Classical Music Exploration-Appreciation Week 1 Resources

70 Pages·2013·2.96 MB·English

Unit 1: Elements of Music

Section 1: Overview

Simply put, music is an art based on the organization of sounds in time.

We distinguish music from other sounds because of four key elements: pitch, duration,
dynamics, and tone color. These four key elements are part of the character of every musical
composition and are defined as follows:
• Pitch: the relative highness or lowness of a sound (the faster the vibrations, the higher
the pitch; the slower the vibrations, the lower the pitch)
• Duration: how long a musical sound lasts (coupled with rhythm, which is the flow of
music through time, and helps define the specific arrangement of note lengths in a piece
of music and is an essential feature of its character or personality)
• Dynamics: the loudness or softness of a sound
• Tone Color: the unique auditory property that distinguishes one instrument from another.
(for example, a trumpet has a “bright” and “brassy” sound and is readily distinguishable
from a flute, even if playing the same tone at the same dynamic level)

To better understand how music is constructed, this unit will provide an overview of the
following elements of music:
• Melody
• Rhythm
• Harmony
• Basic Musical Forms
• Instrument Families

Understanding these key elements will make listening to music a more enjoyable experience, no
matter the genre. In addition, a section on how to listen to music will include a listening example
with a guided listening guide to provide a structure for listening to unfamiliar and familiar music.

As the study of musical composition is complex, this unit closes with a section on resources for
further study of music theory and composition if so desired.
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Section 2: Melody

Key terms:
Note: a sound with a specific pitch and duration.
Melody: a series of notes strung together, one after another.
Phrase: a musical sentence

Melody, though, isn’t just any bunch of notes strung together. Composers shape or add contour
to the notes to add interest and to create a distinctive, identifiable “tune” that catches the
listener’s ear. A melody’s shape can be heard as well as seen in the written score. You can also
describe it verbally, such as a “rising melody” or “descending line” – basically describing the ups
and downs you hear (or see) in the line.

In the example below, you can see the melody “rise” and then “descend.”

Melodies are usually described as being made up of phrases. A phrase is like a sentence, with a
group of notes that make sense together (just as a group of words makes sense together in a
sentence). Unlike a sentence, though, it takes more than one phrase to make a complete melody.
In vocal music, the phrases often follow the sentence structure of the text. In instrumental music,
there are strong and weak endings to the phrases, kind of like asking a question in one line and
then answering it in the next. The formal terms for these questioning and answering phrases are
antecedent (question) and consequent (answer). Another way to label these phrases is
incomplete (question) and complete (answer).

Listen for the question and answer phrases in the “Good Morning to All” song, as you follow
along with the score on the next page.

Use this link to access the listening file:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:GoodMorningToAll_1893_song.ogg
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Score for “Good Morning to All”

Composed in 1893 by Patty & Mildred Hill
This melody with chords arrangement prepared in 2008 by Susan Anderson-Benson

Lyrics:
"Good Morning to All"
Good morning to you,
Good morning to you,
Good morning, dear children,
Good morning to all.

This melody is probably more familiar to most listeners as the “happy birthday” song. It was
written in 1893 by two sisters, Patty Hill and Mildred J. Hill. They were school teachers in
Louisville, Kentucky, and their version was originally written as a classroom greeting.
Interestingly, the version we know which bids a person “happy birthday” was copyrighted in
1935 as an arrangement of their original song. On a related note, Warner Chappell, the current
owner of the “happy birthday” version copyright, claims that unauthorized public performances
of the song as they copyrighted it are technically illegal unless they are paid royalties!
Thankfully, the sisters’ original melody and lyrics remain part of the public domain.
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Section 3: Rhythm

Rhythm is an essential part of music, since music can’t happen without time. Simply put, the
placement of sounds in time is rhythm.

Because music has to be heard over a period of time, rhythm can be either metered or unmetered.

Metered music has a clear, steady beat or pulse. Metered music has a repetitive pattern of strong
and weak beats, suggesting a pulse – something you can tap your foot to, clap along with, dance
to, and so on. The “Good Morning to All” song previously explored in melody is an excellent
example of music with a clear, steady beat or pulse.

