53
GALILEO, University System of Georgia GALILEO Open Learning Materials Fine Arts Open Textbooks Fine Arts Summer 2017 Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinne College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinne College, [email protected] Elizabeth Whienburg Ozment Georgia Gwinne College, [email protected] Irina Escalante-Chernova Georgia Gwinne College, [email protected] Marc Gilley Georgia Gwinne College, [email protected] Catherine Kilroe-Smith Georgia Gwinne College, [email protected] See next page for additional authors Follow this and additional works at: hps://oer.galileo.usg.edu/arts-textbooks Part of the Music Commons is Open Textbook is brought to you for free and open access by the Fine Arts at GALILEO Open Learning Materials. It has been accepted for inclusion in Fine Arts Open Textbooks by an authorized administrator of GALILEO Open Learning Materials. For more information, please contact aff[email protected]. Recommended Citation Mueller, Todd; Ozment, Elizabeth Whienburg; Escalante-Chernova, Irina; Gilley, Marc; Kilroe-Smith, Catherine; and Fischer, Rachael, "Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinne College)" (2017). Fine Arts Open Textbooks. 4. hps://oer.galileo.usg.edu/arts-textbooks/4

Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

  • Upload
    others

  • View
    2

  • Download
    0

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

Page 1: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

GALILEO, University System of GeorgiaGALILEO Open Learning Materials

Fine Arts Open Textbooks Fine Arts

Summer 2017

Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College)Todd MuellerGeorgia Gwinnett College, [email protected]

Elizabeth Whittenburg OzmentGeorgia Gwinnett College, [email protected]

Irina Escalante-ChernovaGeorgia Gwinnett College, [email protected]

Marc GilleyGeorgia Gwinnett College, [email protected]

Catherine Kilroe-SmithGeorgia Gwinnett College, [email protected]

See next page for additional authors

Follow this and additional works at: https://oer.galileo.usg.edu/arts-textbooks

Part of the Music Commons

This Open Textbook is brought to you for free and open access by the Fine Arts at GALILEO Open Learning Materials. It has been accepted forinclusion in Fine Arts Open Textbooks by an authorized administrator of GALILEO Open Learning Materials. For more information, please [email protected].

Recommended CitationMueller, Todd; Ozment, Elizabeth Whittenburg; Escalante-Chernova, Irina; Gilley, Marc; Kilroe-Smith, Catherine; and Fischer,Rachael, "Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College)" (2017). Fine Arts Open Textbooks. 4.https://oer.galileo.usg.edu/arts-textbooks/4

Page 2: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

AuthorsTodd Mueller, Elizabeth Whittenburg Ozment, Irina Escalante-Chernova, Marc Gilley, Catherine Kilroe-Smith, and Rachael Fischer

This open textbook is available at GALILEO Open Learning Materials: https://oer.galileo.usg.edu/arts-textbooks/4

Page 3: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

Music Appreciation

Open Textbook Georgia Gwinnett College

Elizabeth Whittenberg Ozment, Todd Mueller, Irina Escalante-Chernova, Marc Gilley, Catherine Kilroe-Smith, Rachael Fischer

UNIVERSITY SYSTEMOF GEORGIA

Page 4: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

Module1=UniversalsWhatisMusic?

Inordertogainanappreciationformusicwemustfirstdefinewhat“music”is.Pictureaconcerthallwithagrandpianosittinginthecenterofthestage.ThepianistentersthestagedressedinformalclothestypicalofaWesternArtmusicalperformance.Theaudienceacknowledgestheperformerwhositsatthepiano,opensasheetofmusicandthenwaitsfortheaudiencetosettle.Tobeginthepiecethepianiststartsasilenttimerthatonlyhe/shecansee.Thepianistthensitswhilelistening,notplayinganoteonthepiano.Thistakesplacefor4minutesand33secondsuntilthetimerindicatestheendofthepiece.Thepianistthentakesabow(hopefullytoapplause)andleavesthestage.JohnCagewrotehisseminalwork4’33”tohighlightthatallnoisecouldbemusic.HisphilosophiesweregroundedintheconceptsandteachingsofZenBuddhism.Isitinappropriatetocalltheambientsoundsofthespacethatoneisinmusic?Ifitismusictosomeone,thenitismusic. Nowimaginesomeoneyouknowwhoissosurethatthemusicthattheylistentois“realmusic”thattheydiscountallunfamiliarmusicalstyles,genres,andartists.GrowingupintheAmericanSouthIknewmanypeoplewholistenedtoCountrymusic.Inthelate1980’sand1990’srapmusicandhip-hopculturehadescapedfromtheboroughsofNewYorkandwasappreciatedbyaudiencesinamajorityofcommunitiesacrosstheUSA.OnmorethanoneoccasionIheardayoungcountrymusicenthusiastrailagainstrapmusic.Thesituationwasalsoreversible.Justasmanyrapfanswouldrailagainstcountrymusic.Thecriticismthattheyhadincommonwasthat,“Itallsoundsthesame.”Theymightfollowthatwith,“Ilikemusicthatmeanssomething.”Musicdoesmeansomethingtothosewholikeit.Justlike4’33”meantsomethingtoJohnCageandtomillionswhohaveenjoyeditbothaurallyandphilosophically. Therearemanywaysthathumansexpressthemselvesthroughsound.Theexamplesabovedemonstratethebreadthofmusicalpossibilitieswithinoneculture.Nowmultiplythisbythevarietiesofmusicalexpressionfoundthroughouttheworld’sculturesandthroughouthistory.Itishardtothinkofallofthepossibilitiesandtobelievethatonecould“appreciate”themall.Doyouknowwhy

Page 5: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

Gamelanisimportanttothosewhomakeit?Doyouknowwhatitfeelsliketo“beinthemoment”ataHindustanimusicalconcert?DoyouknowthefeelingofturningoffyourconsciousthoughtduringanupliftingpraiseandworshipsongoratanElectronicDanceMusic(EDM)festival?Itisimportanttotrytofindoutwhyothersappreciatemusicbeforepassinganaestheticjudgment. Thefirstkeyistobroadenyourconceptofwhatmusicis.Inthiscoursewedefinemusicassoundorganizedbyhumans(Blacking1973,4).Becauseneuroscienceisinatimeofgreatdiscoverieswearelearningmoreandmoreaboutmusicanditsbiologicalbenefits(reasons).Musicisimportanttohumansandhasbeenforatleastthelast40,000years.Weknowthisbecausetheoldestinstrument(thathasbeenfound)isaboneflutefoundinHohleFelsCaveinsouthwestGermany.Thelevelofsophisticationthatittooktomaketheinstrumentindicatesthatittookmucheffort.Thisisnotaprimitiveinstrument. Thewaystolistentomusicareasvariedasthegenres.Agenreisagroupofmusicalpiecesthatarecharacterizedbysimilarities.Atthebeginningofthe21stcenturyhumansaresurroundedbymusicandnoise.Muchofthisnoiseisambientmusic.Wehearmoremusicthananyoneatanyothertimeinhistory.Itisnothingspecialformanyofus.Itaccompaniesourdriving,walking,studying,shopping,ridinganelevator,etc.…Wedonothavetopayattentiontomostofthemusicthatwehear.Infact,muchofitisnotcreatedforpeoplewhoarepayingattention.Insteaditiscreatedforpassivelistening.Passivelisteningsimplymeanshearingwithoutanintentiontoexperiencewhatoneishearing.Examplesofmusicforpassivelisteningwouldincludeambientmusicheardinadepartmentstore,themepark,oryogastudio.Musicplayedinacommercialandoftentimesinavideogame,televisionshow,internetpostormoviemayalsobeambient.Activelisteningisrequiredtodevelopanappreciationforamajorityofthegenresofmusic.Activelisteningislisteningwithapurpose.Thatpurposemaysimplybetoenjoythesounds,oritmaybetoanalyzethemusictofindoutwhatmakesitunique. Thereareasmanywaystoanalyzemusicastherearevarietiesofwaystomakemusic.Inthisclasswewillutilizefiveelementsofmusictogainagreaterunderstandingofthecomposition(workofart).Thefiveelementsofmusicare:rhythm,melody,harmony,texture,andform.Modulethreewillrequireactivelisteningandanalysisof

Page 6: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

rhythm.Modulefourwillincludemelody,harmony,andtexture.Modulefivewillcoverform.Inaddition,thiscoursewillanalyzedifferencesinhumanmusicalexpressionbysurveyinginstrumentsfromaroundtheworld(Module2).Thiswillincludeadiscussionoftimbre.TimbreisaFrenchwordthatweusetodescribetheuniquequalityofthesoundofaninstrument. Theword“music”Forthepurposeofthiscoursewearedefiningmusicassoundorganizedbyhumans.WhilethisworkswellinappreciationcoursesintheWesternworlditdoesnotalwaysworkwhentalkingaboutthe“humanlyorganizedsound”ofothercultures.Theword“music”isaconstructofWesterncultureanddoesnottranslatetoallcultures.IntheArabicIslamicworldthetranslationformusicismusiqaa.WhilethiswordreferstomuchofwhatwesternerswouldcallmusicitdoesnotrefertomelodicrecitationoftheQur’an.RecitationoftheholiestbookinIslamisartfulmelodicandrhythmicpresentationthatisdonewithmuchpassion(soul).Eventhoughthisrecitationis“soundorganizedbyhumans”itisnotappropriatetorefertoitusingthewordmusic.ThisisbecauseitisaspiritualpresentationthatMuslimsconsidertobedifferent(above)secular“music”.Thisisnottosaythatallreligiousrecitationisdifferentthanmusic.InEuropetheoldestnotatedmusicisreligiouschantcalledplainchant(6ththrough9thcenturies).ThisisoftenreferredtoasGregorianchantbecauseofalegendthatclaimsthatPope(Saint)GregoryIwasresponsibleforgatheringthemusicalpracticeofalloftheRomanCatholiclandsintoanotatedset.SaintGregorycertainlydidmuchtocanonizetheCatholicworshipdocumentsbuttheplainchantthathashisnamemostlikelyevolvedinthethreehundredyearsafterhisdeath.Plainchant,orGregorianChant,ismelodicrecitationthatiscalledmusic.Manyculturesdonotlimitmusictoorganizedsound.InIndia,sangitareferstobothmusicanddance.Forpeoplewhotiemusicintotheirwayoflifethereissometimesnowordformusicbecauseitisnotseparatedfrom“life”.ThisistrueformanyindigenousNorthAmericansandAfricans.

Page 7: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

Whomakesmusic?Theconceptofwho,orwhat,amusicianisalsovariesbetweencultures.InthesameindigenousNorthAmericanandAfricanculturesthereisnotadesignationforsomeonewhospecializesinmusic.Thisisbecauseallmembersofthecommunitymakemusic.Theconceptiscomparabletotheactofspeakinginourcommunities.Everyonetakespartinspeaking.Werecognizethatsome“speakers”or“preachers”havedevelopedtheskillbutthatdoesnotmeanthatothersdonotspeak.Inourownculturethedefinitionof“musician”isamovingtarget.Whatlevelofproficiencyorprofessionalismdoesonehavetoachievebeforebeingconsideredamusician?Isitnottruethatonewhosingsinchurchoratabirthdaypartyismakingmusicandthereforeamusician?Forthepurposesofaworldsurveyofmusicitisimportanttobroadenthedefinitionofamusiciantobeanyonewhoistakingpartinmusic.Thiscanbeavirtuosoviolinist,adancerinIndia,aproducerofHip-Hoporashowersinger.Whydopeoplemakemusic?

Humansusemusicforavarietyofreasonsthatvaryfromculturetoculture.Musicsignifiesdifferentthingsfordifferentpeople.Somemainlyuseitforentertainmentandmarketingwhileforothersitisapartofeverydaylifeakintospeakingorwalking.AsCathyKilroe-SmithwritesinMusicalJourneys:

OnthecontinentofAfrica,musicisusedinanumberofpracticalways.Inmanycases,itisusedwhiledoingeverydaytaskssothatthemindcanrestwhiletherhythmtakesover.FishermenalongthecoastofMauritaniausesongtohelpthemcommunallypullintheirheavyfishingnets.Thesongshelpthemtosynchronizetheirmovementssothatastherhythmincreasessodoestheeffortputintohaulingintheircatch.Knownfortheircraftsmanship,theSenofupeopleoftheIvoryCoastusecombinationsofrhythmstocreatecommunalrhythmicpatterns.Eachactionortaskhasarhythm,andwhencombinedtheeffectisofonecomplexmusicaltapestry.Thisensuresthateveryonekeepsworkingatagoodpaceandhelpsthetimepassquicker.Oncetheworkdayisover,themusicandrhythmschangeand

Page 8: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

eveningsarespentdancingandsinging.MusicisverymuchpartofthefabricofdailylifeinAfrica.Singingandmovementaccompanymanyaspectsofdailylife;evenwhilewaitinginlinepeoplesing.(Kilroe-Smith2013,14)

Thispassagealsoillustratestheuseofmusictoincreaseproductivityoflabor.Worksongscomefromallwaysoflife.Someexamplesareseashanties,fieldhollers,streetcries,lumberjacktunes,prisonsongs,railroadsongs,miningsongs,andcowboytunes.Anotherkindofworkmusicistraditionalmilitarymusicfromtimeswhenmusicwasusedtoorganizeandmotivatetroopsonamarchoronabattlefield.Militarymusicstillaccompaniesimportantceremoniesandevents.

