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Why study music? More knowledge of music can allow you to expand your enjoyment by understanding the richness of your listening/creating experience. Historical evidence records that music in some form is present in every culture. A growing body of new evidence is showing us that our brains/bodies have neural webs that activate only in the presence of (or when even just thinking of) music. We are literally hard-wired to pay attention to music. Music is in us? Yes… Watch the following video…see what happens when the presenter teaches the audience to sing… Bobby Scale McFerrin Pentatonic What happened? Wait… Did he teach all of those notes to the audience? If he didn’t teach them all of the notes, then how was the audience able to sing them so well? The scale he was singing/teaching is called a pentatonic scale. Over its range it repeats just 5 different pitches. The pentatonic scale is used in many cultures around the world and also forms the basis of many children’s songs. In every culture ever “discovered”, children tease each other with the same sounds of “nyah, nyah, nyah, nyah, nyah, naaa…” Always the same, no matter where… Activity/Discussion Questions Write answers to the questions chosen by your instructor (using complete sentences and restating to ensure understanding). Share these answers and discuss the range of differences. When do you recall first becoming aware of music? What are some of your favorite styles of music? Who are some of your favorite musicians/performers? Is it possible that your musical tastes will change over time? Why might this happen? What is music? What is the purpose of music? Purpose The purpose of this section of Arts and Humanities is to help gain a basic understanding of music and its role in our individual lives as well as the role of music in the world as a whole. Purpose (cont.) In order to gain a deeper understanding of music, we must establish a basic vocabulary of terms. These terms allow us to discuss music in greater depth beyond the simple pleasures of listening…to understand the science that allows the art to come into being. In addition, consistent use of these terms may lead us to greater understanding of our own preferences in music. Goal The goals of the music section of Arts and Humanities are: 1. To gain an awareness of the development of aspects of music throughout time and in different cultures 2. To gain an awareness of the complexities of the construction of music 3. To gain knowledge of and ability to use vocabulary that allows for in-depth discussion of elements of music 4. To become an active listener to music Listening to Music Really…it takes practice!! What is Music? Listen to the following example. Be sure to sit quietly and not comment or move around. John Cage: 4'33“ What did you notice during the piece? Why is this considered music? What is the point of such a piece? Music is… …a form of art. All art is a reflection of society as seen through the vision of the artist. Art is defined by its framework (in visual art, this can be a literal frame, the size of a sculpture, etc). At its most inclusive, music is defined by the framework of time. The artist (composer) must declare a start and an end. So, music is human organized sound and silence. Goal Compare the various levels of listening to music, and explain how perceptive listening can enhance the listener’s appreciation. Levels of Listening Different levels of attentiveness impact how we listen to music. • • Sometimes music blends into the background becoming part of the ambient or surrounding noise. • As the listener YOU are in control of how closely you are listening to a piece of music. Terms Perceptive listening - listening to and appreciating a musical work for its full range of technical and expressive properties. Aesthetic - characterized by a heightened sensitivity to the content, form, or emotional impact of an artistic work or event. Listening Chart Activity Write a persuasive letter addressed to anyone living or dead. Begin with “I know you’ve been a casual listener for a long time but you should try to be a perceptive listener.” Then give at least three (3) reasons why they should try to be more of a perceptive listener. Activity Each person on a piece of paper make a list of three songs you prefer to listen to by yourself and why. Then make a list of three songs you prefer to experience with others and why. The “why” is the most important part. Experiencing Music Alone When we experience music alone, we often choose music to match our mood. Because tastes vary, each of us might choose different types of music for particular moods. Sometimes the music we choose compliments our mood; sometimes we choose music in contrast to our mood. What other factors might affect how we choose music for solitary listening? Experiencing Music Together We often listen to music in the company of other people. Hearing live music in any setting can be exciting. How you react to music depends on the type of music, how it is being used, and where you hear it. At a baseball game, you probably would not analyze the music played over the stadium’s speaker system. At a dance, music appeals to your sense of movement and you react physically. What other factors/ideas come to mind about listening to music in a group? Musical Elements Basic Terms Appreciation: to recognize the worth of something Like: to seek more of the same or similar Beat: the steady movement of time in music Meter: grouping of beats into patterns Tempo: the speed of the beat Rhythm: movement of the music around the beat Melody: the easiest part of a song to hear and remember Sequence: repeating a musical idea slightly higher or lower in pitch Harmony: two or more notes sounding simultaneously, often accompanies the melody either as background or in parallel Timbre: the unique quality of a sound or combination of sounds Texture: the “thickness” of sound (monophonic, polyphonic, and homophonic) Basic Terms (continued) Dynamics: the volume (loud and soft) and volume changes in music Style: the character of music (genre such as country, rock, rap, etc.) Form: the structure of a piece of music (opera, symphony, fugue, etc.) Notation: a system of writing down music Phrase: a complete musical thought (think of it as a sentence, as phrases can have smaller segments, just as sentences do) Advanced Terms Tempo Largo: very slow Adagio: slow, but not as slow as largo Andante: slow Moderato: a moderate tempo Allegro: a walking tempo Presto: fast Prestissimo: very fast Accelerando-accel.