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| A large ensemble of acoustic instruments such as violins, trumpets, and flutes |
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| an even pulse that divides the passing of time into equal units |
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| the speed at which the beats progress (bpm) |
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| the gathering of beats into regular groups |
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| every other beat is stressed ONE two, ONE two, ONE two, two beats per measure |
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| emphasize every third beat ONE two three, ONE two three |
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| two numbers, one on top of the other, placed at the beginning of the music to tell the performer how the beats of the music are to be grouped. top number indicates how many beats there are per measure; the bottom number tells what note value receives the beat |
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| sometimes the meter is obscured by an unclear beat or complexity |
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| also called bar, a group of beats |
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| the first beat, indicated by a downward movement of the hand, strongest beat in any given measure |
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| the organization of time in music, divides time into long and short spans |
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| places the accent either on a weak beat or between the beats |
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| the tune of a piece, the part we sing to |
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| stepwise motion, up and down the scale |
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| the relative position, high or low, of a musical sound |
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| the number of times a sound wave completes a cycle in a given period of time. measured in Hertz. as the frequency increases, we perceive the pitch to be higher and vise versa. audible range is from 20-20,000 Hz |
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| when one frequency is exactly twice another frequency they form an octave |
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| comprised of two half steps |
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| also called semitones, divide up an octave in the west into 12 equal half steps |
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| designates the upper range and is appropriate for high instruments |
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| covers the lower range and is used for lower instruments |
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| a fixed pattern of tones within the octave that ascends and descends |
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follows a seven-note pattern moving upward
1-1-1/2-1-1-1-1/2
usually associated with joy and happiness |
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1-1/2-1-1-1/2-1-1
usually associated with fear and sorrow |
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| makes use of all twelve pitches, equally divided, within the octave. all twelve pitches are just a half step apart |
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something like a "gravitational field" that embodies both the scale of the melody and the strong pull of its tonic pitch
tonic= first note of the scale |
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| changing the key within a composition |
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a distinct section of a melody
may be marked by commas in lyrics, breaths, rests, or the shape of the melody
analogous to phrases in speech
ends with a cadence |
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| results when multiple pitches sound simultaneously, provides support and foundation for the melody, adds depth and richness |
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| an organized set of major or minor notes sounded simultaneously |
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| basic western chord, consists of three pitches built off any note of the scale, using every other note (1,3,5) |
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| a movement of chords in a purposeful fashion, easiest to hear in bass first, chords can only harmonize a small number of melody notes, so in order to keep the harmony consonant with the melody, chords must continually change |
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| broken or staggered chord, notes played sequentially to give a sense of activity, can be played in the melody or harmony |
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when the frequencies of the two notes do not have a simple ratio
pitches sounding momentarily disagreeable and unstable, chords that contain pitches that are very close to one another, just a half or whole step apart sound dissonant, feeling of tension and anxiety in music |
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when the frequencies of the two notes have a simple ratio 2:1, 3:2, 5:4, sound is pleasing
ex: the octave, the perfect 5th, the perfect 4th
chords that involve a third, produce sense of calmness and stability |
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the portion of a musical phrase that leads to its last chord, usually encompasses the final two, three, four, or five notes of the melody and its accompanying chords.
follows specific harmonic formulas |
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| sounding restful and peaceful, often heard in religious services it moves (IV-I) |
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| surprises and deceives the listener (I-VI) |
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| IV-V doesn't finish the phrase- doesn't end on the tonic but instead leaves the listener hanging, quizzical, waiting for more |
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| brings with it a feeling of real conclusion, saying "THE END!!!" (V-I) |
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| a short, distinctive melodic figure that stands by itself, serves as the basis for creating melodies |
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the first of the seven notes of the scale, and the eighth, and last one as well
built on the first degree of the scale, provides rest and sense of arrival
the central pitch around which the melody and harmony gravitate |
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| built on the fifth degree of the scale, tends to move to the tonic |
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| the various levels of volume, loud and soft, at which sounds are produced |
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Fortissimo=very loud ff
forte=loud f
mezzo forte= moderately loud mf
mezzo piano= moderately soft mp
piano= soft p
pianissimo= very soft pp |
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| range that determines dynamics in music |
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| the tone quality of musical sound. Terms of sensation in which a listener can judge that two sounds having the same loudness and pitch are dissimilar. determined largely by the spectrum and temporal pattern |
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the tone quality of any sound produced by a voice or instrument
ex: difference between flute and trombone playing the same note |
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more than one sound is produced when an instrument is sounded.