Whenpeoplegathertogetherthereisoftenmusic.Thiscanbesimplytoenjoythecompanyofotherslikeatapicnicoraparty.Itcanalsobeagatheringthatfocusesonthemusiclikeaconcertoradance.Musicisusedforcelebrationsrangingfromlife’smostimportantevents(weddings,graduations,funerals,birthdays)tothemostinane(competitivevictories,arrivaloftheweekend).Lullabiesareusedtoputchildrentosleepandsongshelpwakepeopleupwithtenderness.

TheexpressionofideasandemotionsisareasonformuchoftheWesternWorld’spopularmusic.Listenersrelatetothemessagesinpoptunes.Songsandworksaboutemotionsthataregeneratedbyloveareacommonexampleofemotionalexpressioninmusic.Inthisway,musicisoftenusedtoidentifyandexpresswhoweareasmusiciansandlisteners.Thisexpressioncanbepersonaloritcanbeusedforgroupidentity.NationalAnthemsareusedtounifymembersofasocietyunderacommonmusicaltheme.IninternationalgatheringsliketheOlympicsmusicprovidesnationalunityandpride.Protestsongscanunifymanypeoplebehindacommongoal.Thesesongsoftengivepeoplestrengthandcouragetocarryon.

Musicisaprofessionformany.Thereismuchmoneytobemadebyperformingandcomposingmusic.Thinkofallofthecommercialusesofmusic.Musicisheardinstores,inparks,ontelevision,inthemovies,inairports,andinrestaurants.Oftentimespeoplecompose,perform,andrecordthismusicprimarilyformoney.ProfessionalWesternclassicalmusiciansplayconcertsyearround.Manyoftheseconcertsdonotcontainmusicthateverymemberispassionateabout.

Page 9: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

Oneofthemoststrikingandprofoundusesofmusicisinworship.Amajorityofhumansusemusicinreligiouspractices.ThisisevidentinhymnsandchoralsingingofChristianity.ItcanbefoundintheSufiWhirlingDervishesandinthedevotionalaspectofHindustaniandCarnaticmusicfromIndia.Intheshamanisticculturesoftheworldcommunicationwiththespiritworldisfacilitatedthroughmusicalpracticewithshamanoftensinginganddrumming.Religioustranceaccompaniedbymusiccanbefoundacrosstheglobe,fromTibetanBuddhismtoAlabamanPentecostalChristianity.

Thespiritualorreligiousaspectofmusicisareasonthatmanymusiciansgiveforwantingtodevotetheirlifetotheart.Becausesciencecannotyetexplainthetranscendentpowerofmusicwesaythatmusichasmetaphysicalpower.Metaphysicsisatermthatisusedtoexplainconceptsorideasthatcannotbescientificallyproven(yet).Thiscanbefeltinthesolitudeofaprayerfulchantorinthecommon“vibe”ofthousandsdancingatanelectronicdancemusicfestivalorclub.

Danceisaformofhumanexpressionthatisalmostinseparablefrommusic.Becauseofthismuchmusiciscreatedtoaccompany,orfacilitatedance.Thisdancecanbeformal,likeinaEuropeanballetorEgyptianzaar.Dancemusiccanalsobeinformal,likeataconcertorclub.

Whatisaestheticpreference?

Inalimitedsenseaestheticsarethejudgmentsandpreferencesthathumansplaceonartandculturalworks.Aestheticjudgmentsarenotmadefromonlyoneareaofourunderstanding.Theyarephilosophical,scientific,andtheoretical.Insimplertermsaestheticjudgmentsareemotional,intellectualandsensoryallatonce.Itisimportanttorecognizedifferingaestheticsastheresultoftheculturefromwhichtheyarise.ManyAmericanstudentshaveanaestheticpreferenceformusicthathasextra-musicalmeaningheardinwordsthataresung.Inthiscaseextra-musicalreferstoaspectsofthemusicthatareinadditiontoarrangedsounds.InWesternmusichistorymusicologists(peoplewhostudymusicasanacademicsubject,mostlyusedfordescribingscholarsofEuropeanArtmusic)divideworksintotwocategoriesthatindicatethemeaningofapiece.Thecategoryinwhichtheworkscontainsextra-musicalmeaningiscalledprogrammaticmusic.Programmaticmusiccantellastoryorsimply

Page 10: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

relateanideawithorwithoutwords.Asasidenote:Musicwithwordscangenerallybecalledsongswhilemusicwithoutwordsisusuallyreferredtoasapieceorwork.Theothercategoryisabsolutemusic.Absolutemusicreferstomusicthatcontainsnoextra-musicalstoryoridea.Thereisnotcurrentlyastrongaestheticforabsolutemusic.TheClassicalStylePeriod(1750-1820)isatimeinEuropeanArtMusicwhentherewasemphasisonabsolutemusic.Thisiswhenthesonata,stringquartet,concerto,andsymphonybecameimportantgenres.

Musicthathaswordscanrelateanyidea,story,oremotionthatthesongwriterand/ormusicianswanttoconvey.Somesongsarenarrative.Thismeansthattheytellastory.Somesimplyrelateanemotionoridea.Sometimesthewordsthataresungdonothaveliteralmeaningtothelisteners/performers.Instead,performanceofthepieceholdstheactualmeaning.Thisisthecasewithmanypatrioticsongsorprotestsongs.Insomemusic,thesyllablesbeingsungaremeaningless.Meaninglesssungsyllablesarecalledvocables.ManyindigenousAmericansongsutilizevocables.TheyarealsoapartofEngland’srichmadrigalandcaroltradition(“Fa-la-la-la-la”)andAmericanDoWopmusicfromthelate1950’s.

Somelistenersprefermusicwithoutdirectmeaning.AprimeaestheticoftheabsolutemusicoftheClassicalstyleperiodwasemphasisonformandproportioninmusic.TheworksofWolfgangAmadeusMozartepitomizethisaestheticgoal.UnderstandingmuchofMozart’smusicnecessitatesunderstandingtheformsandmelodiesofthelate18thcenturyinAustria.Morerecentlyambientmusichasfoundanaudience.Puredancemusic(withoutlyrics)mightalsobeabsolute.Absolutemusicisonly“about’’thearrangementofsounds.

Aestheticpreferencecanalsomanifestinthewaythataperformerinterpretsapieceofmusic.Inmuchoftheworld’sculturesthereisastrongaestheticforhearingtraditional,recognizablepieces.Eachnewperformerofthesetraditionalpiecesisexpectedtoaddtheirownmusicalidentitytothepiece.Thisisanopposingaesthetictoculturesinwhicheachsubsequentperformanceofthepiecetriestoapproximatetheoriginalsound,aesthetic,andintentofthepiece.StudentsinAmericaoftenrevealaestheticpreferencebyconsideringhowtheywouldliketohearanartistplayasongthattheylike.Wouldtheyrathertheartistinterpretinanewwayordotheywanttohearit“likeitwasonthealbum”?

Page 11: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

TransmissionofMusicandKnowledge Theprocessbywhichmusicmovesfrombetweenonepersontoanother,betweengenerations,andbetweencommunitiesiscalledmusicaltransmission.SinceEdison’sfirstrecordingin1877,recordingtechnologyhastransformedmusicperformanceandtransmission.Theprocessofchangefromrecordingsoundontinfoil,waxcylinders,vinyl,magnetictape,tothedigitalrevolutionthatbroughtaboutcompactdiscsandnowstreaminghasdrasticallychangedhowmusicistransmitted.Inthecurrentworld(2016)itispossibletoholdmoremusiconadevicesmallenoughtokeepinone’spocketthanamajorlibrarycouldphysicallycontainin1976.Thishaschangedhowmuchhumansconsumeandvaluemusic.WhencombinedwithvideorecordingandtheInternet,recordinghasbecometheprimarywaytotransmitmusicbetweenpeople,cultures,andgenerations.Thetechnicalrevolutionhasfacilitatedcrossculturalexposureandexplorationthatisunparalleledinhumanhistory.Thishasramificationsthatareyettobediscoveredand/orunderstood. Beforemodernrecordingtechnologytheonlywaystopassdownaworkinanoriginalstateweretonotateitonpaperortopassitdownorally.Manyculturescontinuetraditionsthathavebeenongoingforcenturiesofpassingdownmusicorally/aurally.Whilenewperformersarepartofacontinuinglineageandtraditionitislikelythatthemusicthattheyinheritcontinuallyevolves.TheoldestextantwrittennotationthatgivescompleteinstructionsonhowthemusicistosoundoriginatedwithMedievalEuropeanmonks.Thisisnowthestaffnotationthatisfastbecomingaglobalstandardformusicnotation.

Page 12: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

ReferenceList:Bakan,MichaelB.2012.WorldMusic:TraditionsandTransformations.2nded. NewYork:McGraw-Hill.Blacking,John.1973.HowMusicalisMan?Seattle:UniversityofWashingtonPress.Cage,John.1973.Silence:LecturesandWritingsbyJohnCage.Middletown,

Connecticut:WesleyanUniversityPress.Kilroe-Smith,Catherine.2013.MusicalJourneys.Dubuque,IA:KendallHunt.Paredes,Américo.1958.WithHisPistolinHisHand:ABorderBalladandIt’sHero.

Austin,TX:UniversityofTexasPress.TheMusicInstinct:ScienceandSong.WrittenanddirectedbyElenaMannes.

Premiered[2009].Co-productionofTHIRTEENforWNET.ORGandMannesProductionsInc.,inassociationwithARTE/France,NDR,AustralianBroadcastingCorporationwiththeparticipationofYLE.YouTubevideo,1:53:34.PostedbyCoffeeScience&Discoveries[Oct2014].https://youtu.be/m5pwSMDTD4M?t=26m13s.AccessedOct.2016.

Wade,BonnieC.2013.ThinkingMusically:ExperiencingMusic,ExpressingCulture.

3rded.NewYork:OxfordUniversityPress.

Page 13: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

Module2-MusicalInstrumentsWhatareinstruments?

Musicalinstrumentsareanysoundproducingmediumusedinthecreationofmusic.Thisincludesthehumanbody(voice)andallelectronicandchanceproductionofmusicalsounds.

Musicalinstrumentsareamongsttheearliestevidenceofhumanscreatingart.TheoldestextantinstrumentsareflutesfoundinHohleFelscaveinSouthwestGermany.Theseflutesaremadeoutofthelegboneofaswanandwoolymammothivory.Theseflutesrevealmusicalactivityattheendofthe“stone”age.VisualrepresentationsofmusicalinstrumentscanbefoundinmostoftheWorld’sancientcultures(Egyptiansistrum,Persianney,Chinesexun,Greek“Pan”flutes,aboriginalAustralianbullroarer,logdrumsoftheAztecs,andsoon).Wealsolearnaboutinstrumentsfrommyths,legends,andinart.Althoughthereismuchevidenceleftofmusicalinstrumentsthereislittleinformationleftonhowtheywereplayed.Becauseofthisethnomusicologistsmustmakemanydeductionsandassumptionsabouthowmusicsounded.

Perhapsthefirstmusicalinstrumentswereusedforcommunication.Signalinginstrumentsarecommoneventoday.Trumpetsanddrumshavealongtraditionofsignalinginmilitaryunitsbothonandoffofthebattlefield.ShofarsandKuduhornsupholdthissametraditioninvariousoldercultures.Gongsandchurchbellshavelongsignaledmanyevents.InTibetanBuddhismmonksblowintoconchshellstosignaltimesandcallpeopletoprayer.ThedrumbeatofaTurkishJanissarybandwasusedtostrikefearintoChristiancrusaders.Electronicmusicaltonesnowsignalthearrivaloftextmessages,phonecalls,thecompletionofadownload,andanynumberofachievementsonvideogames.Determiningtheuseofaninstrumenthelpstogiveinsightintothemeaningofittothepeoplewhouseit.

Whenlookingintotheinstrumentsofanycultureitishelpfultouseaclassificationsystem.Themostcommonusedclassificationsystemformusicalinstruments(usedinWesternacademia)iscalledtheHornbostel-Sachsinstrumentclassificationsystem(publishedin1914).ThissystemisbasedoffofaHindusystemusedbyBelgiancuratorVictorMahillioninthelate1800s.TherearefivecategoriesofinstrumentsintheHornbostel-Sachsclassification:

• Idiophones-instrumentinwhichprimarysoundproducingmediumisthevibratingbodyoftheinstrumentitself.

