The Elements of Music
Chapters 1 - 9
Sound: Pitch, Dynamics, and
Tone Color
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Pitch- The high or low quality of sound
Dynamics- The loud or soft quality of
music
Tone color- Also known as timbre, refers
to the unique quality of sound
Dynamics
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Forte--f,ff,fff-loud
Piano--p,pp,ppp-very soft
Mezzo---mf,mp--medium
Crescendo--gradually louder
Decrescendo,diminuendo--gradually
softer
Voices
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Women’s Voices
– Soprano
– Mezzo-soprano
– Alto
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Men’s Voices
– Tenor
– Baritone
– Bass
Orchestral Instruments: Strings
pictures on p. 13-14
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Violin- highest pitched of string family
Viola- medium pitched, takes role of
supporting actor
Cello- larger and lower pitched than
viola, held between knees
Bass- largest and lowest pitched of
string family, played while standing
Harp-47 strings and 7 foot pedals
Orchestral Instruments: Woodwinds
pictures on p. 17-19
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Piccolo- highest pitched
Flute- blown across tone hole
Oboe- highest pitched of double reeds
Orchestral Instruments: Woodwinds
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English horn- low oboe sound
Clarinet- single reed
Bassoon- lowest pitched of the double
reed instruments, aka “clown” of the
orchestra. Produces deep, nasal tone
Saxophone- made of brass, single reed
Orchestral Instruments: Brass
pictured on page 21
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Trumpet- highest pitched of the brass
family
French horn-not as bright as a trumpet,
consists of coiled tubing and is often
used for hunting calls
Trombone- incorporates a movable slide
to change pitches
Tuba- the lowest pitched of the brass
instruments
Orchestral Instruments: percussion
pictured on pp. 22-23
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Pitched percussion instruments
– Timpani: large kettle drums
– Glockenspiel: metal bars hit struck with
mallets
– Xylophone: wooden bars struck with
mallets, producing a dry brittle sound
– Celesta: small upright piano that sounds
like a glockenspiel
– Chimes: a set of metal tubes hung from a
frame which are struck by a hammer
Orchestral Instruments: Percussion
pictured on pp. 23-24
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Unpitched percussion instruments
– Bass drum
– Snare drum
– Cymbals
– Gong
– Triangle
– Tambourine
Orchestral Instruments: Keyboards
Pictured on pp. 26-27
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Piano: keys activate hammers that hit
strings
Harpsichord: keys activate plectra which
pluck the strings
Pipe organ: keys control valves that
channel air through various pipes
Rhythm
The flow of music through time; the pattern of
durations of notes and silences in music
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Beat - the pulse of music
Meter- the grouping of beats
Tempo - the speed of the beat (pg. 34)
Accent - a pitch that is played more
loudly, held longer or is higher in pitch
than the nearby notes
Syncopation- When an accented note
comes where we would normally not
expect it
Tempo Markings
Tempo Markings
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Molto-much
Non troppo-not too much (fast or slow)
Accelerando- gradually faster
Ritardando- gradually slower
Music Notation
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Notating pitch
– Staff: the five lines and four spaces on
which music is written
– Note: an oval which represents a specific
pitch
– Clef: placed at the beginning of the staff,
the clef assigns pitch names to the lines
and spaces (pg. 36)
Music Notation (cont.)
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Notating Rhythm
– Durations: the color of the note and the
presence of stems or flags and beams and
dots affect the duration of a note (pg. 37)
– Rests:symbols for pauses with specific
durations (pg. 36)
Music Notation (cont.)
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Notating meter
– Time signature: placed next to the clef, the
top number of the time signature indicates
the grouping of beats and the bottom
number indicates what kind of note will
receive one beat.
Melody
A succession of pitches which add up to a
recognizable whole
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Intervals: the distance between two
pitches
Sequence: the repetition of a melodic
pattern at a higher or lower pitch
Cadence: a resting spot
Harmony
the vertical aspect of music
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Chord: a combination of three or more
notes sounded simultaneously
Consonance: harmony that is stable
and restful to the ear
Dissonance:tense and unstable
harmony that demands onward motion
to stable harmony (resolution)
Key - Tonality
the homing instinct of music
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Major scale: a succession of eight pitches
arranged from low to high, based on the
intervals of the white keys of a piano (pg. 46)
Minor scale: a succession of eight pitches
arranged from low to high, based on a
specific pattern of whole and half steps which
results in a dark quality of melody and
harmony
Key-Tonality (cont.)
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Chromatic scale: a series of 12 pitches
based on the black and white keys of
the piano
Modulation: the shifting from one key to
another
Texture
layers of sound
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Monophonic: a single unaccompanied
melody line
Polyphonic: two or more independent
melody lines happening simultaneously
Homophonic: melody plus
accompaniment
Musical Form
the shape, structure and organization of music
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Binary form: AB
Ternary form: ABA
Rondo: ABACAD…
Theme and Variations:A A’ A’’ A’’’ A’’’’…
Ballad form: AABA
Strophic:stanzas or verses
Call and response