Fundamental: the note being played
Harmonics: faintly-heard pitches, created by fractional vibrations when a note is played on an instrument
each instrument produces a unique pattern of loud and soft harmonics |
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| the onset of a sound (aka the beginning of the note) |
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| all instruments that produce sound by means of vibrating strings: guitar, banjo, ukelele, harp, violin, viola, cello, double bass |
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smallest orchestral string instrument, has the highest pitch, often plays the melody.
sound produced by a bow pulled across one of four strings held tightly in place by tuning pegs at one end and a tailpiece at the other |
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| "alto" voice of the violin, slightly larger and lower pitch than the violin, darker more somber tone |
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| held between the legs, rich expressive tone, provide a low bass sound as well as a lyrical melody |
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| gives weight and power to the bass line in the orchestra, largest orchestral string instrument, performer stands next to it while playing, doubled the cello part (played one octave lower) |
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| a common folk instrument throughout the world, sometimes added to the orchestra, adds color and effects to music |
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| tube with holes that can be covered or uncovered to change the pitch of the instrument, the larger the instrument or length of pipe, the lower the sound, sound produced by a vibrating reed (clarinet, oboe, saxophone) or column of air (flute) |
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sound produced by vibrating lips on a mouthpiece
by adjusting valves or moving a slide, the performer can make the length of the pipe on the instrument longer or shorter and hence the pitch lower or higher |
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sound generated by striking an object, causing it to vibrate either by hitting the head of a drum with a stick or by banging or scraping a piece of metal or wood in one fashion or another.
sharpen the rhythmic contour of the music, add color to the sounds of other instruments, heighten the sense of climax in a piece
snare drum, bass drum, cymbals don't produce musical pitch
xylophone, glockenspiel, celesta do generate specific pitches |
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| woodwind, air blown across a sharp edge, originally made out of wood, piccolo is a smaller higher flute |
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| woodwind, air blown through a mouthpiece with a single reed, mellow smooth sound when playing low notes, shrill sound when playing high notes |
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| woodwind, air is blown through a pair of reeds, a nasal, slightly exotic sound |
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| woodwind, air is blown through a pair of reeds, bass of the woodwind family |
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| woodwind, made out of metal, air blown through a mouthpiece, single reed: mouthpiece similar to the clarinet, occasionally added to the orchestra, jazz bands use baritone, tenor, alto, and sometimes soprano saxophones |
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| brass, high brilliant sound |
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| associated with hunting and mountains, similar in range to the trombone and euphonium |
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| brass, generates sound by a moving slid, sound slightly clearer, more focused than the french horn |
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| brass, the largest brass instrument, contributes to the foundation of the orchestral sound |
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| produce a specific pitch, most often heard in classical music, detached strokes or hit rapidly to produce a thunderlike roll, the function of the timpani is to add depth, tension, and drama to the music, usually four in the orchestra |
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| percussion, a set of wooden bars that when struck by two hard mallets, produce a dry, wooden sound |
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| works the same way as a xylophone, but the bars are made of metal so that the tone is brighter and more ringing |
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| produces sound when hammers strike metal bars, but the hammers are activated by keys, as in a piano, the tone is bright and tinkling |
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keyboard, player depresses a key that allows air to rush into a pipe, thereby producing sound. the pipes are arranged in separate groups according to their shape and material, each group produces a full range of musical pitches with one special timbre.
keyboard operated by feet, often more than one keyboard for hands, greek instrument
stops can be used to add musical color, the most forceful sound occurs when all the stops have been activated |
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| keyboard, produces sound by strings. when a key is depressed, it drives a lever upward that in turn forces a pick to pluck a string. this creates a bright, jangling sound. all strings produce the same volume, Renaissance and Baroque instrument (1400) |
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| strings are hit by a soft hammer, a lever mechanism makes it possible for the player to regulate how hard each string is struck, thus producing softs and louds. invented around 1700 |
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when we sing we force air up through our vocal cords (two folds of mucous membrane within the throat), causing them to vibrate. Men's vocal cords are longer and thicker than women's, and for that reason the sound of the mature male voice is lower
two women parts: soprano and alto
two male parts: tenor and bass
From high to low: soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass |
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density and arrangement of artistic elements
disposition of musical lines
ex: dense, heavy, light, thin |
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| percussion, wooden bars struck by mallets |
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| percussion, hanging metal tubes struck by mallets |
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| ride cymbal, floor tom, toms, bass drum, snare drum, hi-hat cymbals. played with sticks or brushes |
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| one sounding, single line of music, no accompaniment, multiple people sing or play the same line |
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| many sounding, Counterpoint: harmonious opposition of independent musical lines, tow or more independent lines sounding simultaneously |
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| Free counterpoint (Polyphony) |
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| each line a different, independent melody, common in jazz improvisation, particularly New Orleans early jazz |
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| Imitative counterpoint (Polyphony) |
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voices duplicate some portion of the previous voice, but all voices move independently
canon: voices exactly duplicate the preceding voice
fugue: less strict than a canon, but still imitative |
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melody and accompaniment, melody is most important, other voices create supporting harmony
most common texture used in chorales, hymns, christmas, carols, folk songs |
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the purposeful organization of a piece of music using repetition, contrast, and variation of musical elements.
