Unit 1 Review PowerPoints
Musical Elements
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Provides entertainment.
◦ Concerts
◦ Informal music making
◦ Singing to the radio
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Provides emotional release
◦ Stress reducer
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Accompanies activities
◦ Dances
◦ Sporting events
◦ Church
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An art based on the organization of sounds in
time.
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Modern technology
◦ Computers
◦ Ipod’s
◦ Stereo
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200 years ago, you had to go to a concert hall
to listen to music.
You can listen to music as often as you want,
wherever you want.
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Artists put themselves on the line.
◦ Training and magnetism must overcome technical
difficulties to involve the listener’s emotions.
◦ Only exists for a moment- can never be repeated.
◦ Allows for more exchange of feelings and emotions
between artist and audience.
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Even pr0fessional critics can differ strongly in
their evaluations of a performance.
No one “truth” about what we hear and feel.
Up to listeners to evaluate performances of
music.
Sound: Pitch, Dynamics, and Tone Color
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Squeaks and honks of traffic
Laughter
Dog’s barking
Rain/Wind
◦ We need sounds to communicate
◦ Silence can communicate just as well as sound.
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We can direct our attention to different
sounds
◦ Party
 Focus on people we are talking too.
 Ignore conversations further away.
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Actually, we shut out most sounds, paying
attention only to those of interest.
◦ 4’33’’- John Cage
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The sensation produced by stimulation of the
organs of hearing by vibrations transmitted
through the air or other medium.
◦ Begins with the vibration of an object, such as a table that
is pounded or a string that is plucked.
◦ Vibrations are transmitted to our ears by a medium, which
is usually air.
◦ Eardrums start vibrating too, and impulses, or signals, are
transmitted to the brain.
◦ Impulses are selected, organized, and interpreted.
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The relative highness or lowness that we hear
in a sound.
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Without differences of pitch, speech would be
boring, and- worse- there would be no music
as we know it.
Pitch of sound is determined by the frequency
of its vibrations.
◦ Faster=Higher
◦ Slower=Lower
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In music, a sound that has a definite pitch is
called a tone.
◦ Specific frequency
 A=440 cycles per second
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Two tones will sound different when they
have different pitches.
The “distance” in pitch between any two tones
is called an interval.
An octave is a specific distance between
pitches of the same name. Ex. A1 to A2
◦ Number of cycles doubles for every octave up.
◦ When sounded at the same time, two tones an
octave apart blend so well that they almost seem to
merge into one tone.
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Filled with seven different pitches before
arriving at the top note, which “duplicates”
the starting note.
◦ These seven tones dominated western civilization
for centuries.
◦ Seven tones are produced by the white keys of the
piano.
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Five pitches were added.
◦ Black keys of the keyboard.
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The distance between the lowest and highest
tones that a voice or instrument can produce
is called its pitch range, or simply its range.
◦ Untrained voice- between 1 and 2 octaves
◦ Piano- over 7 octaves
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Degrees of loudness or softness in music are
called dynamics.
◦ Can be sudden
◦ Can be gradual
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Accent
◦ When a performer emphasizes a tone by
playing/singing it more loudly than the tones
around it.
Term
Abbreviation
Pianissimo
pp
Piano
p
Meaning
Very soft
Soft
Mezzo piano
mp
Moderately soft
Mezzo forte
mf
Moderately loud
Forte
f
Loud
Fortissimo
ff
Very loud
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For extremes of softness and loudness,
composers use ppp or pppp and fff and ffff
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Crescendo
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Decrescendo
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We can tell a trumpet from a flute even when
each of them is playing the same tone at the
same dynamic level.
The characteristic quality of each
instrument’s sound is called its tone color, or
timre.
Changes in tone color create variety and
contrast.
Tone colors build a sense of continuity.
A practically unlimited variety of tone colors
is available to composers.
Performing Media: Voices and Instruments

