MUSICAL ELEMENTS
Melody, Harmony, Tonality, &
Rhythm
INTRODUCTION
• The relationship among sounds is what gives
music its complexity.
• Musical elements are the primary building
blocks of a musical composition.
• To some extent, all music contains these
elements:
– Melody
– Harmony
– Tonality
– Rhythm
MELODY
• Melody is the most easily recalled element of
music.
– We whistle or hum it.
• It is a series of pitches & time values that sound
one after another.
• Melody can give a sense of movement in a
piece of music.
– Up
– Down
--even & smooth
--jerky & angular
• Pitches & time values are inseparable.
• The melodies that are dominant in a
composition are called the THEMES.
– These are the central musical ideas of composition.
– The themes may be stated & restated in many
different forms.
• Melody is a HORIZONTAL aspect of music
HARMONY
• Harmony gives music its structure & enhances
its expressiveness.
• Western music depends heavily on harmony.
• Harmony is a composite sound made up of 2 or
more tones of different pitch that sound
simultaneously.
– The smallest unit will have 2 tones.
– Three or more tones together: chord
• Chords can be heard individually or blended
into a composite sound.
– A chord played individually is called arpeggio.
• There are 2 functions of harmony:
– Support & enrich melodies
– Add energy & interest to the composition
(through the use of consonance & dissonance)
• Harmony is a VERTICAL aspect of music.
• 2 qualities of harmony are consonance &
dissonance.
• Consonant harmony = stability, simplicity, & repose
(calm)
• Dissonant harmony = complexity, instability, &
movement (tension)
• Movement between the 2 contributes to
balance in a musical composition.
• In music history, the relationship between the 2
has changed.
– Most modern music is predominantly dissonant.
TONALITY
• Most music is organized around a central tone
(AKA key.)
• The central tone acts as a musical center of
gravity; what many composers call the “home
base.”
– The composition departs & returns to this point.
– It helps give music a sense of conclusion.
• Most composers use the major-minor system of
scales.
– A scale is a series of ascending & descending
pitches in a certain pattern.
• Tonality has a psychological aspect associated
with it.
– Music that is atonal can be disturbing to the listener.
(Atonal has NO specific key.)
-- The listener expects to hear certain sounds that
complete the musical pattern.
• Many composers use modulation in their longer
musical compositions (symphonies & concertos
for example.)
• Modulation is shifting from one key to another.
• It provides a sense of variety in the music.
– The separate movements will be written in a
different key with a return to the original key (this
will be discussed later.)
• Examples of key are
– C-major
– F-minor
• Symphony # 9 in D Minor by Beethoven
• Adagio Cantabile, Piano Sonata #8 in C Minor,
Op. 13, “Pathetique” by Beethoven
RHYTHM
• This is the passage of musical time that is
created by change.
• It consists of 2 different aspects:
– Regularity & diversity
• 4 concepts associated with rhythm are
– Beat
– Meter
--Syncopation
--Tempo
BEAT
• This is the most basic unit of musical time.
• Measuring device
• Each note is judged as lasting 1 beat, several
beats, or a fraction of a beat (see note values.)
• Listeners become accustomed to a regular beat
in music.
METER
• This is the grouping of beats into equal units.
• These units are called MEASURES.
• Meter is determined by the number of beats per
measure.
• Most of the time, the first beat in a measure is
accented (stressed.)
• NOTATION OF METER
• There are 2 devices to indicate meter; the time
signature & the bar line.
• The TIME SIGNATURE consists of 2 numbers
written like a fraction.
– The numerator represents the number of beats to
the measure.
– The denominator tells which kind of note is getting
the beat.
FOR EXAMPLE:
4/4 = 4 beats per measure & quarter note
determines the beat.
¾ = 3 beats per measure & quarter note
determines the beat.
***The combination of beats & notes is what
gives music its rhythm.
• The BAR LINE separates one measure
from another.
• Each measure has to have the same
number of beats as determined in the time
signature.
• This can be a combination of notes &/or
rests.
SYNCOPATION
• This is when the accent falls somewhere
other than on the first beat of each
measure.
• The accent is not where it’s expected
• Jazz uses syncopation.
TEMPO
• Tempo is the rate of speed of the beat.
• If there is a quick beat, then there is a fast
tempo.
• If the there is long beat, then there is a slow
tempo.
• Tempo indications will be written at the TOP of
the musical composition or WITHIN the
composition as the tempo changes.
TEMPO INDICATIONS (usually written in Italian)
• Very slow
– Largo (broad)
– Grave (grave, solemn)
• Slow
– Lento
– Adagio (leisurely)
• Moderate
– Andante (at a walking pace)
– Moderato
• Fast
– Allegretto (faster than moderate)
– Allegro (cheerful)
• Very fast
– Vivace (vivacious)
– Presto (very quick)
– Prestissimo (as fast as possible)
• These indications can be modified by using the
following
– molto: very
– Meno: less
– Poco: a little
– Ma non troppo: not too much
• 2 other ways that tempo can be changed are
– Rubato: freedom to move ahead & fall behind the
tempo.
– Fermata: hold the note longer than its normal time
value (symbol----)
• Levels of time value are follows
--Beat-----Measures-----Phrases
• The phrase is the largest unit of the
measurement of musical time.
• A phrase will be a group of measures that are
to be played as if they go together as unit,
separate from the other measures.