creates large-scale organization and coherence: organized and groups phrases into sections, sections are then put in a certain order, repeated, and/or vaired |
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| AAA. most familiar musical form, hymns, carols, folk songs, and patriotic songs, music repeats for each stanza of text |
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AA1A2A3
each repetition of the melody altered, melodic embellishment, new harmony, rhythmic alterations, changes in timbre and texture , theme in A, each variation gets a superscript number
ex: twinkle, twinkle, little star |
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A B
two contrasting units: balance and complement each other, dissimilar mood, key, or melody creates variety, sections often repeated AABB, used commonly in stylized dance forms |
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ABA
B section in a contrasting style, change in melody and key, usually a change in timbre (instrumentation, range) A section returns |
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| a large instrumental ensemble that includes brass and percussion and sometimes woodwinds, never a string section |
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| symphonic or concert band, clarinets usually carry the dominant melodic material that the violins usually play in the orchestra |
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| only brass and percussion |
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between the two world wars, retired military band veterans began teaching band in the public schools
bands were not associated with athletics until the 1900s, harvard and yale had bands in 1827
most schools have concert and marching bands |
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popular at athletic events due to the larger stadiums
military like clothing used to represent the military uniforms worn when marching bands originated |
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| ensembles that aimed for popular appeal and performed lighter compositions, bands descended from this loud music suited for the outdoors |
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| associated with "serious music" of the upper class, orchestra emerged from this, quiter instruments suited for indoor use |
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1854-1932 conducted the marine band before starting his own professional band, known as the "march king" because he wrote many famous marches
wrote stars and strips forever (national anthem) |
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| French composer and conductor 1905-1991 known for his works with wind instruments, includes styles such as expressionism, serialism, minimalism, was the director of the premier opera house in Paris |
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1964-1949 German Composer
son of a horn player and conductor
went on to have a tremedously long career
Don Juan was written when he was 24 and the success of the work launched his career |
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Highly influential philosophers who developed the idea that instrumental music can reach a higher truth
instrumental music became separate form other music that appealed to the masses
lead to Art music/popular music divide
eventually established orchestras in all major U.S. Cities |
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| musical composition specified to the performance |
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| a term applied to unaccompanied vocal music; no instruments |
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highest-falsetto
high-head voice
passaggio (tansition area)
low-chest voice
relative to pitch |
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| singer experiences the tone resonating in their head rather than their chest or throat |
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| belting, achieved by tilting the larynx (voice box) and pushing the air through the vocal chords at high pressure |
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highest range, available to both male and female voices but it is most distinctive when used by male voices
ex: beach boys, gnarls barkley, michael jackson |
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| the singer deliberately breaks her voice so that she can quickly travel from the lowest register to the highest and back again |
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| a textual refrain that repeats |
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| the lowest to the highest pitch |
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| in instruments: by shaking the hand it stops the string, the performer can produce a sort of controlled "wobble" in the pitch, this adds richness to the tone of the string because, in fact, it creates a blend of two or more pitches |
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| imported to the USA from europe, not used for military or civic purposes, lacks the nobility and extravagant religious culture that supported orchestras in europe |
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| Stars and Stripes Forever |
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Composer: John Phillips Sousa
Genre: March
Ensemble: Wind Band
Texture: alternates between homophonic and polyphonic
Major,Duple |
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| composer: Eugene Bozza genre: overture ensemble: wind band form: ABA (fast slow fast) followed by a fast ending called a coda Duple, Major contains small fragments of children's songs depicts children playing soldiers |
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| composer: Richard Strauss Genre: Tone Poem Ensemble: Orchestra based on the fictional story of a womanizer named Don Juan, exceptionally difficult piece for most players in the orchestra |
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