Singing is/has been the most widespread and
familiar way of making music.
◦ History of singing starts in Ancient Greece.
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The voice has a unique ability to fuse a word
with a musical tone, and for this reason
poetry and singing have been inseparable in
many cultures.
Correct singing is hard!
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Wider ranges of pitch and volume than
speech
Greater supply and control of breath
Working vocal folds
Good ear
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Depends on training and physical makeup
Professionals command 2 octaves or more
Untrained usually limited to 1 ½
Men’s vocal folds are longer and thicker than
women’s
◦ Difference produces a lower range in men
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There are four ranges of singers
◦
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Soprano
Alto
Tenor
Bass
 These can then be divided further into:
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Mezzo-soprano
Contralto
Counter Tenor
Baritone
Bass-baritone
Basso Profundo
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Singing technique varies widely from culture
to culture
◦ Asian- more nasal
◦ Africa- stand bending forward
◦ India- sit on the floor

In the West alone, there are several different
styles
◦
◦
◦
◦
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Classical
Pop
Jazz
Folk
Rock
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Until the late 1600’s, most music of western
culture was vocal.
Since then, composers have written for both
voice and instruments.
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Straight No Chaser
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Fe11OlMiz8
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Virtual Choir 3
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3rRaL-Czxw
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Le Nozee di Figaro
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Srf2fa_gimc
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Lady Gaga
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bHhpufKRjs
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Any mechanism-other than the voice-that
produces musical sounds.
Usually classified in six categories:
◦
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Strings
Woodwinds
Brass
Percussion
Keyboard
Electronic
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Often made in different sizes that produce
different ranges.
◦ Saxophones
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Sopranino
Soprano
Alto
Tenor
Baritone
Bass
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Tone color can vary with the register (part of
the total range.)
◦ Clarinet
 Dark and rich in its low register
 High register is brilliant and piercing.
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Instrumentalists try to match the beautiful,
flexible tone of a singer’s voice.
◦ Most instruments have a wider range than most
singers.
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Provide entertainment
Accompany singing, dancing, religious rites, and
drama.
Some cultures think they have magical powers
◦ Djembe
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Communication
◦ Drumbeats
◦ Horns
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Status symbol
◦ Anyone that was anyone had a piano during the 19th
century.
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Changes with the times
Only a fraction of all known instruments are
used today.
Interest in history has brought some back.
Instruments can cross cultures
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Compositions may be written for one instrument,
or many
Can be written for mixed groups, as well as
groups of like instruments.
Mixed:
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Like:
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◦ Concert band
◦ Marching band
◦ Orchestra
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String quartet
Brass quintet
Woodwind ensemble
Percussion ensemble
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Report must be at least two pages in length.
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Must include:
◦ Double spaced.
◦ If I cannot read it, I will make you type it!
◦
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◦
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Brief history of the instrument
How the instrument is made
How the instrument (or class of instruments) is/are played.
Brief section on two famous musicians that play this instrument (if
available).
Select from the vocabulary lists provided by Mr. Heithoff.
DO NOT USE WIKIPEDIA AS A SOURCE!!!!
Must have at least 3 sources:
◦ Book from the library or Mr. Heithoff
◦ One internet source.
◦ Encyclopedia (either web based or book based)
Include, at the end, a video from YouTube showing a
performance of the instrument (if available).
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Violin, viola, cello, and double bass form the
orchestra’s string section.
Other string instruments include the guitar,
banjo, sitar, and koto, as well as many others.
Vary in tone color, as well as in size and
range.
Violin is the smallest, double bass is the
largest.
Usually played with a bow, or can be plucked
with a finger.
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Itzhak Perlman
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJhPH16AJe8
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Joshua Bell
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITTbY1n3Iz8
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Stradivarius Violins
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrUy3L-6GR0
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Dubstep
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sf6LD2B_kDQ
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Elegy for Solo Viola
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4pGbFwC1s0
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Orchestra and Solo Viola
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRt1gc0e1MY
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Yo-Yo Ma
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHzfD6XLK7Q
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The Piano Guys
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry4BzonlVlw
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Apocalyptica
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sw4zcQn30mo
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Rinat Ibragimov
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dt-bNf6h0tI
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Adam Ben Ezra
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyUZh_Cbw6Q
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Berlin Philharmonic Double Bass Players
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYvYedsBA50
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Tommy Emmanuel
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S33tWZqXhnk
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Slash
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs0C9M5ahvQ
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So named because they produce vibrations of
air within a tube that traditionally was made
of wood.
Flutes and Piccolo’s now traditionally made of
metal.
All have holes along the length of the
instrument
◦ Opened and closed by fingers or pads

