Download Year-9-Music

Year 9 Music Revision Notes 2015
Your Year 9 Music End of Year Listening Test will take place in your music lesson, in the week beginning 18 th May
Listen to the musical examples named below. These musical examples can be found, along with these revision notes, in Shared
Work > Music > Year 9 > 00Revision, or they can be played from music streaming or sharing sites such as Youtube.
Piano Music in the Romantic Period
Listen to Chopin Prelude in D flat ‘Raindrop’ and study the text below. Learn to hear these features in the music as you listen.
Common features of piano music from the Romantic Period
 The performer uses a wide range of dynamics, from pianissimo (very soft) to fortissimo (very loud)
 The performer subtly uses crescendos (getting louder) and diminuendos (getting quieter) throughout.
 The performer subtly changes the tempo (speed) throughout, known as rubato.
 The performer plays legato (smoothly) using the sustain pedal.
 The performer plays a smooth melody with the right hand and broken chords with the left hand.
Features of Chopin Prelude in D flat ‘Raindrop’
Section
Section A
Name
(0:00-0:26)
Tonality
Texture
Rhythm
Dynamics
Major Key (sounds ‘bright’)
Section B
(2:56-3:40)
Section A, followed by Coda
(4:31-End)
Minor Key (sounds ‘dark’)
Major Key (sounds ‘bright’)
 Mostly melody and
accompaniment
 Pedal Note (a note is repeated
continuously)
 At first, the melody is played by
the left hand, the pedal note
(repeating note) is played by the
right hand.
 Later the right hand plays chords
 Mostly melody and
accompaniment
 Pedal Note (a note is repeated
continuously)
 Monophonic during coda (single
line of music)
 Dotted quaver motif begins the
theme (main melody)
 At first, the left hand plays
crotchets (one-beat notes)
 Later the left hand plays minims
(two-beat notes)
 Dotted quaver motif begins the
theme (main melody)
 Mostly p (quiet)
 Subtle crescendos and
diminuendos (getting gradually
louder then softer)
 Dramatic crescendo (getting
louder)
 From p (quiet) to ff (very loud)
 Then diminuendo (getting quieter)
back to p
 Mostly p (quiet)
 Subtle crescendos and
diminuendos (getting gradually
louder then softer)
 Diminuendo at the end
Minimalism
Listen to Steve Reich’s Electric Counterpoint Movement 3 ‘Fast’ and study the text below. Learn to hear these features in the
music as you listen.
Common features of Minimalism
Minimalism is a style of music using short musical ideas known as motifs or cells. These musical ideas are repeated many times
creating ostinatos (repeating patterns). These patterns can be layered, to create contrapuntal (layered) textures. In minimalist
pieces, complex, syncopated rhythms are common and it is normal for the music to change gradually over a long period of time.
Features of Reich Electric Counterpoint Movement 3 ‘Fast’
Instruments &  7 electric guitar parts and 2 bass guitar parts recorded on tape.
Technology
 1 live guitar plays solo part
 Begins monophonic (one line of music).
 Parts are added one by one.
Texture
 Then texture is layered & contrapuntal (independent lines of music played at the same time)
 Also imitative & canonic (lines of music are the same but starting at different times so as to overlap)
Minimalist
 Layering
Techniques
 Repetition
 Begins and ends in E minor.
Tonality
 Middle section alternates between E minor and C minor.
 Listener hears a resultant melody when the guitars are layered.
Melody
 Resultant melody is also played by the live guitar.
Metre
 3/2 (3 beats per bar)
Rhythm
 Syncopated (off-beat)
 Bass guitars diminuendo (get softer) then drop out before the end of the piece.
Dynamics
 At the end of the piece there is a crescendo
Club Dance Music
Listen to Moby’s Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad and study the text below. Learn to hear these features in the music as you
listen.
