Download Music Elements

Music is the electrical soil in which the
spirit lives, thinks, and invents.
- Ludwig von Beethoven, 1770-1827
The Elements of Music
and a few other terms & ideas
Elements of Music
Timbre  the characteristic sound of a particular voice, instrument or
ensemble
Melody  a succession of pitches conceived as a meaningful whole
Rhythm  the arrangement of sounds in time
Harmony  created by 2 or more different tones sounding together
Texture  relationship of tones played at the same time
Dynamics  the loudness or softness of sounds; literally - volume
Form  organizing structure of music
Way too much
information – yikes!
Can’t we do
these one at
a time???
Elements of Music - Timbre
Elements of Music - Timbre
Timbre  the physical
characteristics of the
sound of a particular
voice, instrument, or
ensemble.
CSO
Beatles
Bird & Miles
Elements of Music – Timbre &
Color
Timbre is the “color” of music. When
the artist uses the color red, he has a
“sound.” To lighten his “sound,” he
might add white; his new color is pink.
If he adds brown, a deeper red
emerges. Now his new “sound” is
darker. The artist produces many
affects with the addition of different
colors. So does the composer.
The various timbre the composer can use are the
artist’s palette of color and sound.
Elements of Music - Melody
Melody  a succession of pitches conceived as a meaningful whole.
Eg. “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”
Top line is the melody.
Notice how close the
notes are on the staff.
This means the melody
is conjunct. Look for
the highest and lowest
notes; they are relatively
close together. This is
the range of the melody.
If the melody is “catchy”
and “singable” then we
call it a tune.
Did you notice who wrote this melody?
Elements of Music - Melody
Melody is similar to a paragraph. Think about how a paragraph is
built. Words, phrases, sentences, the whole paragraph.



The melody is the whole paragraph.
Phrases are musical sentences punctuated by stopping points
called cadences.
Motifs (motives) are the shortest building block, like an
introductory sentence to the paragraph.
The melody often carries the theme of the musical piece. The theme
is the “main idea.”
A very famous motif!
Elements of Music - Melody
A couple of final notes on melody: if the range of the melody is wide and
awkward to sing, it probably is disjunct, like the one below.
Remember a conjunct
melody is smooth and fluid.
Most great melodies are
conjunct. We retain the
melody in our mind.
Sequences are repeated
melodic patterns. See
any in this example?
Elements of Music
Important Note For All of the Arts!!!
In all of the arts, BALANCE is required. The artist
balances REPETITION and CONTRAST.
Repetition provides an “anchor” for us to
remember what the artist wants to fix in our minds.
CONTRAST introduces new subject matter or the
same subject matter treated differently. Contrast
stimulates our interest. This is the general
overview of “dynamics” in art.
When is he
going to take a
break?
This is too
much! I
didn’t think
music was
this tough!
Elements of Music - Harmony
Harmony  created by 2
or more notes sounding
simultaneously.
A chord has at least
three notes or pitches.
An interval is two
notes; actually the
distance between
the two notes or
pitches.
Elements of Music - Harmony
Rising thirds – harmony in motion.
Harmonic progression – the
forward movement of
harmony through time.
Johann Sebastion Bach
1685-1770
Elements of Music - Harmony
Harmony is also the
vertical organization
of music.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
1756 - 1791
Elements of Music – Harmony
(don’t forget the melody)
The melody line is
also here, on the top.
Melody is the
horizontal organization
of music. Sometimes we
use the word linear to
denote horizontal
movement.
Elements of Music - Texture
Texture refers to relationship of tones played at the same
time. Think about the weave of cloth. Some weaves are
more open and some are more closed.
The idea of texture is
similar to density.
The earliest, most simple texture is monophony  a single,
unaccompanied melodic line (sometimes referred to as melodic voice).
Elements of Music - Texture
Additional textures include:
Polyphony  two or more distinct musical lines sounding
simultaneously. Effect is linear rather than vertical.
Homophony  main melodic line with accompaniment.
Accompaniment supports the melody. Eg. Singer with guitar.