Flute Family
◦ Flute
◦ Piccolo
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Clarinet Family
◦ Clarinet
◦ Bass Clarinet
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Oboe Family
◦ Oboe
◦ English Horn
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Bassoon Family
◦ Bassoon
◦ Contrabassoon
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Most woodwind instruments use a reed to
produce vibrations.
Reed- very thin piece of cane, about 2 ½
inches long.
Single Reed Instruments- Clarinet, Saxophone
Double Reed Instruments- Oboe, English
Horn, Bassoon
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Saxophone
Recorder
Penny Whistle
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James Gallway
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI3wIHFQkAk
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Native American Flute
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SC9syForxPs
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Piccolo
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8ycH2nEqNY
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5Xx79y
GBpk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWbj7FYEi
3M
Bass Clarinet
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSZtX3WHF_E
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Gabriel’s Oboe
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WJhax7Jmxs
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English Horn
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HhrxVx1Ztc
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Super Mario
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gXh83hNnWw
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZGmWJ6
k264
Contrabassoon
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScUEgUZbpbU
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Alto
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnYMdsDzOPk
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Tenor
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLSOWrZy6xs
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Bari
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYAc0a178d0
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvWpiUOU
7xA
Chapter 2- Brass Instruments
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From high to low, the main brass instruments
of the symphony orchestra are the trumpet,
French horn, trombone, and tuba.
Trumpets and trombones can also be found
in jazz and rock groups
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Sound is produced by vibrations from lips
caused by blowing into a cup or funnel
shaped mouthpiece.
Can be played softly and loudly, as well as
with a wide variety of timbre’s.
Modern instruments made from brass
Earlier counterparts were made of hollow
animal horns, elephant tusks, and even glass.

Concert and marching bands use other brass
instruments that are not used in the orchestra
◦
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Cornet
Baritone horn
Euphonium
Flugel horn
Mellophone
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Can play a wide variety of pitches
◦ Valves
◦ Slide
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Pitch determined by the tension of the players
lips and length of instrument
Early instruments had no valves and used
crooks instead.
Can also use mutes to change the timbre of
the instrument.
Very powerful instruments, used for fanfares
and bold heroic statements.

Wynton Marsalis
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3blL4v-cY18

Adolph “Bud” Herseth
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qeqlg6McDBQ
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnsjJuNM
PsI
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Siegfried Horn Call
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MkMdlfl8Hg
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Vienna Horns
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnFl1q0IYTA
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How It’s Made
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTvYxP9tjQs
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Joe Alessi
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Gi1wmhojUg
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International Trombone Ensemble
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwXRw2QrFHY
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Jazz
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6QIkq_lGaI
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Bass Trombone
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggBrpvB9bs8
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Gene Pokorny
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b14hs-KTfiQ
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Carol Janstche
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9771OY6KwY
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Roger Bobo
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NymprfjizE
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Oystein Baadsvik
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0qIL2ie-VE
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Corps Style Brass
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvay3hbwX4M
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Brass Quintet
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjBT8ElQ7Pw
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Low Brass Ensemble
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fj7eri3NNY
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Most percussion instruments of the orchestra
are struck
◦ By hand
◦ With sticks
◦ With hammers

Some are shaken or rubbed
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Split into two categories
◦ Pitched
◦ Non-Pitched
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Timpani (kettledrums)
Glockenspiel
Xylophone
Celesta
chimes
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Snare drum (side drum)
Bass drum
Tambourine
Triangle
Cymbals
Gong (tam-tam)
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Vibrations of percussion instruments are set up
by:
◦ Stretched membranes
 Calfskin
 plastic
◦ Plates or bars
 Metal
 Wood
 Resin

Percussion instruments can be extremely loud

One percussionist may play several different
instruments within the same composition
◦ Bass drum
◦ Cymbals
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Percussion instruments have long been used
to emphasize rhythm and to heighten
climaxes.
Until the 20th century, they played a far less
important role than other instruments.
Since 1900, composers have written pieces to
show off the colors of the percussion section,
including entire pieces to show off one
instrument or group of instruments.

