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Chapter 3: Color, Texture, and Form Dynamics: How loud or soft the music is • Dynamics influence our reaction to music • Terminology in Italian Term Musical Symbol Definition Fortissimo ff Very loud Forte f Loud Mezzo forte mf Moderately loud Mezzo piano mp Moderately soft Piano p Soft Pianissimo pp Very soft • Changes in dynamics can be sudden and abrupt or gradual Color • Color : the unique character or quality of a musical tone; also called Timbre • Voice: Classified by range into 4 parts – Soprano, (Mezzo soprano), Alto, Tenor, (Baritone), Bass – Each individual voice has a distinct timbre due to our uniquely constructed vocal cords – When many voices join together, they form a chorus Musical Instruments • Why do they sound the way they do? – More than one sound is produced when an instrument is sounded • Fundamental: the basic sound or pitch of an instrument • Overtone: faintly-heard pitches, created by fractional vibrations when a notes is played on an instrument – Each type of instrument creates a distinctive pattern of overtones • Instrument families have the same basic shape and are made of the same materials – Strings, woodwinds, brasses, percussion, keyboard Strings • Violin, Viola, Cello, Bass – Core of the Western symphony orchestra – Different string playing techniques • Vibrato: A controlled wobble in the pitch • Pizzicato: Plucking the strings rather than bowing • Tremolo: Rapidly repeating the same pitch to create a musical tremor • Trill: Rapidly alternating between two neighboring pitches • Harp: adds a distinctive color to the orchestra – Originally a folk instrument – Special effects • Glissando: A rapid run up and down the strings • Arpeggio: playing the notes of a triad in quick succession Woodwinds • Flute: Lovely, silvery tone – Piccolo: “little flute,” plays higher notes than the flute • Clarinet: Single reed instrument; open, hollow sound • Oboe: Double reed; nasal, slightly exotic sound – English horn: larger, lower sounding version of the oboe • Bassoon: Double reed; has similar role as the cello – Contrabassoon: The lowest instrument of the orchestra • Saxophone: Single reed instrument; featured in jazz groups Brasses • All use a cup-shaped mouthpiece • Trumpet: High, bright sound – Mute: A plug placed in the bell of the instrument to lessen the sound • Trombone: Uses a slide to change pitch • French horn: Mellow sound; comes from hunting horns • Tuba: largest and lowest brass instrument Percussion • Resonating objects that sound when hit or scraped • Some percussion instruments are pitched – Timpani: percussion instrument most often heard in classical music • Non-pitched percussion instruments: – Snare Drum, Bass drum, Cymbals Keyboard Instruments • Pipe organ: Sound produced by air rushing through a pipe • Origins trace back to ancient Greece – Stop: Changes the sound, creating a distinctive timbre – “Pulling out all the stops” – creates the most colorful, forceful sound • Has several keyboards, including one for the feet Keyboard Instruments Harpsichord Piano • Most popular during the Baroque Era • Strings are plucked, creating a bright, jangling sound • Plays only one dynamic • Invented around 1700 • Strings hit by hammers • Dynamics determined by how hard or how softly you press the keys The Symphony Orchestra • The largest and most colorful ensemble • Originated during the seventeenth century • Early 18th century: 15-25 musicians • Late 18th century: 25-80 musicians • 19th century: around 100 musicians • Around 1800, a conductor became necessary as ensembles expanded and pieces became more complex – Orchestral score: a composite of all the parts of a piece of music • Listening Cue: Practice identifying instruments of the orchestra on CourseMate Listening Cue 5, 6, 7 and 8. Texture • Texture: the density and arrangement of musical elements • Look at Vincent Van Gogh’s Branch of an Almond Tree in Blossom (1890) • Van Gogh uses lines and spaces to create a texture heavy at the bottom but light at the top • Use of different textures add contrast and interest Three Primary Textures in Music • Monophony: A single line of music, no accompaniment – Example: Singing “Happy Birthday” with our friends – Unison: a group sounding the same pitches together, including doubling at the octave • Homophony: Melody and accompaniment – All voices move at roughly the same time – Draws attention to the melody – Example: Hymns, Christmas carols, folk songs, etc. • Polyphony: Two or more simultaneously sounding lines – Counterpoint: Harmonious opposition of independent musical lines – “Contrapuntal texture” and “Polyphonic Texture” mean the same thing – Example: Singing “Are You Sleeping” in a round FORM • Form: Purposeful organization of music – Musical Architecture • Use of statement, repetition, contrast, and variation • Statement: Presentation of an important musical idea • Repetition: Validates the statement by repeating it • Contrast: Provides variety and conflict • Variation: Midway between repetition and contrast – Music is familiar but altered Five Favorite Musical Forms • Strophic Form: Song form where basic unit (A) is continually repeated: AA – Most familiar musical form; music repeats for each stanza of text • Theme and Variations: One musical idea continually returns but is varied in some fashion: A A1 A2 A3 A4 • Binary Form: Two contrasting units - A B – Variety introduced in the B section • Ternary Form: Most prevalent form in classical music: A B A – Musical journey home - away – home • Rondo Form: A refrain (A) alternates with contrasting music. – Usually two contrasting sections in rondo (B) and (C)