• Membranophones-instrumentinwhichtheprimarysoundproducingmediumisavibratingstretchedmembrane(skin)

• Chordophones-instrumentinwhichtheprimarysoundproducingmediumisavibratingchord(string)

• Aerophones-instrumentinwhichtheprimarysoundproducingmediumisavibratingcolumnofair

• Electrophones-instrumentwherethesoundisdifferentiatedelectronicallySomenotableexamplesfromeachcategorythatcanbeusedforyourproject:

Page 14: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

Idiophones:cymbal,triangle,zils,slitdrums,woodblocks,chimes,bells,glockenspiel,marimba,balaphone,xylophone,mbira,gongs,(Gamelanhas:kenong,ageng,kempul,kempli,gansa,ugal,jublag,panyacah,jegogan),steeldrums,jawharp,shakers,rattles,guiro,bones,castanets,udu,HangdrumMembranophones:drumsofallkinds=djembe,ashiko,talking-drums,tar,tabla,mrdangam,taiko,powwowdrum,bassdrum,snaredrum,timpani,surdo,repinique,cuica,conga,bongo,framedrums,tambourine,rik,kanjir,bodranAerophones:flutes(dizi,western,piccolo,shakuhachi,NativeAmerican,ocarina,recorder),trumpetsandhorns(Frenchhorn,bugle,shofar,kudu,trombone,trumpet,baritone,bugle,conch),panpipes,didgeridoo,reedinstruments(oboe,bassoon,clarinet,saxophone,harmonica,bagpipes,accordion,concertina),bullroarer,sirens,organChordophones:zithers(autoharp,qanun,uhadi,berimbau,dulcimer),harps,kora,lutes(guitar,banjo,mandolin,ukulele,violin,viola,‘cello,doublebass,bouzouki,sitar,oud,charango,guqin,koto,balalaika,ngoni,molo),piano,harpsichordElectrophones:telharmonium,theremin,ondesMartenot,synthesizer,computer,midi-instruments,electricaerophones/chordophones/membranophones/idiophones,turntables,magnetictape,sequencers,samplersExtra-MusicalAssociations:

Manyinstrumentshaveextra-musicalassociations.Theseareideasthatpeoplehaveabouttheinstrumentsthataresupplementaltomusicalnotesproducedbytheinstrument.Manyoftheseassociationshighlightwhattheseinstrumentsmeantothepeoplewholistentothem.

Associationsoflocationandculturearefoundwithinstruments.ThedidgeridooistypicallyassociatedwithAustralia.MoreparticularknowledgeoftheinstrumentevokesthoughtsoftheaboriginalAustralianswhocreatedandperformonit.TheBrazilianberimbauisachordophoneassociatedwithslaveswhousedtheinstrumenttoaccompanycapoeira.Capoeiraisamartialartthatisdisguisedasdance.Becauseofthistheberimbauisassociatedwithrebellionandresistance.Steelpans/drumsarethenationalsymbolofTrinidadandTobago.Theyare55-gallonoil“drums”thathavemusicalnoteshammeredintooneend.Theyareidiophones.Acrosstheglobemanypeopleassociatethesoundsofthesteelpanwithidyllicislandsettings.

GenderAssociationscanbemadeaboutinstrumentswhentheinstrumentsaredesignatedtobeplayedbyeithermalesorfemales.InmanytraditionalAfricanculturesmanyinstrumentsaretobeplayedonlybymales.ThembiraisapluckedidiophonefromtheShonapeopleoftheZambezivalleyinsouthernAfrica.ItiscommonlyassociatedwiththecountryofZimbabwebuthasbecomeapopularinstrumentacrossthecontinentandintothediaspora.Inmanyculturaltraditionsthisinstrumentisonlytobeperformedbymales.InancientEgyptiansocietythis

Page 15: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

genderbiaswasnotgenerallythecase.Thesistrumwasaninstrumentonlytobeplayedbyfemales.InAmericansocietytraditionalassociationswithregardstogenderpreferenceforinstrumentalperformanceexist,butarefading.Thetraditionusedtohavesmallerinstrumentslikethefluteandclarinetbeingassignedtogirlswhilelargerinstrumentslikethetubaanddoublebasswereplayedbyboys.Thesecondwaythatinstrumentscantakeongenderassociationsisiftheinstrumentitselfisconsideredtobemaleorfemale.TheAfro-Cubanbongosareasetoftwodrumswherethelargerdrumisfemale(hembra)andthesmallerdrumismale(macho).ThiscanbeseeninAmericansocietywithharpsthatareconsideredtobefemale.

Manyinstrumentsevokespiritualassociations.Thiscanmeanthattheinstrumentisassociatedwithprayerandworship.Examplesofthisincludetheorgan(associatedwithtraditionalChristianworship),theShakuhachiflute(associatedwithZenBuddhistmeditation),kanglingandconchshell(TibetanBuddhism=voiceofBuddha),andthemrdangamdrum(SouthIndian/Carnatic=associationwithHindudeityGanesh).Sometimesinstrumentshelpcommunicationbetweenthespiritworldandthephysicalworld.TheAustraliandidgeridoofacilitatespassageto“DreamTime”inAboriginalpractice.TheBatadrumshelptocalldownOrishasinCubanSanteria.ThisisareligiouspracticeofAfro-CubansthatcombinesAfricanandEuropeanreligioustraditions.Thepowwowdrumhelpstocleanse/refreshthespiritofNativeAmericanmaleswhoplayitwhilesinging.Spiritualassociationscanalsobegenericassociationsofinstrumentswithgoodorevil.ThiscanbeseeninAmericanculturewiththeHarpassociationwithAngelsandtheviolinandguitarassociationwiththedevil.

Whenmusicalinstrumentshaveaestheticassociationstheyareoftenusedasvisualworksofart.Wheninstrumentscarrystrongvisualaestheticvaluepeopleoftenobtainthemnottoplaymusicbutinsteadtoenjoytheirlook.Manyinstrumentsarecarvedordecoratedinwaysthatmakethemvaluable.TheTibetanconchshellistraditionallycarvedandencrustedwithjewels.Gamelaninstrumentsareornatelycarvedandbecomevisualshowpiecesintempleswheretheyareperformed.Instrumentscanoftenbefoundondisplayinmuseums.InstrumentsvaluedfordifferingaestheticscanbefoundmountedonthewallsofrestaurantsintheUSA.Aestheticvaluedoesnotalwaysmean“fine-art”.

Culturalstatuscansometimesbeindicatedbythemusicthatonelistenstoortheinstrumentthatonechoosestoplay.Inpre-televisionAmericaafavoritepastimewasmusicmaking.Inhollersandfarmhousesoflessaffluentpeopleinstrumentsliketheguitar,banjo,andharmonicawerecommonbecauseoftheircostandavailability.Peoplewhoownedmorecomplexandexpensiveinstrumentscouldshowtheirculturalstatusbyplayingthegenresassociatedwiththeseinstruments.TothisdaymanyAmericanshavepianosinhomeswherenooneperformsonthem.TheKoreankomungoisapluckedzitherthathasfrettedandnon-frettedsilkstrings.Itistraditionallyassociatedwitharistocraticcourtsandhigh-classstatus.

Ofteninstrumentsarethoughtofprimarilyasproductstosellforprofit.Iftheinstrumentsaremanufacturedpoorlyornotuptothestandardsneededtomakemusicthentheyhaveanextra-musicalassociationofbeingsubstandardorcheap.

Page 16: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

Whenlargedepartmentretailerssellmusicalinstrumentslikeguitars,drums,andkeyboardstheytendtohavethisassociation.InAmericainadequateversionsofWest-Africandjembedrumsarecommonlysoldinimportstoresas“African”themeddecorations.Tothesellertheseareamarketableproduct.Tothebuyerthesearegenerallyanaestheticvisualaccent.

Sometimesinstrumentsretain(orincrease)invalueastimepasses.Ifthisisthecasethantheinstrumentscanbethoughtofasinvestments.TheEuropeanviolinfamilyofinstrumentsbecamestandardizedindesignandconstructionduringtheBaroquestyleperiod(1600-1750).Theluthiers(violinbuilders)ofthattime(Amati,Guarneri,Stradivari)builtinstrumentsthatremainrenownedandsoughtafter.Theseinstrumentshavebeenvaluedforsolongthatoftenthehistoricalassociationsaddmuchtothevalue.Theseinstrumentsnowsellformillionsofdollarsatauction.Ensemblebasics/ranges:

Whentwoinstrumentsperformtogetheritisgenerallyreferredtoasaduetorsolo(instrument)withaccompaniment.Itisacommonpracticetoaccompanyamelodyonanotherinstrument.InAmericanPopmusictherearemanyexamplesofartistsaccompanyingtheirownsingingbyplayingharmonyandrhythmonguitarorpiano.Forthistobeaduettherehavetobetwomusicians.

Whenmorethantwoinstrumentsperformtogetherthegroupiscalledanensemble.Twomusiciansmakeaduet,threemakeatrio,fourmakeaquartet,andsoon.Instrumentsinanensemblegenerallydifferinregisterorintimbre.

Registerandrangerefertothe“height”ofanoteortheheightofaninstrument’srangeofnotes.Rangeisthedistancefromthelowesttothehighestnotesthataninstrumentcanplay.InWesternmusicalpracticeensemblesgenerallycontaininstrumentsthatcancoverthenotesinfourstandardranges:soprano,alto,tenor,andbass.Theseregistersareassociatedwithbasicregistersofthehumanvoice.Thebasicvocalregistersare:

Soprano:thehigh-femalevocalrangeAlto:thelow-femalevocalrangeTenor:thehigh-malevocalrangeBass:thelow-malevocalrange

Westernvocalmusicistraditionallycomposedinawaythatlimitssingerstotheirnaturalrange.Forwesternaestheticseachrangeisroughlytwooctaves.Choralmusiciscommonlycomposedwithfourmusicallines:sopranos,altos,tenors,andbasses.Singerssingthelinethatfitstheirvocalrange. Instrumentsarealsogiventhesedesignationsbasedontherangesthattheyplay.Someusetheactualterminologyofthevocalrangestoshowthedifferingregisters.Anexampleofthisisthesaxophone(sax)familyofinstruments.Saxophonesaresinglereedinstrumentsofthewoodwindfamilythatareusuallymadeofbrass.Thecommonhigh-pitchedsaxophoneiscalledasoprano.Thealtosaxophonehasthesametimbreasasopranosaxbutitplaysalowerpitchrange.

Page 17: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

Thetenorsaxophoneplayslowernotesthanthealtosaxwiththebaritoneplayingevenlower.Baritoneindicatesapitchrangein-betweentenorandbass.Thereareseveralin-betweenandextendedranges.Acommonsaxophonequartetincludesasopranosax,altosax,tenorsaxandbaritonesax.Theseinstrumentsallhavesimilartimbrebuttheydifferinrange.Westernbowed-lutesarealsodifferentiatedbytheregisterofeachinstrument.Thehigh-pitchinstrumentiscalledaviolin.Aviolaisslightlylargerandhasalowerrange.Thevioloncello(‘cello)islowerstillwiththedouble-bassesplayingthelowestrangeofnotes.Acommonstringquartetconsistsoftwoviolins,aviola,andavioloncello.

Becausetheaforementionedensembleswereallmadeofthesameinstrumentstheyallhadsimilartimbres.Ensemblesinwhichalloftheinstrumentshavesimilartimbersarereferredtoashomogeneousensembles.Whilethisiscertainlyanaptdescriptionforensemblesofinstrumentsthatdifferonlyinregister(likechoirs,saxophonequartets,andstringquartets)itcanalsobetrueofensemblesthatcontaindifferentinstruments.Usuallythesedifferentinstrumentsarefromthesamefamily(butnotalways).Examplesofthisincludewoodwindensembles(oboe,flute,Frenchhorn,bassoon,clarinet)andbrassensembles(trumpet,trombone,baritone,Frenchhorn,tuba).