Timpani
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40k3AAbA7tM
◦ Also Sprach Zarathustra
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9QxaJLt7EA
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Xylophone
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRAyL5ai5Lg
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Glockenspiel
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAMXiv4Ohn8
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Chimes
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVLHmFuiBjM
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Celeste
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10B3e3k6CVs
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Snare Drum
◦ Hercules
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUShpruiqHo
◦ Bolero
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrEk06XXaAw
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Bass Drum
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Triangle
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Tambourine
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Cymbals
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDFFHaz9GsY
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5qkH9uYkOw
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvIbXL84duI
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FifeW-xtJy0
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwQVvCt7Sxg
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The piano, harpsichord, organ, and accordion
are the best-known keyboard instruments.
A keyboard permits the performer to play
several tones at the same time easily and
rapidly
The piano and, to a lesser extent, the organ
are sometimes used in modern symphony
orchestras for coloristic effects.
All keyboard instruments can be played solo.
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More great music has been written for the piano
than for any other solo instrument.
Incredibly versatile
◦ Can play several notes at once
◦ Wide range of pitches
◦ Wide dynamic range
When a key is struck, a felt covered hammer
strikes the string
◦ When the key is released, a felt damper stops all
vibration of the string.

Invented around 1700, but did not come into
wide use until the 1780s, and was mechanically
perfected in the 1850s.
◦ When did Bach die?

Strings are plucked by plectra
◦ Little wedges of plastic, leather, or quill.
◦ Controlled by one or two keyboards

Main stringed keyboard instrument from
1500 to about 1775
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Many sets of pipes controlled from several
keyboards, including a pedal keyboard for the
feet.
Different pipes are allowed to play by using
stops.
Dynamic change is created by altering the
number of stops used.
Greatest period of organ music was from
1600 to 1750
◦ Known as the “king of instruments”
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
Free steel rods are controlled by a treble
keyboard with piano keys, and a bass
keyboard controlled by buttons.
Reeds are caused to vibrate by air pressure
from a bellows.

Chopin
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGRO05WcNDk

Mozart
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-s68kHOnpiE

Liszt
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0odaG9qi818

Brahms
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxH50l50dvs

Schumann
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ynky7qoPnUU
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfuZL_RZ
wIw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVg8Oz2
xqe4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMPIMUu
E7yI
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBskjhd07
6o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYc0ipOh
RyA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipzR9bhei
_o
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYuF0y7
GJIo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9aj4PTEl
6Q

Electronic instruments produce or amplify
sound through electronic means
◦ Invented as early as 1904
◦ Significant impact since 1950
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
Tape Studio was the main tool of composers
of electronic music during the 1950s.
Synthesizers are systems of electronic
components that generate, modify, and
control sound.
◦ Vary in size and capacity

Analog synthesizers-
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Digital frequency modulation (FM) synthesis-

Effects devices

Sampling
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MIDI- musical instrument digital interface
◦ earliest synthesizer technology, uses a mixture of complex sounds
that are shaped by filtering.
◦ Invented by John Chowning
◦ Represents sound waves as numbers
◦ Reverb
◦ Echo
◦ Stereo splitters
◦ Placing brief digital recordings of live sounds under the control of
a synthesizer keyboard
◦ Standard adopted by manufacturers for interfacing synthesizer
equipment.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbHbQ37
o-Ck
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hdc03If_J
-E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4cgLL8J
aVI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8oDnUg
a0JU

Basic to life
Essence- recurring pattern
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In the widest sense, rhythm is the flow of

Almost all music uses rhythm in some way.
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music through time.
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
When you clap your hands or tap your foot to
music, you are responding to its beat.
Beat is a regular, recurrent pulsation that
divides music into equal units of time.
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sN2I6vdzgts

Beats can be represented by marks on a time
line.
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkIWmsP3c_s
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izQsgE0L450
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Rhythm is the flow of music through time.
Beat is a regular, recurrent pulsation that
divides music in equal units of time.
Beat must continue the same through at least
one measure.
Rhythm can constantly change, but generally
repeats.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sN2I6vdz
gts

The organization of beats into regular groups
is called Meter.
◦ First beat of a measure is called the downbeat.
◦ An unaccented pulse preceding the downbeat is the
upbeat.
◦ A pattern of 3 beats to the measure is known as
triple meter.
◦ A pattern of 4 beats to the measure is known as
quadruple meter.