Unmetered music is where rhythm is simply a placement in time that can’t feel a specific beat or
pulse. (Example of unmetered music include plainchant/Gregorian chant, and some genres of
20th century music.) This music could perhaps best be described as giving the listener a sense of
“floating” or being “surrounded” by the sound, since there is not a beat or pulse to provide a
rhythmic structure to the music to assist the listener’s understanding.

Listen to this example of unmetered music, the Gregorian chant “Salve Regina”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5p_U8J0iRQ

Another element of rhythm is tempo. Tempo is a word or phrase that gives the listener the
composer’s idea of how fast or slow the music should feel. This can be a little tricky, since the
same tempo marking can mean different things to different composers and performers, thus the
variances that can be heard in performances of the same piece.

For example, think of how the “Star Spangled Banner” is performed at various sporting and
political events. Sometimes, it is sung almost reverently, other times at an upbeat/robust tempo.
It’s still the same song Francis Scott Key and John Stafford Smith wrote in 1814 and 1780
respectively with the tempo marking of “con spirito.” (from a copy issued in 1815, as found in
the Library of Congress at the following address (click to see a full sized copy of the score):
http://memory.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.natlib.ihas.100000006/enlarge.html?page=1&from=pageturner

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So, according to the score, the composers wanted a “spirited” rendition of the song – not a dirge. Yet, we
still hear the anthem sung slowly and often without any rhythmic pulse, depending on the performer!

To better understand the difference rhythm and tempo can make, listen to these two very different
recordings of the National Anthem. While there are many more recordings of the anthem on
youtube.com, these two provide a striking contrast in interpretation of the rhythm and tempo.

The first recording features the combined choirs of several United States military academies during a
performance at a football game. Note the simplicity as well as crispy rhythmic rendition of the score,
staying quite true to the composer’s original instructions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ETrr-XHBjE

The second recording features the acappella group, Take 6, with a beautifully sung, but
decidedly stylized rendition of the anthem. This version takes nearly a minute longer than the
first version. Listen to how the singers extend the work by stretching the duration of some of the
rhythms as they vocalize and stylize the anthem.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qZe8aB7plU

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Section 4: Harmony

Harmony is simply when more than one note is sounding at the same time in music. Even if no
one is playing actual chords and just playing another melody line, you can hear a relationship
between these simultaneously sounding notes and that is harmony. Another word for this is
accompaniment. Accompaniment is simply all the parts of the music that aren’t the melody and
can include the bass line, chords, harmonies and rhythmic parts. Texture is another way to
discuss how much is going on in music, for example, thick (lots going on) or thin (not much
going on) and is linked to harmony, since harmony adds to the thickness or thinness of the
sound.

There are several types of harmony:
• Implied: this is a melody all by itself. Even just a melody, though, has “implied”
harmony because of how the melody line is built, implying chords or harmony that could
accompany it, even though it isn’t accompanied. A good example of this is the
plainchant or Gregorian chant found in Section 3 as well as in Unit 2 (Medieval music).
• Drone: A drone is a note that stays the same or rarely changes. A good example of this
is found in bagpipe music, where one note is hanging on underneath the moving melody
line. “The Cliffs of Dooneen” is an excellent example of the drone harmony. Follow this
link to access the mp3 file and then scroll to the bottom of the page:
http://www.mattpiper.com/samples.html
• Homophony: this is a texture in music where the melody line is obvious and all the other
notes are easily heard as harmony/accompaniment. (This is most of the music we
routinely hear.)
• Polyphony (also known as counterpoint): this is a texture in music where there is more
than one independent melody line at the same time, and they’re all pretty much equal in
importance. A good example of this is J.S. Bach’s Fugue in A Minor, as performed by
Julian Bream.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mZvdGAGlOo
• Chords: in Western music, most harmony is based on chords. A chord is a group of
notes that are sounded together (block chords) or separately and quickly so they sound
like a chord (arpeggiated chords). This recording of Greensleeves nicely demonstrates
both block and arpeggiated chords accompanying the melody.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cjjG8SOy9M

Another aspect of music is Dynamics. Dynamics are simply the loudness or softness of the
music, and gradations therein, including crescendo (gradually louder), decrescendo (gradually
softer), accents (single strong-sounding notes).

When we put all the pieces together, even on a simple song like “Good Morning to All,” the
results can be quite interesting and sometimes very fun, as in this recording:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glK1LojN6yg

Note how all the parts come together into a pleasing whole. We can clearly hear the melody,
harmony and dynamics combining into this very familiar tune.