Common features of Club Dance Music
 A regular beat in a 4/4 time signature
 Use of technology including:
 Synthesisers: instruments which produce their sound electronically
 Sequencers: computer programmes which record, store and organise sounds to produce the finished piece of music
 Samples: sounds which have been recorded from other pieces of music / environments, to be replayed
 Use of studio effects including:
 Reverb: When a sound does not stop suddenly but takes time to die away
 Retriggering: When a sound is repeated in quick succession
 Echo: When a sound is repeated in quick succession, fading away
 Changes in EQ and filtering: sounds of different pitches are made louder or quieter, changing the balance between them
Structure of Moby Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad
Section
Number
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
Time
0:00
0:19
0:39
0:59
1:19
1:38
1:57
2:17
2:37
2:59
3:18
3:38
3:57
Bar Number
Bar 1-8
Bar 9-16
Bar 17-24
Bar 25-32
Bar 33-40
Bar 41-48
Bar 48-56
Bar 57-64
Bar 1-8
Bar 1-8
Bar 1-8
Bar 1-8
Bar 1-8
Section
INTRO
VERSE
1
CHORUS
1
VERSE
2
CHORUS
2
Names
BUILD – UP
OUTRO
BREAKDOWN
Additional Additional
hi-hat loop hi-hat loop
Synth string Synth string Synth string Synth string Synth string Synth string
chords
chords
chords
chords
chords
chords
Am Em G D Am Em G D C Am C Am
FCFC
Am Em G D Am Em G D
Male
Vocal
sample
‘Why does
my heart’
Synth string Synth string Synth string Synth pad
chords
chords
chords
chords
C Am C Am
FCFC
FCFC
Am Em G D
Synth string Synth string Synth string Synth string Synth string Synth string Synth string
& piano
& piano
& piano
& piano
& piano
& piano
& piano
countercountercountercountercountercountercountermelody 1
melody 1
melody 1
melody 2
melody 3
melody 1
melody 1
Synth string Synth string
& piano
& piano
countercountermelody 3
melody 3
Drum and Drum and Drum and Drum and Drum and Drum and Drum and
shaker loop shaker loop shaker loop shaker loop shaker loop shaker loop shaker loop
Drum and Drum and
shaker loop shaker loop
Male
Vocal
sample
‘Why does
my heart’
Male
Vocal
sample
‘Why does
my heart’
Male
Female
Female
Male
Male
Vocal
Vocal
Vocal
Vocal
Vocal
sample
sample
sample
sample
sample
‘Why does ‘These open ‘These open ‘Why does ‘Why does
my heart’
doors’
doors’
my heart’
my heart’
retriggered Retriggered Retriggered
with reverb with reverb
and echo
and echo
Piano
Piano
Piano
Piano
Syncopated Syncopated Syncopated Syncopated Syncopated
chords
chords
chords
chords
piano
piano
piano
piano
piano
Am Em G D Am Em G D Am Em G D Am Em G D
chords
chords
chords
chords
chords
Am Em G D C Am C Am
FCFC
Am Em G D Am Em G D
Bass
AEGD
Bass
AEGD
Bass
CACA
Bass
FCFC
Bass
AEGD
Bass
AEGD
Female
Female
Female
Male
Vocal
Vocal
Vocal
Vocal
sample
sample
sample
sample
‘These open ‘These open ‘These open ‘Why does
doors’
doors’
doors’
my heart’
With reverb retriggered retriggered
& filtering/
EQ change
Syncopated Syncopated
piano
piano
chords
chords
FCFC
FCFC
Bass
FCFC
Bass
FCFC
Programme Music
Listen to themes from Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf and study the text below. Learn to hear these features in the music as you
listen.
Definition
Programme music is music that describes a story, a scene or an emotion through music alone (without the use of words or
images).
Features of Prokofiev Peter and the Wolf
Theme
Instrument
Pitch
Bird’s Theme
Flute
High
Cat’s Theme
Clarinet
Quite low
Duck’s Theme
Oboe
Grandfather’s
Theme
Peter’s
Theme
Bassoon
Low
Violins
Wolf’s Theme
French Horns
Ascending
then
descending
Low then
ascends
Tempo
Allegro (fast)
Andante (walking pace)
Moderato (moderate)
Key
Larghetto
(slow and broad)
Andante (walking pace)
Minor
Other Features
Grace notes, trills and fast arpeggios
Staccato (detached) arpeggios
Sustained notes, Legato (smooth)
Cantabile (singing style)
Heavy, accented dotted notes.
Major
Elegant dotted rhythms
Andante (walking pace)
Minor
Crescendo (getting louder) from
piano to forte. Chromatic notes.
Major
Major