When a note is emphasized more than the
notes around it, this is called an Accent.
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDFFHaz9GsY

When an accented note comes where we
normally would not expect one, the effect is
known as syncopation.
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The speed of the beat is called its Tempo.
A tempo indication is usually given at the
beginning of a piece.
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
Largo- very slow
Grave- very slow
Adagio- slow
Andante- moderately slow, a walking pace
Moderato- moderate
Allegretto- moderately fast
Allegro- fast
Vivace- lively
Presto- very fast
Prestissimo- as fast as possible.

I Got Rhythm
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvglHa_P9BA

Unsquare Dance
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDB4K5zCcfk

We use written words to express our thoughts
and communicate with others when we can’t
be with them.
◦ Letters
◦ Email
◦ Text

In music, ideas are also written down, or
notated, so that performers can play pieces
unknown to them.
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A system of writing music so that specific
pitches and rhythms can be communicated.
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Notes
◦ Indicate the pitch that is to be played
◦ Can be placed higher for higher pitches and lower
for lower pitches.
◦ Oval in shape- some can have stems and flags
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A set of five horizontal lines.
Notes are positioned either on the lines of the
staff or between them, in the spaces.
The higher a note is placed, the higher its
pitch.
If a pitch falls above or below the range
indicated by the staff, short, horizontal ledger
lines are used
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Seven of the twelve pitches that fill the octave
in western music are named after the first
seven letters of the alphabet
◦ A, B, C, D, E, F, G
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These notes correspond to the white keys on
the piano
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The other 5 notes that correspond to the
black keys of the piano, use the same pitch
names, A-G, but add an accidental, either a
#, b, or natural.
◦ # raises the pitch a half step
◦ b lowers the pitch a half step
◦ Natural cancels out a previous flat or sharp
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A clef is placed at the beginning of the staff
to show the pitch of each line and space
Two most common clefs are the treble clef
and the bass clef
Other clefs exist and are readily used.
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Music notation does not indicate the exact
duration of tones; instead, it shows how long
one tone lasts in relation to others in the
same piece.
A single note on the staff lasts longer or
shorter depending on how it looks, on
whether it is white or black and has a stem or
flags.
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Easier to recognize than define.
Melody- a series of single tones that add up
to a recognizable whole
Begins, moves, and ends
Has direction, shape, and continuity
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Moves by small intervals called steps or by
larger ones called leaps.
Step- an interval between two adjacent tones
in the do-re-mi scale.
Any interval larger than a step is a leap (do to
mi for example).
Range- distance between its lowest and
highest tones.
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The specific order of short and long notes in
a melody is important
◦ A well known melody can be almost unrecognizable
if not sung in proper rhythm
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItMJtA8vfpw
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How the tones of a melody are performed can
vary its effect, too
◦ Sometimes legato- smooth
◦ Sometimes staccato- short, detached
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Many melodies are made up of shorter parts
called phrases.
On the other hand, contrasting phrases can
provide variety
Composers often write entire pieces based
around these variations
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZyn2FDvvy0
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Phrases often appear in balanced pairs
◦ First phrase of rising pitches
◦ Followed by a second phrase of falling pitches
◦ Second phrase may partly repeat the first but have a
more conclusive ending, a point of arrival
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Cadence- a resting place at the end of a
phrase.
◦ Incomplete cadence- sets up expectations, ends
unfinished
◦ Complete cadence- gives an answer, feels final
◦ Deceptive cadence- tricks you into thinking the end
is near, then sends you somewhere else.
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http://www.ted.com/talks/benjamin_zander_
on_music_and_passion.html
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When folk singers accompany themselves on
a guitar, they add support, depth, and
richness to the melody. We call this
harmonizing. Most western culture is a blend
of melody and harmony.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64iQNn88
d_I
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Harmony – refers to the way chords are
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Chords- combination of three or more tones
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constructed and how they follow each other.
sounded at once.
- Essentially, a chord is a group of
simultaneous tones, and a melody is a series
of individual tones heard one after another.
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As a melody unfolds, it provides clues for
harmonizing- some of the tones of the
melody are usually included in the chords of
the accompaniment.
But a melody does not always dictate a
specific series, or progression, of chords.
Chords are selected primarily to fit a
melodies mood.
