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Music History: http://www.ipl.org/div/mushist/
Music Theory: http://www.musictheory.net/
Copyright Law: www.copyright.gov
Quotes about Music:
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_
music.html
WHERE TO FIND ME:
My site: http://www.writermike.com
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/authormicha
elyoung
Twitter: @mdybyu
Other:
thesongoftherighteous.wordpress.com
adventanthology.wordpress.com
www.bigworldnetwork.com
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
“If music be
the food of
love, play
on.”