Ensemblesinwhichinstrumentaltimbresvaryarecalledheterogeneous.Therearemanygenresofcontemporarypopularmusicthatexemplifythisconcept.Thebasicbandusedinmuchinstrumentalpopcontainsarhythmsection(drum-set/kit,bassguitar,guitar,keyboard.Initselfarhythmsectionisaheterogeneousensemble.Thetimbreofthedrumsisnotmeanttoblendwiththetimbreoftheguitarorpiano.Thedrumkititselfisaheterogeneousinstrument.Thestandardcomponentsofadrumsetare:

• High-hat=twocymbalsplayedtogetherwithfootpedalorastick• Ridecymbal=largecymbalthatismeantforconsistentpatternsinsteadof

accentingimportantmoments• Crashcymbal=smallercymbalthatisusedtoaccentimportantmoments• SnareDrum=drumthathaswires(snares)stretchedacrossthebottomhead• TomToms-drumsofvarioussizes• BassDrum-Lowestpitcheddrum

Thecymbalshaveadifferenttimbrethanthedrums.Thehigh-hathasadifferenttimbrethanthecymbals.Asnaredrumhasadifferenttimbrethantheotherdrums.Addtotherhythmsectionaleadinstrumentplayingamelodyandthetimbresvaryevenmore.Thisinstrumentisoftenthehumanvoicebutitcanbeamelodicinstrumentliketrumpet,saxophone,orfluteaswell. Oftenanensemblehasaspectsthatarebothheterogeneousandhomogeneous.SymphonyorchestrasarethelargeensemblesthatplaymanypopulargenresofWesternArtMusic(symphony,concerto,opera,soundtracksforfilms/games,ballet).Orchestrasaremadeupoffoursectionsofinstrumentsgroupedbytimbre(strings,woodwinds,brass,percussion).Theartoforchestrationreferstohowacomposer(ororchestrator)creativelyusesthe

Page 18: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

varyingtimbres.Sometimesthecomposerwillwriteforonlyonesection,creatingahomogeneousideal.Thiscanbecontrastedwithsectionswheretheentireorchestraisplaying,creatingaheterogeneousideal.Orchestrationcanalsobeheardinmarchingbands,windensembles,Chineseorchestras,Braziliansambagroups,Japanesegagaku,andinIndonesiangamelanorchestras. Musiciansinensemblespracticeindividuallyandthencometogethertorehearse.Theserehearsalsrequirecoordinatedeffortsbythemusicianstoachieveacommongoal.Oftenthisnecessitatesaleader.Inmanylargeensemblegenrestheleaderissomeonewhoorganizesactivities,conceptualizesmusicalgoals,rehearsesthegroup,andperformswiththeensemble.Manydrumminggroupsfromaroundtheglobeareledbyamasterdrummerwhopreformscuesandsignalsthatguidetheensembleanddancersthroughthemusic.Jazzbandsareusuallyledbyaprominentbandmemberwhorehearsesthegroup,andcountsoff(starts)tunes.Themusicalleadershiproleofsymphonyorchestrashasevolvedfromaviolinistwholedthegroupwhileplaying(muchlikeajazzbanddirector).Asthemusicbecamemoredemandingtherewasagreaterneedfortheleadertoleadwithoutperformingonaninstrument.Theresultisaconductorwhorehearsesthegroup,startsandstopstheensemble,guidesthemthroughtempochanges,andinspiresthebesteffortsofthemusicians(andtheaudience). Digitalmusic: Perhapsthemostimportantdevelopmentinthehistoryofmusicalinstrumentswastheinventionofdigitalaudioproduction(computers).Thecomputerhasputthesoundsofallacousticinstrumentsinthehandsofthemusicproducer.Thecomputerallowsproducerstheabilitytocreatenewtimbresandinstrumentsthatarenotlimitedbyphysicalabilitytoperform.Aswithmostmusicalinnovationsofthepastwecurrentlyheartheseinnovationsindancemusicandinexperimentalgenres.Thereisnoendtothesonicpossibilitiesofthisrelativelynewinstrument. ReferenceList:Bakan,MichaelB.2012.WorldMusic:TraditionsandTransformations.2nded. NewYork:McGraw-Hill.Kilroe-Smith,Catherine.2013.MusicalJourneys.Dubuque,IA:KendallHunt.Wade,BonnieC.2013.ThinkingMusically:ExperiencingMusic,ExpressingCulture.

3rded.NewYork:OxfordUniversityPress.

Page 19: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

Module3=Rhythm

Inordertogainabetterunderstandingofmusicitisimportanttoknowthetechnicaldifferencesbetweenworks.Thestudyoftheuniquetreatmentofsoundstocreateapiecenecessitatesbreakingthemusicdowninto“elements”.Therearemanydifferentopinionsastowhatanexhaustivelistofelementsshouldinclude.InthistextwewilluseTheFiveElementsofMusic.Thesearerhythm,melody,harmony,textureandform.Module3willcoverrhythm;Module4willcovermelody,harmonyandtexturewhileModule5willcoverform.Asyoulearntoanalyzemusicutilizingthefiveelementsitisalsoimportanttorecognizethefourpropertiesofatone:duration,frequency,amplitudeandtimbre(Bakan2012,34).Durationreferstothelengthofthesound.Frequencyreferstothephysicalwavelengthofthetone,whichmanifestsastheheightofthetone(pitch).Amplitudeisthevolumeofamusicaltone.Timbreistheparticularqualityofsoundthatatonehas.Thismodulewilldealmainlyindiscussionsaboutthedurationofthetone.

Rhythmistheelementofmusicthatdealswiththearrangementofsoundsandsilencesinrelationtotime.IntheWesternmusictraditionthesoundsarecallednotesandthesilencesarecalledrests.Rhythmisalsoanounthatreferstospecificarrangements/sequencesofnotesandrestswithintime.Thisuseisevidentwhendiscussingaspecificrhythmthatisheardinapieceofmusic(liketheclaverhythmfoundinWest-Africanmusicandmusicofthediaspora).Adiasporaisthereestablishmentofcultureoutsideofthehomelandofthepeoplewithinthatculture.InthiscaseitreferstothereestablishmentandevolutionofAfricanmusicaltraditionsintheAmericas.

Itisusefultoanalyzerhythmbylisteningforthethreelevelsofmusicaltime:background,middleground,andforeground(Valdez2006,10).BackgroundTime Tofindthebackgroundtimeinanypieceofmusictapyourhandornodyourheadormoveinwhateverwayallowsyoutomatchthemusic.Ifthisisaconsistentpulsethenitismostlikelythebackgroundtime.Thebackgroundtimeisapulseorbeataroundwhichotherrhythmsareorganized.Apulseor“beat”happenswhenthereareregularequal-lengthdurations.Ametronomeisatoolthatprovidesapulseatspecificbeatsperminute(BPM).Insomegenres/culturesthereisanaestheticforstrictadherencetometronomicpulse.Insomemusicthepreferenceistoletthepulsepushorpull.Modernpopularmusicthatutilizescomputersforperformanceor“tracking”wouldmostoftenbemetronomic.“Tracking”referstoperformingonaliveinstrumentwhilestayingwithadigitaltrackthatkeepsbothaudioandvisualaspectsofthesongsteady,choreographedandsynchronized.ThiscouldrangefromthemusicofBollywood,hip-hop,electronicdancemusic(EDM)andAmericancountry.Somepeoplepreferforthebeatto“pushandpull”(slightlyspeeduporslowdown)astheartistisfeelingthemusic.ThiscanbeheardinHindustanimusic,Westernartmusic,andclassicrock.Oftentheshiftinspeed/tempoissosubtlethatitisnotnoticeabletotheuntrainedear.

Page 20: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

Thebackgroundpulsesetsthetempoofthemusic.Temporeferstothespeedofthebackgroundpulseinmusic.IntheWesternmusicalworldItaliantermsareutilizedtodescribemusicbecausecomposerstraveledtoItalytostudyOperacompositionfortwocenturies(1600s-1700s).OtherItaliantermsusedwhenconsideringabackgroundpulseare: Accelerando graduallyspeedingup Ritardando graduallyslowingdown Ritard slowdown Presto veryfast Allegro fastandlively Andante atawalkingpace Adagio slowandstately Grave veryslow In“classical”musicthatisabsolute(seeModule1fordefinitionofabsolute)thetempoindicationsareoftengiveninlieuoftitlesforthemovementsofamulti-movementgenre(symphony,stringquartet,concerto,sonata).Forexample,Beethoven’sPianoSonataNo.14,Opus27No.2(MoonlightSonata)hasthreemovements.Inaprogramthepiecewouldbelistedwiththemovementtitlesastempoindications. PianoSonataNo.14,Op.27No.2 Beethoven,Ludwigvan

I. Adagiosostenuto(slowandsustained)II. Allegretto(moderatelyfast)III. Prestoagitato(veryfastandagitated)

AnotherexampleofthiswouldbetheStringQuartet,Opus11writtenby

AmericancomposerSamuelBarberin1936-43.Thisworkhasfourmovementslisted: StringQuartet,Op.11 Barber,Samuel

I. Moltoallegroeappassionato(veryfastandpassionate)II. Moltoadagio(veryslow)III. Moltoallegro(veryfast)

Thesuccessofthisworkiswidelyattributedtothesecondmovement.Barberarrangedthismovementasastandaloneworkforalargerstringorchestra.ItisentitledAdagioforStrings.Inaworldofdescriptivetitlesthistitlemightseemtoominimalbutiteffectivelyallowsthelistenertobringtheirownmeaningtothisslowpieceforstrings. Whenthebackgroundpulseofaworkspeedsupandslowsdowninanefforttoexpressemotionthisisreferredtoasrubato.RubatoisdramaticandintentionalandisgenerallyassociatedwithdramaticemotionalexpressionthatbecameanimportantaestheticforRomanticeraperformanceofWesternArtMusic.ThepianomusicofFrédérickChopinisoftenassociatedwiththisrhythmicpractice.

Page 21: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

AnotherWesternArttechniquethatfreestheperformerstointerprettempoinaloosewayisassociatedwithOpera.Inoperawhencomposersmustadvancetheplotthroughthepresentationofdialoguebutdonotwishtocompose“songs”theyuserecitative.Recitativeissingingthatfollowsthenaturalflowofspeech.Inarecitativesectionofanoperaoracantatathereisoftenmuchrhythmicfreedomgiventotheperformers. Whenapiecehasnoconsistentbackgroundpulseitisnon-metric.MusicwithoutadiscernablepulsecanalsobereferredtoasFreeRhythmic.FromtheperspectiveofthosewholistenprimarilytoAmericanPopgenresthisisnotacommonrhythmicapproach.Itis;however,evidentinmuchmusicspanningmanygenres.Non-metricmusiccanrangefromworksperformedonshakuhachiflute,Japanesegagaku,ambientmusic,aleatoric/chancemusic,sectionsofBalineseGamelan,plainchant,recitativeinOpera,sectionsofIndianclassicalmusic,andsignalingmusic.Whileitisimportanttonotethatnotallmusichasasteadypulse,allmusichasrhythm. Anotherimportantaspectofthebackgroundpulseisthesubdivision.Thetwomostcommonsubdivisionsofthebackgroundpulsearedupleandtriple(seeFigure1).Aduplesubdivisionofthebackgroundpulsedividesthespacebetweeneachbeatevenlyintwo.InAmericathecolloquialismtoindicateaduplesubdivisionistosaythatthemusicis“straight”.Atriplesubdivisionofthebackgroundpulsedivideseachbeatbythree.Thecolloquialismforthisapproachistosaythatthemusic“swings”.MostAmericanpopmusiccanbeclassifiedas“straight”or“swinging”.Thissimplyreferstoadupleortriplesubdivisionofthebackgroundpulse.Eachapproachhasa“feeling”.MostAmericanpopmusicpriortothe1950’s“swung”orhadatriplesubdivision.Fromthe1960’stopresenttheaestheticpreferencehasbeenformusicthatis“straight”.Theaestheticpendulumwill,nodoubt,swingbackto“swing”someday.Figure1:Subdivisionofthebackgroundpulse

MiddlegroundTime Middlegroundtimeisanoft-analyzedaspectofrhythm.Thisisthelevelatwhichthebackgroundpulseisorganizedintopatternsofaccented(emphasizedthroughloudervolume)andunaccentednotes.InWesternmusicthemiddleground

Page 22: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

timeiscalledmeter.Meterisaregulargroupingofthebackgroundpulse.MostWesternpopularandartmusiciscomposedutilizingasimplemeter.Thethreemainsimplemetersareduple,triple,andquadruple.

Musicthatisinduplemetergroupsthebackgroundpulseintoapatternofalternatingstrongandweakbeats.The2/4inFigure2isatimesignaturethatindicatesaduplemeter.Thetopnumberofatimesignaturetellshowmanybeatsareinameasure(2=duple).Thebottomnumberindicateswhatkindofnotegetsthebeat(4=quarternote).Itisstandardcontemporarypracticetoassignthebackgroundpulsetothequarternote.Figure3showstherelationshipsbetweenseveralcommonlyusednotes.Itstartswiththewholenoteandsubdividesitwithallnotesuptothesixteenthnotes.AllofthenotesinFigure2arequarternotes.Ifthesequarternotesareorganizedintomeasuresofthreethenthemusicisintriplemeter.Likewise,groupingsoffourareinquadruplemeter.Quadruplemeteristhemostcommonmiddlegroundgroupingofthebeat.