You can either write the melody first, or the
chords first, it does not matter.
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Some chords have been considered stable and
restful, others unstable and tense.
A tone combination that is stable is called a
consonance.
◦ Points of arrival, rest, and resolution.
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYecrfQjEJU
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mS6eghGr6m0
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A tone combination that is unstable is called a
dissonance.
◦ Its tension demands an onward motion to a stable chord.
◦ A dissonance has its resolution when it moves to a
consonance.
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2ZKKXCuaYc
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The simplest, most basic chord is the triad, which consists
of three tones.
A triad is made up of alternate tones of the scale, such as
the first tone, the third, and the fifth above the root.
A triad build on the first, or tonic, note of the scale is
called the tonic chord.
◦ It is the main chord of a piece, the most stable and conclusive.
◦ Traditionally, the tonic chord would usually begin a composition
and almost always end it.
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The triad built on the fifth note of the scale is next in
importance to the tonic, and is called the dominant chord.
◦ Strongly pulled toward the tonic chord
◦ A V-I progression gives a strong feeling of finality.
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A progression from dominant to tonic is called a cadence.
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When individual tones of a chord are sounded
one after another, it is called a broken chord,
or arpeggio.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oB3iqb93
xOc
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Listen to the prelude, and discuss these
items:
◦ How it sounds (eg. Happy or sad)
◦ Whether it uses primarily chords or arpegios
◦ Is there more consonance or dissonance?
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Write a one paragraph explanation for each
item (a paragraph equals 4 complete
sentences with a beginning, middle, and end
to the paragraph.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef4Bv5Ng0w
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Practically all melodies are built around a
central tone.
◦ Every other tone of the melody gravitate toward this
central tone.
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Since the central tone is especially stable and
restful, a melody usually ends on it.
Keynote or tonic- the central tone that
melodies gravitate toward.
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Key- involves not only a central tone but also
a central scale and chord.
◦ A piece in the key of C has a basic scale that starts
and ends on C
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Compositions traditionally end with the
restful tonic chord, which is built up from the
tonic note.
◦ Another term for key is tonality.
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A scale is made up of the basic pitches of a piece
of music arranged in order from low to high or
from high to low.
◦ Many different scales have been used throughout time.
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Major scale- made up of 7 different pitches (the
8th is a repeat of the tonic an octave higher)
arranged in a pattern of whole and half steps.
(WWHWWWH)
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rQSJDLM8ZE
◦ Half step- traditionally the smallest interval used in
wester music.
◦ Whole step- twice as large as the half step.
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Consists of seven different tones and an
eighth tone that duplicates the first an octave
higher.
Differs in its pattern of intervals
◦ WHWWHWW
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bzWSJG93P8
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To indicate the key of a piece of music, the
composer uses a key signature, consisting of
sharp or flat signs immediately following the
clef sign and the beginning of the staff.
By using a key signature, a composer avoids
having to write a sharp or a flat sign before
every sharped or flatted note in a piece.
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The twelve tones of the octave- all the white
and black keys in one octave on the pianoform the chromatic scale.
◦ Unlike those of the major or minor scales, tones of
the chromatic scale are all the same distance apart.
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Does not define a key
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RvwjgW3
FfY
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Most short pieces we know remain in a single key
from beginning to end
However, in longer pieces of music, variety and
contrast are created by using more than one key.
◦ A composition may begin in the key of C Major, for
example, and then proceed to G Major.
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Shifting from one key to another within the same
piece is called modulation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeJuUqDqY00
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loEAFCMx77A
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No matter how often a piece changes key,
there is usually one main key, called the tonic
or home key.
Central key around which the whole piece is
organized.
◦ Traditionally, a piece would usually begin in the
home key and practically always end in it.
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At a particular moment within a piece, we may
hear on unaccompanied melody, several
simultaneous melodies, or a melody with
supporting chords.
◦ To describe them, we use the term musical texture
◦ Refers to:
 How many different layers of sound are heard at once
 What kind of layers they are (melody or harmony)
 How they are related to each other
