Tempo
• An Italian word which literally means “time”. In Music it
refers to Speed. Music may move at a fast, Moderate, or
slow speed and varying degrees.
• Tempo is more accurately indicated in musical scores
by metronome designations, which show the number of
beats per minute.
Basic Tempo Markings
• Allegro(Fast)(120-156 bpm)
• Vivace(Lively)(156-176 bpm)
• Moderato(Moderate Spped)(108-120 bpm)
• Andante(Moderately slow)(76-108 bpm)
• Adagio(slower than andante)(66-76 bpm)
• Lento(Slow)(45-60 bpm)
• Largo(Very Slow)40-60 bpm)
Melody
is that element of music which makes the most direct
appeal. It is generally what we remember and whistle or
hum. By melody we mean an ordely succession of tones
or musical sounds.
Melody divides itself into two halves, each half is called
Phrase. In music, as in language, a phrase denotes a unit
of meaning within a larger structure.
Motif
is the smallest melodic unit which expands into a phrase, a tones easily
encompassed in one breath.
Cadence
in music means a closing phrase. An entire melody is formed out of repeated and
contrasting phrases.
Characteristic of Melody
Dimension
Melody has two dimensions. Length and Range.
Length
of the melody is relatively to the number of measurement which compose it.
Generally speaking, popular songs consist of one, two or more melodies which
are repeated several times.
Range is the pitch distance from its lowest to its highest tone.
Register is the relatively highness or lowness of the aggregate
tones of a melody.It may have a high, medium or low
register.
Direction – Melody moves in two direction of pitch, upward
and downward.A melody may move rapidly or gradually in
either direction: rapidly ascending, rapidly descending,
gradually ascending and gradually descending.
A melody which remains at a given pitch, moving neither up
nor down any appreciable distance is called a static melody.
Progression refers to the intervals(pitch distance) between
the tones as melody move from one tone to the next.
Tone
as distinguished from common noise, is a sound
produced by regular vibrations of air. Sounds made by
wind, traffic, clapping of hands, or creaking of the doors
are merely noise because vibrations are irregular.
Components of tone
Pitch refers to the highness or lowness of a tonal sound. It
is a physical principle that the faster the vibration are, the
higher the pitch will be and the slower the vibrations, the
lower the pitch.
Duration is determined by the length of time the vibration
is sustained.
Intensity of Volumes Tones may vary in their degree of
loudness and softness. Intensity is fundamental to musical
rhythm(as accent), and it provides the basis for a
separate musical element(dynamics).
Timbre or quality This property enables one to distinguish
one sound from another, one instrument from another.
HARMONY
Simultaneous sounding of two or more tones.
Chord progression
Chords not only are constructed in a variety ways, but
also progress from one to another according to many
different plans. - The scheme by which chords change.
Consonance and dissonance Consonance
certain combinations of tones produce a quality of
repose or relaxation.
Dissonance
certain other combinations of tones produce a quality of
unrest or tension.
Tonality
• is the arrangement of pitches and/or chords of a
musical work in a hierarchy of perceived relations,
stabilities, attractions and directionality. In this hierarchy,
the individual pitch or triadic chord with the greatest
stability is called the tonic.
• The most common use of the term "is to designate the
arrangement of musical phenomena around a
referential tonic in European music from about 1600 to
about 1910" (Hyer 2001). Contemporary classical music
from 1910 to the 2000s may practice or avoid any sort of
tonality—but harmony in almost all Western popular
music remains tonal.[vague] Harmony in jazz includes
many but not all tonal characteristics of the European
common practice period, sometimes known as
"classical music".
Polytonality
Music which two or more keys are combines
simultaneously in a single composition,. - Is used to
bring out the different levels or planes of the
harmony.
Multitonality
Displaced tonality.
Atonal
It is music that rejects the framework of key.
Dynamics
• Forte- loud
• Piano- soft
• Fortissimo- very loud Pianissimo- very soft
• Mezzo forte- moderately loud
• Mezzo piano-moderately soft To the direction of
dynamics:
Crescendo- becoming louder
Diminuendo- becoming soft
Sudden stress
forzando(accent on a single note or chord). The
number of terms embraces both tempo and
dynamics.
Andante
fairly slow and majestic - Implies a stately pace and
full sonority
Timbre
Is tone of quality. Every musical medium has its own
distinctive quality of tone.The tone quality of each of
the following instruments – a piano, an organ, an
orchestra, a band, a voice, and the like- can be
easily identified by anyone who has heard this
instruments.
Texture
In music, texture refers to the melodic and harmonic
relationship of musical factor.
Types of Texture
• Monophonic Texture
• Homophonic Texture
• Polyphhonic Texture
• Nonmelodic Texture
Monophonic Texture
Is the simplest of musical textures, consisting of a
melody, typically sung by a single singer or played by
a single instrument player without accompanying
harmony or chords.
Homophonic Texture
Here, we have a single melody with chords.
We here homophonic texture when the pianist plays
the melody with his right hand while the left sounds
the chords, or when the singer carries the tune
against a harmonic accompaniment on the piano.
A folk song with guitar accompaniment is
homophonic music.
Polyphonic Texture
Or many voice texture. this is the combination of two
or more melodies of more or less equal prominence.
The terms “polyphonic” and “contrapuntal” are
nearly synonymous. To create polyphonic texture,
there should be at least be two melody sounded
simultaneously.
Nonmelodic Texture
Is created for sound effects in which harmonic sounds
obscure or partly exclude the melodic content of a
composition. This occurs in contemporary and
modern music.
Sonority
Is an attribute of texture which is based more on
harmonic than melodic consideration. This refers to
quality of richness or thinness of texture.it is
determined by:
1. The number of parts
2. Spacing of tones
3. Register of tones
4. timbre
1. The Number of Parts
Refers to the number of voices
2. Spacing of Tones
Refers to the musical intervals between the parts.
3. Register of Tones
Refers whether the tones are high, medium or low.
4. Timbre
Refers to the tone quality .