Figure2:SimpleMeters

InWesternArtmusicsimpleduple,triple,orquadruplemetershaveaduplesubdivisionofthebackgroundpulse.(Thisisnotthecaseinpopularandworldmusicgenres).CompoundmeteristheWesternterminologyformeterswhenthesubdivisionofthepulseisthreeinsteadoftwo.Aswithsimplemeters,compoundmetersappearinduple,triple,andquadruplegroupings.Incompoundtimesignaturesthetopnumberdoesnotindicatethebackgroundpulse.Aduple

Page 23: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

Figure3:Basicnotesandsubdivisions

compoundtimewillalwayshaveasixasthetopnumberofthetimesignature.The“compound”aspectisthatthe6notescanbegivenabackgroundpulseofthreeortwo(SeeFigure4).Incompoundtimetheeighthnotemostoftengetsthebeatdesignationsothesignature’slowernumberisusually8.6/8isaduplecompoundmeter,9/8isatriplecompoundmeter,and12/8isthesignatureforaquadruplecompoundmeter.Compoundmetersarealsoutilizedtocreatepoly-metricmusic.Figure4:CompoundMeters

43 œ

>

œ œ

>

œ œ

>

œ1 & 2 & 3 &

œ œ œ1 2 3

86 œ

>

œ œ œ

>

œ œ1 & a 2 & a

.œ .œ1 2

89 œ

>

œ œ œ

>

œ œ œ

>

œ œ1 & a 2 & a 3 & a

.œ .œ .œ1 2 3

812 œ

>

œ œ œ

>

œ œ œ

>

œ œ œ

>

œ œ1 & a 2 & a 3 & a 4 & a

.œ .œ .œ .œ1 2 3 4

©

Simple Triple Meter

Compound Duple Meter

Compound Triple Meter

Compound Quadruple Meter

Page 24: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

Polymetricmusiccanbeheardinmorethanmeteratthesametime.ThisisacomplexconceptthatisheardindrummingfromAfricaandthediaspora.Theeffectofpolymetricmusicisashiftinginthelistenersunderstandingofwheretheemphasizedbeatsoccur.

AlthoughWesternArtmusicismainlycomposedusingthesimpleandcompoundmeterslistedabovetherearemanyotherpossibilitiesformeterinmusic.Whendupleandtriplemetersarecombineditisknownasadditivemeter.Themostcommonadditivemetersarecombinationsof2and3thataddupto5(2+3or3+2)and7(2+2+3,3+2+2or2+3+2).MeterslikethesearenotascommoninWesternArtandPopularmusicthoughtheyareoftenusedinrhythmicallyadventurousgenreslikeprogressiverockand20thcenturyballet.TheyaremorecommonintraditionalmusicofplacesliketheBalkans(EasternEurope)andIndia.

Whenmusicstaysinthesamemeterthroughoutasongitisconsideredregular.Whenmusicshiftsbetweenmetersitiscalledirregular.Thiscanhappenwhenaworkisinquadruplemeterforafewmeasuresandthenshiftsintotripleorquintuplemeters.Inlengthyworksthisisacommonoccurrence.ForegroundTime Foregroundtimeencompassesallofthecomplexrhythmsthathappenontopofthemeterandpulseofthemusic.Thisisallofthesurfacerhythmsofthemusic.Thisiswheremostsyncopationsoccur.Syncopationisarhythmicemphasiswhereitisnotexpected.Syncopationsarecommoninmostgenresofmusic.Acommonsyncopationistoaccentoffbeats.Offbeatsarethespacesbetweenthebackgroundpulses.Reggaeanditsparentgenresofrocksteadyandskaallcontainheavysyncopationbyemphasizingtheoffbeats.CulturalApproachestoRhythm:WesternArtMusic-downbeatemphasis InWesternArtmusictheaestheticsforpreferredrhythmicemphasishaveevolvedanddevolvedforoveramillennium.Itisimportanttonotethattheaestheticsformusicofthe20thcenturywereoftenexperimental.ComposerslikeKarlheinzStockhausenorIgorStravinskystretchedtherhythmicnormsbycreatingmusicthatwasextremeinrhythmiccomplexity.Thisistosaythat,atthebeginningofthe21stcenturyitishardtoimaginemusicbecomingmorerhythmicallycomplex.ThisrepresentsapolaroppositerealityfromthelackofrhythmicemphasisinWesternArtmusicthatisevidentinthefirst1000yearsofChristianpractice.Perhapsitwasanattempttokeepoutpaganpracticeoritwasbecausethevenuesforperformancewereextremelyresonant;eitherwayrhythmwasnotemphasizedasmuchastheotherelementsinMedievalandRenaissancemusic. IntheBaroquestyleperiodrhythmbecamemoreofanemphasiswithsteadybackgroundpulsebeingfeltinamajorityoftheworks.FromtheBaroquethroughtheRomanticeraemphasiswasgenerallyplacedonthestrongbeats/downbeatsofmeasures.ThedownbeatemphasisinWesternArtmusiccanbefeltonbeatoneoftriplemetersandonbeatsoneandthreeofquadruplemeters.Insomeorchestralgenreslikewaltzesormarchesdownbeatemphasisisheardplayedon

Page 25: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

drums.Inothergenres,andincontrasttopopularmusic,thereisoftennoinstrumentdedicatedtostrictlyemphasizingtherhythmofWesternArtmusic.American/WorldPopMusic-backbeatemphasis Sincetheearly20thcenturyAmericanPopularMusichavebeeninfluencingworldpopularmusicstyles.ElementsofAmericanpopcannowbeheardinthepopmusicofmanyothercultures.ExamplesofthisarefoundinBollywoodmusic,K-pop,J-pop,RussianrockandvariousAfricanpopstyles(amongstothers).Oneofthemainelementsthatcanbeheardinallofthesestylesisabackbeatemphasis.Thebackbeatisbeats2and4ofa4/4measure.Inmanycontemporarypopulargenresbeats2and4areactuallyarticulatedbythesnaredrum(oranelectronicversionofthisinstrument).Thebackbeatisalsoarhythmicemphasisinolderpopgenresincludingthebluesandjazz.SoutheastAsianColotomicMeter InThaipiphat,Japanesegagaku,andIndonesiangamelanensemblestheconceptofcolotomicmeterisusedtoindicatethemetricfoundationofthemusic.Acolotomicmeterisacyclicalpatternplayedbyvariousinstrumentsthatrevealstherhythmicstructureofthework.Incolotomicmetersspecificinstrumentsplayonspecificbeatstoformarhythmiccycleorthewesternequivalentofameter.Theseinstrumentsareoftengongs.Ingamelanthehigher-pitchedgenerallyplayatafasterratethanthelower-pitchedinstruments.Thismeansthatthelowestpitchedgongswilloftenmarkimportantbeatsinacycle.Forinstanceinthecolotomiccyclecalledketawangthelargestgongonlyplaysononebeat.Whenthisgongisplayeditindicatesthebeginningofthepieceandeachsubsequentcycle.InFigure5weseethatthisgong(gongageng)playsonthe16thbeatofthecycle.Itisinterestingtonotethatthemostimportantbeatisthelastbeatofthecycle.Thisisadifferingaesthetictodownbeatemphasis.Theinstrumentthatsplitsthe16beatcyclebyplayingonbeat8(andsometimes16)iscalledthekenong.Thisisagongthatisplayedonitsside(nothanging).Beat12isperformedonahanginggongcalledkempul.Thisgongisnotasbigasthegongagengandthereforeishigherinpitch.Fillingintherestofthespacesarethekempyangandketuk.Theonlybeatwithasilenceisbeatfour.Theothermelodicandrhythmicpartshappenontopofthisfoundationalpattern.Figure5:KetawangColotomicMeter

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16p t p p t p N p t p Pul p t p N

GGongageng=G Kenong=N Kempul=Pul Kempyang=p ketuk=t

AccordingtoMichaelBakan,anethnomusicologistatFloridaStateUniversitywhospecializesinGamelanmusicofIndonesia,Kilitanteluisaninterlockingrhythmicpatternthatformsthebasisofmanymelodiesandrhythmsingamelan

Page 26: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

genres(Bakan,2012).Themainrhythminkilitanteluisplayedbythreeinstruments/voicegroupsthateachstartonadifferentbeat.ThiskindofpatternisoftenheardinavocalbasedgamelanstylecalledKetak.TheinterlockingofthekitilantelupatternreflectstheinterdependenceinIndonesiansociety.AtypicalKecak-styleexerciseusingtheinterlockingkilitantelurhythmislistedinFigure6.Figure6:Kecakstylerhythm

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8“chak”1 C C C C C “chak”2 C C C C C“chak”3 C C C C C“pung”1 P P SouthwestAsia/NorthAfricanRhythmicModes/Iqa' IntheregionoftheworldthatWesternershavetraditionallycalledthe“MiddleEast”secularmusicpracticesarerhythmicallyanchoredbyrhythmicmodesknownasiqa'.Therearehundredsofvariationsofiqa'.Eachonehassubtledifferencesthatgiveitparticularexpressivemeaning.Theiqa'arereferredtoasrhythmicmodesinsteadof“meters”becauseoftheexpressivecapacityofeachmode(rootwordmood).Eachiqa'isaparticulararrangementofaccentedandunaccentedrhythms.Severaliqa'arecommonlyheard.Themostcommonpercussioninstrumentsthatplaytheqi’arethedumbek(alsoknownasthedarabukkahordarbuka),tarandrik.MuchlikeadrumsetinWesternpopplaysinbeats,iqa’consistsoflowpitchandhighpitchsoundsplayedonthedumbekorotherinstruments.Thelowsoundiscalleddummwhilethehigh-pitchedsoundiscalledtakk.Somecommoniqa’arediagramedinFigure7.Figure7:Rhythmicmodes/iqa'

Masmoudirhythmicmode/iqa’dumm dumm takk dumm takk

Maqsumrhythmicmode/iqa’dumm takk takk dumm takk IndianTala

IntraditionalIndianmusictherhythmicfoundationsarecalledtalas.TalaistheIndianequivalentofWesternmeters.Talasaremadeupofcombinationsofsmallergroupings.Sometimestheendresultsareverycomplextalas.Becausetherearemanywaystogroupbeatstogetherthereareliterallyover100differenttalas.ThisisnotablewhencomparedtotheprimaryuseoflessthantenmetersinmostWesternmusic.Whenlisteningtothetalaknowledgeablelistenersoftenmark

Page 27: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

thepartsofthetalabyusingaseriesofclapsandwavesofthehandsknownaskriyas.Thekaisavocalpatternthatindicatesthepatternsofatala.Vocalizingthethekaisacommonwaytolearntalas.SeeFigure8foraguidetotintal(acommontaal).Figure8:Tintal

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16Dha Dhin Dhin Dha Dha Dhin Dhin Dha Na Tin Tin Ta Ta Dhin Dhin DhaClap Clap Wave ClapInmanyHindustaniperformancesthereisaformthatgrowsfromacalmintroductionandslowlybuildsuntilitreachesarapid,andintense,conclusion.Thesepiecesinvolvemuchvirtuosicperformance.Oftentherewillbenotalaorpulseinthebeginning.Atthepointthatthetable(drums)entertherewillbeanewfocusonrhythmicdevelopment.AfricanPolyrhythm RhythmistheelementofmusicmostcommonlyassociatedwithAfrican(particularlySub-Saharan)music.TherhythmsofAfricanmusicaccompanyactivitiesrangingfromday-to-daychorestocomplexceremonies.DrumminganddancingaretwocommonformsofAfricanmusic.Asisthecasewithmusicthataccompaniesdancethereareoftenostinatodrummingparts.Anostinatoisarepeatingpatternormotive.Whendifferingrhythmicostinatoscombinetheybecomeapolyrhythm.Simplyputapolyrhythmismultiplerhythmsperformedsimultaneously.Polyrhythmicdrummingisthemusicalmanifestationofanaestheticthatvaluesseparate“small”partscombiningtoformagreaterwhole.Thiscanbeseenasamusicalreflectionofcooperationforthebetterofall(Stone,?). Atypicaldance-drumpieceofmusicfromWestAfricacontainsmanypolyrhythms.Theyarenotconceptualizedwithinameterbutinsteadarethoughtofascomplementaryrhythmiccomponentsofoneflow.Therhythmicpatternthatholdsallofthedifferingostinatostogethercanbecalledatimelinepattern.Thispatternistypicallyplayedonametalidiophone(gonkogui=bell).Thephraseplayedonthebelliscycled/repeatedandisusedtoplacealloftheotherdrumparts.Theotherpartsaregenerallyfixedwiththeexceptionofamasterdrum.Thisdrumgenerallyleadstheensemble(includingdancers)byplayingdifferingpatternsthatsignalthetimingofchanges.Themasterdrumisgenerallytheonlypartfreetoimproviseatwill.ForanexampleofapolyrhythmicpieceseeFigure9.Theeffectoflisteningtopolyrhytmicmusicisthattempoandphraseperceptioncanshiftbetweenpartsdependentuponthevantagepointofthelistener(Locke,2010).

Page 28: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

Figure9:Atsiagbekor(generic)

count 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12Bell/gonkogui • • • • • • •Shaker/axatse d u d u u d u d u d uHighdrum/kagan • • • • • • • •Middrum/kidi • • • • Lowdrum/sogo • • • • • • Clap1 • • • • Clap2 • • • • • • Latin(American)Clave AfricanpolyrhythmicdrummingmadeitswaytothediasporaintheCaribbean,South,andNorthAmerica.TotheuntrainedearthedifferencesinAfro-CaribbeandrummingandAfricandrummingaresometimeshardtoperceive.ThemosthelpfulsignifierofLatinAmericandrummingisitsrelianceonclave.ClaveisthetimelinepatternthatworkswithinametertoholdAfro-Caribbeanmusictogether.ClavehasadirectlinktoWest-African(YorubaofmodernNigeria)timelinepatterns.ClavecanbeheardinmuchLatinomusicasafoundationalpattern.TheinfluenceofAfro-Cubanstylesofthemid20thcenturyhasmuchtodowiththeappearanceofClaveinstylesofmusiclikerumba,conga,cha-cha,son,mambo,samba,salsa,songo,timba,bossa-nova,bolero,bachata,candombe,bomba,plena,andreggaeton.WhilenotalwayspresentinsoundthefeelingofclaveisanecessaryaspectofmostLatinmusic.Clavepatternshaveathreesideandatwoside.Thismeansthatineverytwomeasurepatternonemeasurecontainsthreenotesoftheclaveandonemeasurecontainstwo(SeeFigure10).