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Musical texture is described as transparent,
dense, thin, thick, heavy, or light.
◦ Composers can vary the textures within their music to
create contrast and drama
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Texture of a single melodic line without
accompaniment is monophonic, meaning
literally ‘having one sound’.
◦ Ex. Include singing or playing an instrument alone.
◦ If multiple people all sing/perform the same line, it
is called unison.
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUZEtVbJT5c
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Simultaneous performance of two or more
melodic lines of relatively equal interest produces
the texture called polyphonic, meaning ‘having
many sounds’.
◦ In polyphony, several melodic lines compete for
attention.
◦ This concept drastically shows the difference between
music and speech.
 Several people talking at once is hard to understand.
 Several people singing or playing at once can be beautiful.
◦ Combining several melodic lines into a meaningful whole
is called counterpoint.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipzR9bhei_o
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSdGW_HBrLE
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When we hear one main melody accompanied
by chords, the texture is homophonic.
◦ Examples include almost every popular song written
 Country, rap, rock, pop
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Form in music is the organization of musical
elements in time.
◦ Pitch, tone color, dynamics, rhythm, melody, lyrics,
and texture interact to produce a sense of shape
and structure.
◦ Our memory allows us to perceive the overall form
by recalling the various parts and how they relate to
each other.
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PLgUlRVLZE
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Repetition
◦ The number of times a theme repeats helps us to
determine the form.
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Contrast
◦ Some forms require contrast, such as the sonata.
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Variation
◦ Variation helps keep the music from becoming
stagnant, and thus can create a new form.
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Three-Part (Ternary) Form
◦ ABA
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jJf-p6RYvo
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h94BdxnheeM
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Two-Part (Binary) Form
◦ AB
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zQYuhR-TUQ
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We are going to listen to three different
songs/pieces. Your job is to determine the
form.
Use the alphabet as shown to show the form.
We will do one example together as a class.
◦
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◦
◦
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bnvh7z8KhOc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2AC41dglnM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktvTqknDobU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NF9DrUXowBo
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Without a performer, music would remain
soundless on a page
It is the job of the performer to bring life to the
printed symbols laid out by a composer.
◦ Tempo and dynamic are all relative and depend on the
performance.
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Performers project to an audience a mixture of
their own feelings and the composer’s intentions.
Critics sometimes say about a particularly
convincing interpretation that a performer is
“identified” with a work and its composer, that’s
how close the relationship can be.
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urxk4mveLCw
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Music created at the same time it’s performed
is called improvisation.
◦ Bach, Beethoven, and most modern jazz performers
are all known as being great improvisers.
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Before the 19th century, performers were
expected to add certain ornaments, or
embellishing notes, not indicated in the
printed music.
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umraz-Jyjjs
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Music composed before 1600 presents the
challenge of deciding what instruments to use.
◦ Often these were not specified by early composers; and
to make things more difficult, some of the original
instruments are not readily available today.
◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNe0t0mEXmE
◦ Many performers today will play a composition as they
think it was performed during the composers lifetime,
using early performance techniques. They will even go
so far as to use period instruments to get the most
authentic sound.
◦ Other performers will use modern instruments, saying
they can better convey the composers intent in the
music with more accessible instruments.
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Outstanding performers of music nearly always, have
been people with special talents that were recognized
in childhood-a beautiful voice, unusual manual
dexterity, and excellent ear for pitch, a keen memory:
Like athletes, they have exceptional coordination,
strength, and competitive drive.
Most solo pianists and violinists play professionally
before the age of 15.
Natural gifts are not enough-A developing performer
studies for years with fine teachers, practices many
hours a day, and cultivates musical taste and a sense
of style.
After all this is done, you have a 1 in 15,000,000
chance of being a virtuoso.
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A conductor, the leader of a group of
musicians, represents responsibility and
authority.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIv6ZkiJH
cM
Most use something called a baton.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueJcRmfw
eSM