-to get faster Decelerando-decel.-to get slower (ritardando) Advanced Terms Dynamics Pianissimo-pp-very soft Piano-p-soft Mezzo piano-mp-medium soft Mezzo forte-mf-medium loud Forte-f-loud Fortissimo-ff-very loud Crescendo-cresc.-to get louder Decrescendo-decresc.-to get softer Notation Notation is a system used for representing the complexities of music in written form. Notation specifies two main elements: Rhythm-duration of a sound in time Pitch-how high or low a note sounds Rhythmic Notation Indicating the duration of each note Less ink=longer notes; more ink=faster notes Letter Notation Indicating the pitch (the lower it’s written the lower it sounds) These letters are written on the Grand Staff, which shows both high and low pitched notes. Song Notation Combining rhythm and letter notation. Music looks like how it sounds and sounds like how it looks. If the written notes move down, so does the sound. If the note has more space in the middle, it takes up more space in time. Clef Signs Clef signs designate the names of the lines and spaces. Higher pitched sounds are traditionally Treble clef, while lower sounds are traditionally Bass clef. Accidentals Accidentals raise or lower a note from it’s original sounding pitch. Meter Signature Meter defines both the number of beats in a measure and which note receives one beat. Key Signature Key signatures determine the “center” pitch of a song by mandating a set of sharps or flats to be played throughout the entire piece Single line sheet music https://www.youtube.com/watc h?v=JBzT3TD8hMs Grand staff sheet music https://www.youtube.com/watc h?v=V4t-HOxkZX0 Full score sheet music https://www.youtube.com/watc h?v=LGvW6jHUHiY Musical Instruments and Voices Keyboards Harpsichord: strings plucked by mechanical action (plectra carved from crow feathers) Piano: strings struck by hammers (originally called “piano e forte” because it could play more dynamics, invented by Cristofori in 1709) Pipe organ: uses air blown across tuned pipes to create tones Listening examples Harpsichord https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kpq m1hxgH-w Piano https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNlK GUU36XE Organ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nnuq 9PXbywA Woodwinds Single reeds Clarinet (soprano, alto, bass, contra-alto, contra-bass) Saxophone (soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass) Aerophone (works by air alone) Flute (piccolo, flute, alto, bass) Woodwinds (continued) Double reeds Oboe Bassoon (contra-bassoon) English Horn Listening examples Flute https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2u0XXpVGUwk Clarinet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqymshfwGEE Oboe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-pIudhSCSg Bassoon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ1Nz3UOOas Saxophone Family https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aU97G fSdUnk Brass The larger the instrument, the lower the sound Trumpet (piccolo, trumpet, bass) French horn Trombone (bass trombone) Tuba https://www.youtube.com/w atch?v=Ut_vq0eN1WA Percussion Pitched Non-pitched percussion Snare drum Bells Bass drum Xylophone Cymbals Vibraphone Marimba Timpani Bells Xylophone Vibraphone Marimba Timpani Non-pitched Percussion Snare Drum Bass Drum Cymbals Percussion Ensemble https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5Yx -ztwrpw Marching percussion ensemble https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHyQ UabGuyM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktLG g2xGQGM Strings Violin Viola Cello Bass Harp Guitar “Adagio for Strings” Samuel Barber https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcflwUYYoXk This work was originally submitted in 1938 to the NBC Radio Orchestra, which was conducted by a legendary Italian named Arturo Toscanini, a man noted for openly scorning American composers. The music was returned to Barber several weeks later with no notes, so Barber thought it had been rejected. Instead, the piece was so well loved by Toscanini and the orchestra that they had memorized it almost immediately. The piece generated a huge standing ovation at its first performance and helped launch Barber’s career. http://www.npr.org/2010/03/09/124459453/barbers-adagio-nakedexpression-of-emotion Activity Listen to the following examples. List the different instruments that you hear. 1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2W1Wi2U9sQ 2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l45DAuXYSIs 3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmDDOFXSgAs 4.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWNFgT9QcpE&li st=RDrWNFgT9QcpE 5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrz8NuALuj8 Compare the experience of listening to music alone with that of listening in the company of others. Voices Female Soprano https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urW9CbAFVjs Alto https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AAgGsx0mko Male Tenor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTFUM4Uh_6Y Bass https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cb1QmTkOAI (the ghostly character) Watch how a composer uses the different voices to construct an entire work. Each part is not complex or interesting in itself, but the combination of all voices with the instruments creates one of the most enduring pieces in all of Western music, the “Requiem Mass” by Mozart. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlPQD04tn88 Activity Answer the following in complete sentences: Of the music you have listened to ask yourself: Who uses the music? What is it used for? How and why was it created? Explain how your ability to hear and understand music has changed in this class so far. The Big Takeaway… Music is art approached through science. Science demands method, and methods require a consistent vocabulary for understanding and sharing of ideas. The many elements of music all combine to produce an effect that an aware listener realizes reveals new understanding of either music, their own perception, or both…an “aesthetic experience”.