Fall 2012 MUS 1751 Music Appreciation Instructor Dr Rachel Harris Chapter 1 Listening to Music Sound o Sound vibrations produce electrochemical impulses o Neurons identify sound by pitch color etc o Midsection of brain determines our emotional responses o Results in increased levels of dopamine Sound and Technology o Principles of acoustics invariable o Methods of capturing and preserving sound has varied Oral tradition Written notation began around 900 CE Edison s phonograph 1877 most significant development Digital technology in the 1990s Classical Music High art or learned music Timeless qualities Emphasizes instrumental music Lengthy and varied and mood Abstract sound patterns Popular Music Appeals to a large population Contemporary issues Emphasizes vocal music Short and conveys a single mood Recurrent immediately audible beat Chapter 2 Rhythm Rhythm Beat Meter o The organization of time and music o Gives a shape or profile to the melody o Provides vitality and definition to a melody o An even pulse o Divides musical time into equal segments o Present in all music o Can be strongly felt or barely perceptible o Often creates a physical response tapping the foot or clapping o Results from gathering beats into measures Measure a group of beats Also called a bar Vertical line in the score o Most common meters duple triple quadruple Meter Signature o Also called the time signature o A numerical symbol indicating the meter Bottom number note value of the beat Top number beats per measure o Normally placed at the beginning of the score Beats within a Measure o Downbeat First beat in a measure Downward motion of conductor s baton Greater emphasis than other beats o Upbeat Last beat in the measure Upward motion of conductor s baton A weak beat Pickup Accent o Upbeat prior to a composition s first downbeat o Provides a little extra momentum o Not every composition has a pickup o Emphasis placed on a musical tone or chord o Heaviest accent typically on a downbeat Syncopation o Displaces the natural accent o Gives an unexpected bounce Prominent feature in jazz Used throughout the history of music Notes Whole note Half note Quarter note Eighth note Sixteenth note Tempo Rests Whole rest Half rest Quarter rest Eighth rest Sixteenth rest o Speed at which beats occur o Normally steady o Tempo markings indicate the appropriate speed Grave grave Largo broad Very slow Lento slow Adagio slow Andante moving Andantino slightly faster than andante Moderato moderate Allegretto moderately fast Allegro fast Vivace fast and lively Presto very fast Prestissimo as fast as possible Slow Moderate Fast Very fast Chapter 3 Melody Definition Pitch The Octave o A series of notes forming a distinctive recognizable unit o Can produce an overwhelming emotional experience o The relative position of a musical sound o Based on the vibrations per second of sound waves o Tone sound with a definite consistent pitch o Duplication a pitch at a higher or lower level o The pitch A can occur at 440 vibrations per second A at an octave lower is 220 vibrations per second o All cultures use the octave but subdivide it differently Tonality o Organization of music around a central tone o Central tone called the Tonic Established tonality Melodies gravitate around the tonic Key Key Signature o A specific tonal center built on the tonic o Makes use of the scale o Indicates the specific tonality of the compositions o Identified by a pattern of music symbols sharps and flats o Placed at the beginning of the scale Modulation Transposition o Changing the key or tonality within a composition o Entire song is placed in a different key Scale o A sequential arrangement of pitches o Ascend and descend in an unvarying pattern o Mode term describing a general type of scale major minor etc o Major and minor scales used in almost all Western melodies o Major A seven note scale diatonic Order of whole and half steps 1 1 1 1 1 Chroma color chromatic scale 12 half steps Usually associated with joy confidence tranquility etc o Minor In a major scale steps fall between the 3 4 and 7 8 notes A seven note scale diatonic Order of whole and half steps 1 1 1 1 1 In a minor scale steps fall between the 2 3 and 5 6 notes o Diatonic notes that make the major and minor scales o Chromatic divides the octave into twelve half steps Melodic Structure o How Melodies move Conjunct motion Disjunct motion Melodies often combine conjunct and disjunct motion o How Melodies are Organized Phrase A segment or self contained portion of a melody Functions much like a dependent phrase of clause in a sentence in a sentence Musicians identify phrases by lower case letters o a for the first b for the second o If a phrase repeats the letter is used again o Ode to Joy theme abcd o The from The Flintstones aaba o Cadence the concluding part of a phrase Phrase o Antecedent and consequent phrase Works in tandem Antecedent phrase Ends on a note other than the tonic Sounds incomplete Consequent phrase Ends on the tonic Concludes the antecedent phrase Motive o A short distinctive melodic gesture o Serves as the basis for creating melodies o Motive Phrase Theme Section Movement Chapter 4 Harmony Harmony Chord Triad Arpeggio o Results when multiple pitches sound simultaneously o Supports and enriches the melody o Adds depth and richness o Two or more pitches that sound at the same time o Basic chord in music o Consists of three pitches in a specific arrangement Interval the distance between pitches Triads consist of two intervals o Broken or staggered triad o Notes of a chord played sequentially o Gives sense of activity based on a third Three Basic Triads o Tonic triad I Built on the first degree of the scale Provides rest and sense of arrival o Dominant triad V Built on the fifth degree of the scale Tends to move to the tonic o Subdominant triad IV Built on the fourth degree of the scale Tends to move toward the dominant Chord Progression o The purposeful movement of chords o Bass line often emphasizes harmonic movement Consonance o Chords that sound agreeable and stable o Sense of rest Dissonance o Chords that sound discordant tense and unstable o Momentum Chapter 5 Dynamics and Color Dynamics o The volume loud or soft of sound o Terms Loud forte f Soft piano p Growing louder crescendo Growing softer diminuendo o Extremes Very loud fortissimo ff Very soft pianissimo pp o Moderate Dynamics Moderately loud mezzo forte mf Moderately soft mezzo piano mp o Suddenly loud sforzando sfz