Two more terms
 consonance  notes sound as if they go together naturally; sounds
pleasing (not necessarily happy) to the ear; lacks tension.
 dissonance  notes sound as if they do not work together; think of
an infant pounding on a keyboard; creates tension.
Elements of Music - Rhythm
Normal
Somebody lost
the beat.
Never had the beat!
Rhythm begins with a heartbeat. Ba-bomp. Ba-bomp. Ba-bomp.
Rhythm  refers to the arrangement of sounds in time.
Elements of Music – “Pizza
How many people do you
expect for dinner? One pizza for 16.
Notes”
¼
pizza
½
pizza
Whole
pizza
½
pizza
¼
pizza
1/16
pizza
1/8
pizza
No way.
Elements of Music - Rhythm
“whole” note = 4 beats
4/4 time is also called
common time. It’s the
most “common” of all
meters! Get it?
4/4 = four beats to a
measure and every
quarter note is one
beat long.
“quarter” note = 1 beat
Approximation of a heartbeat.
Beat  regularly recurring pulse.
Meter  grouping or organization of beats.
Tempo  speed at which music is performed.
I never
realized
music
was so
complicat
ed
Elements of Music Dynamics
small amp
Basically, dynamics is the loudness or
softness of the music. But the term
can mean more – we’ll talk.
big amp
Elements of Music Dynamics
Quartet v. Orchestra. Of course one
can play louder than the other;
however, can they match each other’s
intensity? How does intensity relate to
dynamics?
Good
questio
n.
Talk
about
inten
se!
What
is he
talking
about?
Elements of Music - Form
Form  the organizing structure of a piece.
Label sections with letters: “A,” “B,” “C,” etc.
This is the
repetition and
contrast thing.
Paul used sonataallegro form for
“Yesterday,” the
most covered tune
of all time.
A
Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away
Now it looks as though they’re here to stay
Oh, I believe in yesterday.
A
Suddenly, I’m not half the man I used to be,
There’s a shadow hanging over me.
Oh, yesterday came suddenly.
B
Why she had to go I don’t know she wouldn’t say.
I said something wrong, now I long for yesterday.
A
Yesterday, love was such an easy game to play.
Now I need a place to hide away.
Oh, I believe in yesterday.
Elements of Music - Form
A bit more on form:
 Ternery: the most common
form; balanced application of
repetition and contrast;
outlined as ABA. A popular
variation of ternery form is
AABA.
 Binary: focuses on contrast;
outlined as AB or AABB.
 Theme & variations: presents a
theme and then plays it several
times; each repetition is
changed but still recognizable.
All art(s) use form –
even the bowl you
made your mom in
junior high school had
some kind of form.
My
bowl
wasn’t
that
bad.
Mine was
worse, but
what does
this have to
do with
Elements of Music – Theme &
Variations
Here we begin with a boring
old cheese pizza.
Now we add a
little pineapple.
Still pizza, but is it
the same pizza?
How ‘bout a few
anchovies?
Here’s our pizza
now. It’s still
pizza, but with
many different
tastes.
How does this relate to
form in music?
Western Music v. “World”
Music
Western music  rooted in
“formal” (written) music,
originating in Western Europe
during the Middle Ages.
Western music  a recorded
(written) history.
Western music tradition  split
into “art” music and “popular”
or “commercial” music.
Manuscripts
of music
from the
Middle Ages.
Western Music v. “World”
Music
Differences include:
Most world styles emphasize melody more than Western
music.
Harmony is more highly developed in Western music.
Rhythm is under-developed in Western music relative to
most world styles.
Form is much more developed in Western music. Western
music is written; therefore, the form is the same in each
performance. Many world styles use improvisation. Idea of
repetition and contrast is universal.
Western Music v. “World”
Music
Differences include:
 Timbre is highly stylized in all cultures.
 Polyphonic texture is unique to Western music. Most
world music is homophonic in texture.
 Dynamics remain universal.
 Improvisation is important in many world styles. In the
past, it was more important in Western music than
currently.
 Improv is especially used in pop music – jazz, rock,
blues.
Elements of Music
Don’t beat your head
against the wall.
Listen to some music
and think about what
you’re listening to.
Eventually, it all makes
sense.