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Section 5: Basic Musical Forms

Every piece has an overall plan or blueprint and that is the music “form.” Form is a familiar
concept since everything that exists has form, such as recognizing a cat from a giraffe at a
distance because of their unique form. Similarly, music has recognizable forms, some simple,
some complex, all designed to help shape the structure of the music and give it an overall “plan.”

Simple forms are readily recognizable and can help aid in the enjoyment of music. For example,
a symphony is a big, complex piece of music, with essentially a very simple form. Most
symphonies have three or four sections called movements, and are framed by fast movements,
with a slow movement in the middle, with the other inner movement often in a dance style.

Within the movements or sections themselves, there is also a recognizable form. For example,
the first movement of most symphonies is in “sonata form.” The piece starts with a recognizable
theme in the exposition, sometimes introduces a secondary theme, and then about mid-way
through, “develops” the themes through various compositional techniques in the development
section, and then returns to the main theme in the final section, called the recapitulation.
Sometimes an extra little bit of music is added after hearing the main theme(s) again in the
recapitulation, and is called a coda (closing material).

While you can enjoy music without recognizing its form, being able to see the “big picture” or
“plan” of the music can enhance the enjoyment. For instance, you can anticipate the return of
the opening theme and know that the movement is coming to its conclusion. In the familiar 5th
Symphony of Ludwig van Beethoven, the distinctive opening theme is presented first in the
exposition, varied throughout the development, and then returns in its original form in the
recapitulation.

Listen to the first movement of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony in this rare old video recording from
1952, as conducted by renowned conductor Arturo Toscanini. (This recording also contains a
link to the 2nd movement, so not only can you listen to the form of the 1st movement, but also the
contrasting style of the 2nd movement, if you choose to do so.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6K_IuBsRM4

Note especially how the distinctive opening theme is “played with” throughout the development,
and how its return in the recapitulation lends almost a sense of comfort or grounding to the
listener, as its familiar notes signal the conclusion of the movement.

Forms can also be labeled with letters, from simple to complex, with each major section being
labeled with a letter, starting with “A.” For instance, the “Good Morning to All” song used in
the previous sections is in the form: A A’ A’’ B. A is the opening line of music. This line is
somewhat repeated for lines 2 & 3, but with some differences, thus they are labeled A’ (a-prime)
and A’’ (a-double prime) to indicate the similarity, but also the differences. B is the closing line,
which is different from all the rest. (See page 2 for the melodic score.)

As you listen to any type of music (including all popular genres!), try applying the alphabet
letters to the various sections. This can enhance your enjoyment by appreciating how the
composer applied form to add to the organization of the piece.
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Section 6: Instrument Families

Brassy…reedy…warm…harsh…shrill…piercing…mellow…bright…light…heavy…dark…

All of these words have been used to describe the timbre or tone quality of the various musical
instrument families.

Tone color or timbre describes the aspects of musical sound that don’t have to do with pitch,
volume or duration. It’s what helps us distinguish between the sound of a flute playing a note
and a trumpet playing the same note.

Since the human ear and brain are capable of hearing and understanding very small variations in
tone color or timbre, we can not only tell the difference between a flute and a trumpet, but also
the difference between, say, two flutes or two trumpets. The general sound we expect to hear
from an instrument is its tone color or timbre; the differences between players of the same
instrument is tone quality. For instance, a trumpet player can produce both a brassy and a
mellow tone on the same note, depending on how s/he approaches the note.

There are four main families of instruments: Strings, Woodwinds, Brass, and Percussion. This
section will provide an overview of the primary instruments of each family, including how they
produce sound. Specific “period instruments,” those instruments unique to a particular historical
period, will be discussed in their respective historical units.

Strings
Sound is produced by vibrating strings and amplified by a hollow wood body with perforations
where the sound comes out. All stringed instruments have strings stretched over them; the
strings are made of nylon, steel or gut. The instruments are played with a bow (a long stick that
has horsehair attached to it), with the bow drawn across the strings in an action calling bowing.
The bow can also be used to strike the strings. Players may also pluck or strum the strings with
their fingers to produce sound.
The four main string instruments are: violin, viola, cello and double bass.