Figure10:ClavePatterns

Meter/Count 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &2/3sonclave • • • • • 2/3rumbaclave • • • • •3/2sonclave • • • • • 3/2rumbaclave • • • • • Brazil2/3clave • • • • • Brazil3/2clave • • • • •

SalsaisanAfro-Cubangenrethatoriginatedinthe20thcenturyinNewYorkcombiningCuban,PuertoRican,Domenican,andAmericansensibilitiesandstyles.Thepolyrhythmsinsalsaareheardintherhythmsofalloftheinstruments,notjustthedrums(SeeFigure11).

Page 29: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

Figure11:SalsaPatterns

Meter/Count 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &2/3sonclave • • • • • Cascara/timbale,piano • • • • • • • • • •Tumbao/Bass,conga • • • • Martillo/bongo,bell • • • •

Modernmusicingenressuchasplena,soca,bomba,merengue,cumbia,

timba,tango,andreggaetonoftenhaveaheavyemphasisonrepeatedthreesideoftheclaveorthetumbaopattern.Sometimesthetwosideisnotheard(butitisoftenfeltbyplayersanddancers).Thisisoftenheardinstylesthatusebassdrumemphasisonbeatsoneandthreeofaquadruplemeasure(“fouronthefloor”acrosstwobars)(SeeFigure12).Figure12:Three-SideEmphasisonDrumset

Meter/Count 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &Threesiderepeated • • • • • • Hihat • • • • • • • • SnareDrum • • • • BassDrum(4onfloor) • • • •

ReferenceList:Bakan,MichaelB.2012.WorldMusic:TraditionsandTransformations.2nded. NewYork:McGraw-Hill.Locke,David.2010.YemevuintheMetricMatrix.MusicTheoryOnline.Vol.16,No.4 (Dec.),accessedOct.102016, http://www.mtosmt.org/issues/mto.10.16.4/mto.10.16.4.locke.html.Stone,RuthM.2005.MusicinWestAfrica:ExperiencingMusic,ExpressingCulture. NewYork:OxfordUniversityPress.Valdez,Stephen.2006.AHistoryofRockMusic.4thed.Dubuque,Iowa:Kendall/Hunt.Wade,BonnieC.2013.ThinkingMusically:ExperiencingMusic,ExpressingCulture.

3rded.NewYork:OxfordUniversityPress.

Page 30: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

Module4-Melody,HarmonyandTexture

Pitchinmusicreferstovibrationsofsoundwaves.Thesevibrationsaremeasuredinhertz(cyclespersecond).Thereforeamusicalpitchisasoundproducedatacertainnumberofcyclespersecond(Wade,2013).Thefasterthevibration,thehighertheresultingpitch.Likewise,theslowertherateofvibration,thelowerthepitch.Musicaltonescanbedividedintotwocategories:determinateandindeterminatepitch.

Musicalpitchescontainamixtureofsoundwaves.Theonethatdominatesthesoundisreferredtoasthe“fundamental”pitch.Alloftheotherwavesthatareproducedbyapitcharereferredto(inthemusicworld)asovertones.Whenapitchhasasetofovertonesthatallowafundamentalnotetodominatethesounditisadeterminatepitch.Indeterminatepitchhappenswhentheovertonesofanotearenotinalignmentorthereareconflictingfundamentalsandthereforeno“one”vibrationdominatesthesound.Anotherwaytothinkaboutthisconceptistoknowthatinstrumentsthathavedeterminatepitchplaynotesthataretypicallygivennames(letter,numberorsolfege).Determinatepitchinstrumentsinclude(butarenotlimitedto):voice,piano,guitar,marimba,woodwinds,brass,chordophones,etc.…Indeterminatepitchinstrumentsareinstrumentslikegamelangongs,snaredrums,cymbals,triangle,etc…Theseinstrumentsaregenerallyusedtokeeparhythm,toaccent,ortoaddcolor.

Whenapitchhasasetofovertonesthatvibratealongwiththefundamentalinsimpleratios(seeFigure2)thenitmakesaharmonicpitch.Mostmusicalinstrumentsthathavedeterminatepitchareharmonic(chordophones,aerophones,mostelectrophones).Whentheovertonesofthepitcharemostlyinharmonic(notinsimpleratios)thenthepitchisdiscernablebutthetimbreisunique(timpani,malletpercussion,singingbowls,tunedgongs).Figure2illustratestheharmonicovertones.Thewavelengthspicturedalsoillustratethepossiblenotesthatcanbeplayedonfixedlengthaerophones(bugle,bottle,conchshell,etc).Tuning

PythagorasofSamos(ofthePythagoreantheorem)describedwhysomemusicalnotesvibratewelltogether(harmonize)andothersdonot.Weuselengthsofstringtoillustratehisfindings.Iftwostringswerephysicallyproportionedina2to1ratio(onestringisexactlytwotimesthelengthofthefirst)andallotherfactorsareequalthenthevibrationsofmusicalnotesproducedbythesestringswillalsoexistina2to1ratio.Forinstance:ifthelongstringproducedapitchat110hertzthentheshorteronewouldproduceapitchat220hertz.This2to1ratioissoharmoniousthatwecallthesetwoseparatenotesthesamepitchname.Thedifferencebetweentwopitchesofthesamenotename(or2to1ratio)iscalledanoctave.Simplyputandoctaveistheintervalbetweentwopitcheshavingthesamenotename.Amusicalintervalisthedistancebetweentwonotes/pitches.InFigure1thedistancebetweenanytwonotesofthesameletternameiscalledanoctave.

Page 31: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

Figure1:Pianokeyboardwithletternotenames

This2/1octaveratioisalsoillustratedinFigure2inbottomtwowavelengths. Figure2:HarmonicPartials/OvertoneSeries

Page 32: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

Allinstrumentsarenottunedthesameoreventothesamepitchsets.Wheninstrumentsaretunedtomaketheratiosscientificallypure(inthemannerofFigure2)thisiscalledjustintonation.WhiletheearpreferspureintervalstheyarenotpracticalformuchWesternmusic.IntheWesternworldmostinstrumentsarenottunedtojustintonation.Instead,Westerninstrumentsaretypicallytunedtoequaltemperament.Inequaltemperamenttheoctaveisdividedintotwelveequidistantpitches.Whenthisisdonethepurityofthescientificratiosislost.Thismeansthatfixedpitchinstrumentslikekeyboardsandguitarsarenotcompletely“intune”accordingtojustintonation.This“impure”tuningisnecessarytoplaymusicthatmovesbetweendifferingscales/keyareas.InWesternmusicsomegenresofmusicutilizejustintonation.Thisisprimarilythecasewheninstrumentsdonothavefixedpitch(fretlesschordophonesfromtheviolinfamily,humanvoice).Somegenresthatutilizescientifictuning/justintonationarebarbershopharmony,choirmusic,andstringquartets.Somehighlyproducedmodernpopandelectronicdancemusicutilizejustintonation.Thecomputerisnowusedtoproducemuchmusicthathas“pure”intervals.Indianmusicalsoutilizesjustintonation.Eventhoughthereareseveralfixedpitchandfrettedinstruments(likethesitar)usedinIndianmusicintonationisnotaproblembecausethereisnotmovementbetweendifferingkeyareas. IntheWesternworldemphasisisplacedontuningtoastandardpitchset.Thisallowsmusicianstoplaytheirinstrumentsindifferinggenresandensembles.Theuseofthepianoinvariousgenresillustratesthis.MostAmericaninstrumentsarenowadaystunedtoA440standard(A442inEuropeandAsia).Thisisoftenreferredtoas“concertpitch”.Inrecordingstudiosandmusicclubsdigitaltunersareusedtohelpkeepinstrumentsintune.Thesetunerscanbeclippedontoinstrument,pluggedintoelectrophonesordownloadedtosmartphones.Priortotheuseofelectronictunerstuningforksandpitchpipeswerecommon.Largeacousticensemblestypicallytunetogetherbeforeplayingmusic.Inorchestrasanoboeplayerplays“concertpitch”(A440)foreachsectionofinstrumentstomatchpriortotheconductor“takingthepodium.”Mostinstrumentscanmakeslightadjustmenttoeitherraisethepitchifitistoolow(flat)orlowerthepitchifitistoohigh(sharp).Whenalloftheinstrumentshavematchedpitch(areintune)thentheconcertbegins.Theactofplayingmanyinstrumentscausesthemtogooutoftune.Continualpluckingorbowingofstringsloosensthetensiononthem,makingthemgoflat.Temperatureandhumidityalsoaffectthepitchofmanyinstruments.Brassandwoodwindinstrumentstendtoplaysharpinhotweatherandflatincolderconditions.Thisaffectsmarchingbands,whichoftenperforminextremeweatherconditionsrangingfromthehotsunshineofalatesummerfootballhalftimeshowtothecoldairinaholidayparade. Inothercultureshavingastandardpitchisnotprioritized.Wherethepitchliescandependonculturalnorms.AsCathyKiroe-SmithstatesinMusicalJourneys,2013,“InmanyAfricancountries,forexample,pitchismoreofanapproximationthanascienceandperformerswillplayoninstrumentsregardlessofwhethertheyareperfectlyintunewiththeinstrumentsplayedbyfellowperformersornot.”InIndonesiaeachgamelanensembleistunedonlyinrelationtotheinstrumentswithin.Thismeansthatnotwogamelanensembleshavethesametuning.Because

Page 33: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

ofthisindividualinstrumentsfromonegamelancannotbeperformedwithanothergamelan.Thiswasalsothecasewithtraditionalsikuripan-pipeswherecommunitieswoulddeveloptheirowntuning.ContemporarysikupipesareoftentunedtoWesternpitches.Othertraditionalinstrumentsthatareplayedaloneareoftennotsubjectedtostandardizedtuning.Thisistrueofsoloflutesfoundaroundtheglobe.ChurchorgansinEuropearetunedtoavarietyofconcertpitchesrangingfromA425throughA456.Singerscanmaketheadjustmentstothesepitcheswitheasewhilefixedpitchinstrumentslikepianos,keyboardpercussion,andfrettedchordophonesarelimitedinorganswithwhichtheycouldperform.Intonation

Havingagoodsenseofintonationmeansthatonecanrecognizeifapitchisproducedattheproperfrequency.Thisisaskillthatalmostallcandevelopgiventimeandpractice.InAmericanculturetheterm“tonedeaf”isoftenappliedincorrectlytoonewhohasyettodevelopagoodsenseofintonation.Tonedeafnessisamusicaldisordercalledamusia.Theoppositeoftonedeafnessisperfectpitch.Perfectpitchisarareconditionthroughwhichsomeonehavingitcanrecognizeexactvibrationswithoutareference.Researchersestimatethatperfectpitchoccursinroughly1in10,000people(Sachsetal.1995,621).Instrumentswithindeterminate(drums)and/orfixedpitch(piano,guitar,computer)donotrequiredevelopmentofintonationtothelevelofotherinstruments.Developmentofintonationtakesmuchtimeandispartofthereasonfortheseparationofstringprogramsfromwind,percussion,andchoirprogramsinAmericanschools.

Melody Melodyisacollectionofpitchesthatareplayedinsuccession.Melodyisoftenthefocalpointofthelistenerwhenexperiencingmusic.Althoughtherecanbeabstractmelodies,inmostgenresmelodiesarea“tune”thatisusedtoidentifythepieceofmusic.Ifyouaregoingtotellsomeoneaboutasongorpiecethatyouheardyouwouldprobablystartbysingingthemelodyforthem.

Whenlisteningtomusicwithanearforanalysisofthemelodythefirststepistoidentifytheinstrument(s)thatareperformingit.Inpopulargenresthemelodyisoftenthesetofnotesthatareperformedwithlyricsbythehumanvoice.Inlargeensemblesthemelodyoftenshiftstodifferinginstrumentsandtimbregroupings.Insomecasesthemelodyissunginharmony(orharmonized).Thismeansthatinstrumentsplaythemelodyatdifferingpitchesbutsimilarintervalsandrhythms.Theresultisoftenchords/harmony.