Violin: Smallest member of the string family; has the
shortest strings, so it produces the highest sound. The
shape of the violin has stayed virtually the same since
the 16th century. The modern violin has 4 strings; the
earliest ones only had 3.

Viola: Bigger than the violin, with longer strings;

makes a rich, warm sound that is lower in pitch than
the violin. The instrument itself is also a little heavier,
with a slightly different shape. The viola plays the
middle part of orchestral harmony and while they don’t
stick out when the whole orchestra is playing, they
would be missed if they weren’t there, since they fill in

the vital “middle” of the harmony.
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Cello: Plays even lower than the viola. It is twice as
big as the viola to accommodate its much longer
strings. The instrument is also quite heavy, requiring
players to sit down and rest the instrument against their
bodies. They also use an endpin that comes out of the
bottom of the cello to stick into the floor to balance the
instrument. The cello makes a rich, warm sound and
also helps fill out the middle part of the harmony in the
orchestra.

Double Bass: The largest of the stringed instruments;
played the lowest notes. The double bass adds the
“weight” to the orchestra sound with its deep notes.
Sometimes, the lowest, longest string of the double
bass is made longer so it can play even lower.

Woodwinds
Sound is produced using vibrating air. Instruments are made not only of wood, but also metal,
and even ivory and bone. The instruments are played in one of two ways. Flutes have a hole the
player blows across; air vibrating through the instrument creates a sound. (If you’ve ever blown
air across a pop bottle to make sound, you’ve essentially played a flute!) Pressing the fingers
across holes cut in the instrument allows the player to change the sound. The other way is by
blowing air through a reed (clarinet, oboe, bassoon, saxophone); the vibrating reed sets the air
inside in motion, creating the sound. Again, pressing fingers across holes cut in the instrument
allows the player to change the sound.
The main woodwind instruments are: flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone.

Flute: made from metal; sometimes made from wood.
Playing the highest notes in the orchestra, they’re also
good at playing fast, intricate or “busy” music. The
very highest pitched instrument in the orchestra is a
cousin of the flute: the piccolo (Italian for “little”).
The piccolo has the piercing sound that stands out over

the entire orchestra in such works as the “Stars and
Stripes Forever” (Sousa).
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Clarinet: made from wood or molded plastic. Clarinets
come in different sizes, with the standard B-flat clarinet
running about 2 feet long. Sound is produced by
blowing air through a single reed. The orchestra also

includes an E-flat clarinet (smaller than the B-flat and

plays a higher range of notes) and a bass clarinet (plays

lower).

The bass clarinet is larger than the B-flat and E-flat
clarinets and because it can play lower, it can produce a
“mysterious” sound quality. The bass clarinet, because
of its larger size, has a bent neck, curved around to face
upward, to accommodate the length. It also has an
endpin that slides out of the bottom to help prop it up
on the floor.

O boe: made of wood; look similar to the clarinet, but
sound very different. Unlike the clarinet, sound is
produced by blowing through a thin double reed that
sticks out from the upper end of the instrument. Its
distinct sound is easy to hear in the orchestra, and is
often heard on slow, thoughtful lines. Its cousin, the
English horn, plays a little lower than the oboe and has
a pear-shaped bell. Both instruments require the air to
b e force through at very h igh pres sure int o the tin y
d ouble reed, making it very difficult to play.

Bassoon: made of wood; has almost 8 feet of wooden
tubing, bent into a narrow “U” shape. Uses a double
reed, which is placed in a curved metal tube. The
bassoon is the largest woodwind in the orchestra, save
for its cousin, the contra bassoon, which is even bigger,
and plays even lower than the bassoon.

Because both instruments are so very heavy, they are

usu ally supported by a seat strap that the player hooks
onto the lower end of the instrument and then sits on to
hold it in place.

The rich, mellow, and low-pitched sound of the
bassoon and contra bassoon have been described as
“dark” and akin to a god speaking. Like the oboe, it
takes a lot of breath to play the bassoon.

Saxophone: made of brass, but classified as a woodwind because
it is played using a single reed and mouthpiece, like a clarinet, but
has a metal body with a flared bell. There are four major types:
soprano, alto, tenor and baritone. Saxophones produce a strong,
mellow tone. Invented by Adolphe Sax in 1846, and originally
intended for use in military bands, the instrument is hea r d i n a l l
Bmrausssi cal genres, included orchestral music.
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