Thesecondconsiderationwhenlisteningformelodyiswhetherornotthemelodyispre-composedorimprovised.Improvisationistheprocessofcomposingandperformingmusicatthesametime.Whilesomemusicisspontaneousinvention(freejazz)mostimprovisationistheproductofmuchdisciplinedtrainingandpractice(Bakan2012,29).Somegenres(Jazz,Blues)havesectionsofmelodythatareimprovisedandothersthatarepre-composed.Anotherpracticethatoftenisimprovisedontopre-composedmelodiesisornamentationofthemelody.Ornamentsarecultural“decorations”ofthemelodyinstylizedwaysbyaddingsmall

Page 34: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

twists,turnsandextranotestothemelody.ThisisacommonpracticeinArab,Indian,EastAsian,Celtic,andWestAfricantraditions.

ScalesandMelodicModes

Thethirdconsiderationwhenanalyzingmelodyistoconsiderwhatcollectionofpitchesisinthemelody.Mostoftenmelodiesarebuiltuponscales.Ascaleormelodicmodeisaseriesofpitchesthatarepresentedinascendinganddescendingorder.Scalesareusedtobuildmusicalpieces.Whenthesescalesholdmorerulesforperformanceandextra-musicalassociationstheyarecalledmodes. Asmentionedaboveintervalsarethedistancebetweentwomusicalnotes.Someintervalsaremoreimportantthanothers.Thisisbecausesomeintervalsaremoreconsonant/pleasingtotheearthanothers.ThewavelengthsinFigure2showarelationshipmovingupwardawayfromconsonanceonthebottom.Theoctaveisthemostimportantinterval.Nextinimportancearethe“perfect”intervalsofafourthandafifth.TheMajorthird,theminorthirdandthenMajorsecondfollowtheperfectintervals.Themostdissonant/leastimportantintervalsaretheminorsecondandthetritone.InWesternpracticetheoctaveisdividedbytwelveequalhalf-stepsorminorseconds(alsocalledsemitones).OnFigure1therearetwelvenotesbetweeneachpitchofthesamelettername.Whenalltwelvepitchesareplayedinascendinganddescendingorderitiscalledthechromaticscale.Becausethechromaticscalecontainsonlyoneinterval(½step)thereisnotsenseofonenotebeingmoreimportantthantheothers.Thismeansthatthechromaticscaleisoftenusedtoexpressanun-settledorshiftingquality.DiatonicMajorandMinorscales ThescalesthatareusedforamajorityofWesternmusicarethetwoformsofthediatonicscale.Diatonicscalesaresevennotescalesthatcontainaseriesofwholeandhalfsteps.Becausetheyhavedifferingintervalsthereisahomepitchthatistherestingpitchor“home”pitchwithinthescale.Thisnoteiscalledthetonic.IntheCdiatonicscalethenoteCisthetonicpitch.Diatonicscalescanbebuiltonalltwelvenotesasthetonic.Therearetwoformsofthediatonicscalecalleddiatonicmajoranddiatonicminor.TheyeachconsistofaseriesofwholeandhalfstepsasillustratedinFigure3.Onewholestepequalstwohalfsteps.Figure3:3DiatonicMajorScales,3DiatonicMinorScales

Major Whole Whole Half Whole Whole Whole Half Cmajor C D E F G A B CGmajor G A B C D E F# GFmajor F G A Bb C D E FMinor Whole Half Whole Whole Half Whole WholeCminor C D Eb F G Ab Bb CGminor G A Bb C D Eb F GFminor F G Ab Bb C Db Eb F

Page 35: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

ThemelodiesofmostsongsintheWesterntraditionarebuiltusingthenotesofthemajororminorscales.Generallythenotesofthemajorscaleareculturallyunderstoodtosound“happy”or“light”whilethenotesoftheminorscalesound“sad”or“down”.Ifoneplaysallofthewhitekeys(naturals)ofapianofromCtoCthenitwillbeaCmajorscale.CMajoristheonlymajorscalethatcanbeplayedwithoutplayingtheaccidentals(blackkeys).LikewisetheAminorscaleisplayedonallofthenaturalsfromAtoA.Figure4givesallofthemajorandminorkeyswithcorrespondingkeysignatures(numberofsharpsorflats).Figure4:TheCircleofFifths

ByJustplainBill(Ownwork)[GFDL(http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)viaWikimediaCommons

Thereisahierarchyofpitchesineachscale.Themostimportantpitchisthe

firstscaledegreeandiscalledtonic.Thedominantpitchisthesecondmostimportantpitch.Itisthefifthdiatonicscaledegree.Sub-dominantisbuiltonthefourthscaledegreeandisalsoconsideredimportant.

Whenreferringtopitchesitisstandardnowinthewesttouseletternames.Traditionallymostculturesusesomesystemofsolfege.Solfegeusessyllablestonamepitchesinrelationtoscales.Inthewesterndiatonicmajorscalethesolfegesyllablesaredo,re,mi,fa,sol,la,ti,dowiththetonicnotebeingdo.Theadvantageoflearningsolfegeisthatsingerscansingthesamemelodyinallkeyswithoutadjustingthenotenames.

Page 36: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

PentatonicScaleThepentatonicscaleisascalethathasbeenusedbymanycultures.Thepentatonicscalehasfivenotes.Theminorformofthisscalehasaminor3rd,wholestep,wholestep,minor3rd,wholestep.ThisscalecanbeplayedonalloftheblackkeysofapianostartingandendingonE-flat.Themajorformofthisscalecontainsthenotesofamajordiatonicscalewithoutthefourthandtheseventhscaledegrees.Indifferingformsthepentatonicscaleisutilizedasaprimaryscaleinmuchsub-SaharanAfricanmusic,far-EastAsianmusic,andGamelanmusicfromIndonesia.ThegamelansystemsoftuningpelogandslendroutilizepentatonicscalesthathavenothingtodowiththeWesterndivisionoftheoctave.BluesScaleThemostcommonbluesscaleisaminorpentatonicscalewithanaddednote.Thisscalecanbeplayedoveranychordina“blueschordprogression”.Thismakesitessentialtoboththebluesandjazzgenres.Seefigure5.Figure5:CMinorPentatonicandCBluesScales

MinorPentatonic MinorBluesMelodicModesofSouthwestAsia,SouthCentralAsia,NorthAfrica

InmanyMiddleEasternculturesthereisanaestheticemphasisplacedonthepresentationofwords.Thisisevidencedbythepoeticlegacytheregion.Thiscanalsobeheardinthemelodicpresentationofpoetry.Singersuseornamentationandembellishmenttoaddtotheemotionalcontentandmeaninginperformance.Melodyisaprimaryelementinmusicfromthispartoftheworld.Traditionalmusichasnoharmonyandsometimes,asisthecasewithrecitationoftheQur’an,hasnosteadybackgroundpulse.Theexpressionoftheemotionsinamelodyisahighlydevelopedskill.

Insteadofdividingtheoctaveinto12semitones,MiddleEasternmusichas24microtonestochoosefrom.ThisallowsformorenuancedmelodicvariationthanintheWesternmusicalworld.Italsocausesmuchmusicfromthistraditiontosound“outoftune”fromaWesternperspective.Thesemicrotones(orquartertones)existbetweenthenotesofapianoandotherWesterninstruments.ThereforemuchMiddleEasternmusiccannotberepresentedorrecreatedusingWesterninstrumentsandnotation.Forinstance:ThenotesofMaqamRastmelodic

C F G C

Eb Bb

C F G C

Eb F# Bb

Page 37: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

modeandtheCmajorscalecanbeseeninFigure6.NotethatapianocannotproducethequarterflatEandB.

ThetermforthescalesoftheArabic,Persian,Jewish,andTurkishmusicalworldismaqam.Maqamarenotsimplyscaleslikeinthewest.Insteadtheyaremelodicmodesthathaveextramusical/emotionalassociations.LikeWesternscalesmaqamusuallydividetheoctaveintosevennotes(heptonic).UnlikeintheWesternmusicalworld,maqamarenotthoughtofasonegroupingofsevenbutinsteadtheyaremostoftentwofour-notetetrachordsthatarestackedontopofeachother.Thelowestnoteinthelowertetrachordisanoctavebelowthehighestnoteintheuppertetrachord.Themostimportantnote(tonic)isthefirstnoteofthelowertetrachordandthesecondmostimportantnote(dominant)isthefirstnoteoftheuppertetrachord.Inanyonepiecetheremaybeavarietyoftetrachordsusedfordifferingsections.Eachtetrachordhasitsownexpressivequalitiesandextra-musicalassociations.Categoriesofmaqamarebasedupontheirlowertetrachords(regardlessofthevarietyofuppertetrachords).TheFigure6showstwoofthemorecommonmaqamusingwesternletternameswiththetetrachords.Figure6:MaqamrastandMaqamhijaz

MaqamrastinCC D E(microtone

flat)F G A B(microtone

flat)C

Lowertetrachord Uppertetrachord MaqamhijazinD D E-flat F-sharp G A B-flat C D

Lowertetrachord UppertetrachordIndianRaga

InIndiathesetofpitchesfromwhichapieceisconceivedisknownasaraga.TherearemanyHindustani(northIndian)andCarnatic(SouthIndian)ragas.Eachofthemdictatesboththenotesthatperformerswillchooseforthemelodyandalsorulesforhowtheperformerwillperformthesenotes.Mostragascontainsevenascendingpitcheswithadifferingsevendescendingpitcheswithinanoctave.LikemusicfromtheArabicworldextra-musicalassociations,microtonesandornamentationsareimportantcomponentsoftheperformanceofragas.Specificragasareassociatedwithtimesofthedayandseasonsoftheyear.Inadditiontohavinga“roadmap”forimprovisationeachragaalsohasarepertoireofpre-composedmelodiesthatarepasseddownorallythroughthetradition.Asidefromthesesmall“compositions”notwoperformancesofaragawillbeexactlyalike.

MuchIndian“classical”musicisbasedonalongimprovisationofmelodyonthegivenragaandrhythmictalabeingperformed.InHindustanicultureacommonensembleperformingaragawouldconsistofasitar,atambura,andtabla.InCarnatictraditionstheensemblewouldalsobeatriobutthecommoninstrumentationwouldincludeavina,tambura,andmrdangam.Ineachoftheseensemblesthemainchordophoneinstrumentperformstheraga(sitar,vina)while

Page 38: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

thedrumsanddronesaccompany.IntheCarnatictraditionthehumanvoiceplaysamoreprominentroleinthemusic.Whenthevoicesingsaragaitusuallyusesasolfegesystemcalledsargaminwhichthesingerusesthefollowingsyllables:sa,ra/ri,ga,ma,pa,dha,da/ni,sa.LikeinotherexamplesofscalesthereisahierarchyofnoteswithsaactingastheequivalentoftheWesterntonic.Tosomeonenotfamiliarwiththepracticeorthelanguageitmightappearthatthesingerisspeakingwordswithmeaning.Thatisnotthecase,thesyllablessimplyindicatepitchheight. Analyzingmelody:

1. Whatinstrumentisperformingthemelody?2. Isthemelodypre-composedorisitimprovised?Isitornamented?3. Whatscaleormelodicmodeservesasthefoundationforthe

melody?4. Describetherange,direction,andmotionofthemelody.

Harmony

Melodyisacollectionofpitchesplayedinsuccession.Harmonyisacollectionofpitchesplayedatthesametime.Therulesandaestheticsthatdeterminetheproperuseofharmonydifferbetweencultures.Forexample,thewaysthatharmonyisusedwithinJapaneseGagakudiffersfromthewaysthatitisutilizedinWesternmusic.Someculturesdonotutilizeharmonyasanelementofmusic.SomeexamplesofmusicthatdoesnottraditionallyutilizeharmonyincludeIndonesianGamelan,IndianClassical,ArabicandPersian,NativeAmerican,andAboriginalAustraliangenres.HarmonyhasbeenutilizedanddevelopedasanelementinJapaneseGagaku,Sub-SaharanAfrican,andWesternstylesincludingEuropeanartmusic,andWesternpopulargenres.

Westernharmonylargelyfunctionsonabasisknownastonality.Tonalityisaconceptthatrecognizesthetonicnoteofadiatonicscaleasthemostimportant“home”or“central”pitchfromwhichthemusicbeginsandends.Whenconsideringharmony,thetonalcenter(tonic)isachordbuiltonthefirstscaledegree.Somemusicshiftstonalcenterswithinthepiece.Whenthemusicshiftsfromonediatonickeyareatoanotheritiscalledamodulation.Mostmodulationsareimperceptibletotheuntrainedlistener.Modulationsbetweenmajorandminorkeyscansometimesbediscernabletotheuntrainedear.IntherecitativeQuandjevousaimerai?fromtheoperaCarmenthereisamodulationfromfminortoFMajorjustbeforetheend.ThissetsupamodulationfromFMajortodminorforthestartofthearia:L'amourestunoiseaurebelle(Habanera).TheHabaneraalsomodulatesfromdminortoDMajor.Thesekeyareasdictatethenoteschosenforboththemelodyandtheharmony.

Achordisgenerallydefinedasthreeormorepitchessoundingsimultaneously.Thetonicchordisbuiltbyplayingthefirst,third,andfifthnoteofthescalesimultaneously.IfthetonalityofapieceisCmajorthenthetonicchordcontainsthenotesC,E,andG(SeeFigure7).

Page 39: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

Figure7:Tonic,Sub-dominant,andDominantsinCdiatonic-major

Scaledegree 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th OctaveCmajorscale C D E F G A B CTonicchord“Cmaj” C E G Sub-dominantchord“Fmaj” F A CDominantchord“Gmaj” D G B Becausethetonicchordisthe“homechord”,intonalmusicitisthecentralharmony.Thedominantandsub-dominantchordsarealsoveryimportantandarebuiltonthefifthandfourthnotesofadiatonicscale.

Majorandminordiatonicchordsareconsideredtobeconsonantchords.Consonanceisrepresentedbyintervalsorchordsthatsoundrelativelystableandfreeoftension.Theoppositeofconsonanceisdissonance.Dissonanceisrepresentedbyintervalsorchordsthatsoundtenseandunstable.Westernfunctionalharmonyutilizestheprincipalthatthemusicwillstartwithconsonantharmonies,movetomoredissonantharmoniesandintheendofferrelaxation/reliefbyreturningtoconsonance.Themovementbetweenconsonanceanddissonanceprovidesmotiontodepthtothemusic.Intonalmusic(musicwithfunctionalharmony)thismovementhappensbetweenchords.Aestheticsthatdeterminewhatisconsonantandwhatisdissonantdifferfromculturetocultureandfromgenerationtogeneration.AninterestingexampleofthisisintraditionalchoralsingingfromBulgaria.Inthisculturesecondsareconsideredtobeconsonant.IncontemporaryAmericanpoptheseintervals(andchordsbuiltusingthem)areconsideredtobedissonant.

AdefiningfeatureofWesternArtmusicisthedevelopmentofharmonystartingintheMedievalstyleperiod.Inabroadsensetonalmusichasapeakinpurelydiatonicmusic(usingnotesofmajorandminordiatonicscales)intheClassicalstyleperiod.IntheRomanticperiodcomposersstretchedthepossibilitiesoftonalmusicbyaddingdramaticdissonancesandfarreachingharmoniestothetraditionaltonalfoundationsthatwereestablishedduringthepreviousperiods.BytheTwentiethcenturymanycomposersbelievedthattraditionaltonalitywasexhaustedandold-fashioned.TheresultofthiswasthattheTwentiethcenturystyleperiodinWesternArtmusicsawanormalizationofdissonance.Muchmusicfromtheperiodexploredthepossibilitiesofsonoritiesthatexistedoutsidetherulesoffunctionalharmony/tonality.Thisisadefiningfeatureofthisperiodofmusic.Whenlisteningtoitonemaybesurprisedbythelackofcomfort(ortheoddness)feltwithinmanyworks.Thisisoftenadirectresultofthenormalizationoftraditionaldissonances.Whenmusicdeniestherulesoftonalitybynothavingacentraltonalityitisreferredtoasatonalmusic.Learningthemusicaltheorybehindfunctionalharmonyandatonalpracticetakesmany“classically”trainedWesternmusiciansyearsofclasses,lessons,practiceandstudytomaster.

Westernpopularandfolkgenresgenerallyutilizesimpleharmoniesthatarediatonicandfunctionallytonal.Mostmusicwithinthesegenrescontainsarepetitivesequenceofmovementbetweenseveraldiatonicchords.Thisiscommonlyknownasachordprogression.Thesechordprogressionsoftencontain

Page 40: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

onlythreeorfourchords.InmajordiatonickeysthechordsofTonic(builtonscaledegree1),Sub-dominant(scaledegree4)andDominant(scaledegree5)areoftenusedtobuildsongs.Invocalgroupsthereisoftenonesingerwholeadsbysingingthemelodywhiletheothersharmonizethatmelodybycombiningvoicestosingchords.Inpopularbandsinstrumentsthatcanplaychords(guitar,piano)oftenplaythechords/harmonywhilesingersprovidethemelody.

TraditionalMexicancorridosareoftensungoveratwo-chordprogressionthatalternatesbetweenonlythetonicanddominantchords.Figure8showsthechordsalongwiththelyricsofthefirstverseofElCorridodeGregorioCortezasperformedbyRamónAyala.Atwo-chordprogressionbetweentonicanddominantallowsthemusiciantostartandfinishwithconsonancerepresentedbythetonicchordandmovetoamore“dissonant”arearepresentedbythedominantchord.Inthispiecetheharmonyisthechordsplayedontheguitarwhilethevoicesarethemelody.Anotherinterestingaspectofthemelodyisthatitissunginharmonybytwosingerswhosingathirdapart.

Figure8:ElCorridodeGregorioCortezmelodywithchords

Theadditionofthesub-dominantchord(IV)tothetonicanddominant

expandstheharmonicpossibilitiesofachordprogression.Thesethreechordsaretheharmonicfoundationofmanypopsongs.Itisinterestingtonotethateachofthesechordsliesnexttoeachotheronthecircleof5ths(Seefigure4).Whenaskingguitaristswhatthefirstchordsarethattheylearnedtheyoftenreplywiththreeadjacentchordsonthecircleof5ths:(F,C,G)or(G,D,A).Thetonic,dominant,andsub-dominantchordsareusedtobuild“threechord”songs.Examplesofthreechordsongsusingtonicdominantandsub-dominantcanbeseenbyfollowingthislink:

Theblueschordprogressionisaspecificsequenceofthetonic,dominant,andsub-dominantchordsthatservesastheharmonyforthebluesgenre.AccordingtoSteveValdezinhisbookAHistoryofRockMusic,4theditionthebasicbluesstructurewasinspiredbychordsusedinbasicchurchhymnsfromGreatBritain,ScotlandandIreland.African(American)slavesassimilatedthemintotheirownmusicandcreated“theblues”.Inthe1910sand1920stheblueschordprogressionbegantocodifyintothetwelve-barbluesprogression.Inthisprogressionthetonic

& # # # 86 œœœ œœ œ

œœ œœI(Tonic) A

œœœ œœ œ

œœ œEn

Jœœœ Jœœ œœ œœ œœel con da do del

œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ JœœCar men mi ren (lo)que

œœ ..œœ œœ œœ œœ ‰ rœœha su ce di do mu

V(Dominant) E7

- - - - - -

& # # # ..6 œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ ..œœ œœrió el cher i fe may

Jœœ ‰ . Rœœ œœ Jœœor que dan do

œœ œœ œœ Jœœ œœRo mån her id o

I(Tonic) A ..˙̇- - - - - -

[Title][Composer]

Score

Page 41: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

chord(I)istheharmonicfoundationofthefirstfourbars.Itisfollowedbyatwobarharmonyofthesub-dominant(IV)chord.Afterreturningtotonic(I)fortwobarsitthenmovestodominant(V)fortwobarsandendswithtwomorebarsoftonic(I).Each“bar”ormeasurehasfourbeatswithabackbeatemphasison2and4.ThefullprogressionisillustratedinFigure9.Tomodernmusicians“playingtheblues”oftenmeansplayingapiecethatutilizedthe12bar-bluesprogression.Thebluesandpentatonicscalescanbeusedtoimprovisemelodiesovertheharmonyofthebluesprogression.

Figure9:12-BarBluesProgression

Bar1Tonic(chord)=I

Bar2Tonic=I

Bar3Tonic=I

Bar4Tonic=I

> > > > > > > >1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4Bar5Sub-Dominant=IV

Bar6Sub-Dominant=IV

Bar7Tonic=I

Bar8Tonic=I

> > > > > > > >1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4Bar9Dominant=V

Bar10Dominant=V

Bar11Tonic=I

Bar12Tonic=I

> > > > > > > >1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

Byaddingmorechordstothetraditionalthreesongwritersbuildmorecomplexchordprogressions.Inmuchmusicthechordaddedisaminorchordbuiltonthesixthscaledegree(sub-mediant/vi).Manypophitsfromthe1950sand60susedthe“doowop”progressionoftonic,sub-mediant,sub-dominant,dominant(I-vi-IV-V)tocreatea“hit”sound.Morerecentlythetonic,dominant,sub-mediant,sub-dominant(I-V-vi-IV)progressionhasbeenusedtocreatemanyhits.Therearemanyonlinevideosinwhichmusiciansdemonstratethisconceptbyplayingthesamechordprogressionwhilemovingthroughmanypopularmelodies.

AstheageofEuropeancolonialismgiveswaytotheinternetrevolutionWesternmusicalinfluencescanbefoundinculturesacrosstheglobe.Thisoftenmanifeststhroughtheadditionofharmonyintopopularandtraditionalgenres.HarmonycannowbeheardwithinBollywood,K-pop,J-pop,andArabicpopularmusic.SometimesitisusedintraditionalWesternwayswhileoftenitissimplyusedasaneweraestheticpreferencethatisnotboundtoWesterntraditions.

Analyzingharmony:1. Isthereharmonywithinthemusic?2. Ifso,whatinstrument(s)areplayingtheharmonicpart?3. Whatscaleormelodicmodeservesasthefoundationforthe

harmony?

Page 42: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

4. Istheharmonyarepetitivechordprogression?Ifso,whatisthechordprogression?

MusicalTexture

MusictheoristsoftenutilizetextureasanelementofmusicthathelpsguideunderstandingofthecomplexdifferencesbetweenthemanygenresofWesternArtMusicthatwerecreatedoverthepastmillennium.Musicaltextureishowmelodyandharmonyarecombinedwithinapieceofmusic.Becausetextureisonlyconcernedwiththesetwoelementsitisnotoftenusedtoanalyzemusicfromculturesthatdonotutilizeharmony.Itisimportanttounderstandthatpurelyrhythmic(drumming)partsarenotconsideredwhenanalyzingthetextureofapieceofmusic.

Therearethreeprimarymusicaltextures:Monophony-Monophonicmusiccontainsonemelodywithnoharmonicaccompaniment.Musicalworksthathaveonlyonemelodicinstrumentperformingareoftenmonophonic.Monophonictexturecanalsooccurwhenmanyinstrumentsareplayingthesamemelodyatthesametime.Gregorianchantisanexampleofamonophonicgenre.MusicoftheshakuhachiandNativeAmericanflutesismostlymonophonic.WhenpeoplegathertosingHappyBirthdaytheystriveforamonophonictexture.Whenapieceofmusiccontainsonemelodywithanaccompanyingdrone(RagaJog)thedroneisoftennotconsideredandthereforethetexturemaybecalledmonophonic.Homophony-Homophonicmusiccontainsonemelodyandharmonicaccompaniment.ThisisthemostcommonlyheardtextureinWesternArtmusicandcontemporarypopularmusic.Theharmonyisoftenplayedonaninstrumentthatcanperformmorethanonenoteatthesametime.Instrumentslikethepianoandtheguitarareusedinmodernpopmusictoplaythechordswhilesingersoftenperformthemelody.Despitethecomplextimbres,melodies,andrhythmsofWesternArtmusicthemostcommontextureishomophony.Whenchoirsandvocalgroupssingfour-partharmony(chords)inwhichallofthevoicesmoveinunisonrhythmtheresultingtextureishomophony.Theuppervoiceinthesecasesisthemelodywhiletheothervoicesaretheharmonicaccompaniment.Thismusicissometimesreferredtoasbeinghomorhythmic.Polyphony-Polyphonicmusiccontainstwoormoredifferingmelodieshappeningsimultaneously.ThereismuchpolyphonicmusicfromboththeRenaissanceandBaroquestyleperiodsinWesternArtmusic.InClassical,Romantic,andTwentiethCenturystylessmallerpolyphonicsectionsoflargeworksoffercontrasttothelargelyhomophonictextures.Polyphonyiscomplexor“thick”sounding.Itisnotoftenheardinpopularmusic.Polyphonicmusicmayormaynothaveharmonicaccompaniment.

Page 43: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

Thefourthtextureisonethatalsocontainsonemelodybuthasvariationsonthemelody.Heterophony-Heterophonicmusiccontainstwoormorevoicesplayingvariationsofonemelodyatthesametime.Thisisacommontextureofsomefolktraditionsinwhichmelodiesarepreviouslyknowntothelisteners(AmazingGrace)andeachperformerwantstoaddtheirownstyletotheperformance.

Analyzingtexture:1. Doesthemusichaveoneormoremelodies?2. Doesthemusichaveharmony?3. Didyoudisregarddronesanddrums?4. Whatisthetexture?Doesitchangewithinthepiece?

ReferenceList:Bakan,MichaelB.2012.WorldMusic:TraditionsandTransformations.2nded. NewYork:McGraw-Hill.Kilroe-Smith,Catherine.2013.MusicalJourneys.Dubuque,IA:KendallHunt.Kubic,Gehard.1994.TheoryofAfricanMusic,VolumeI.London:Universityof

ChicagoPress.Paredes,Américo.1958.WithHisPistolinHisHand:ABorderBalladandIt’sHero.

Austin,TX:UniversityofTexasPress.Sacks,Oliver,G.Schlaug,L.Jancke,Y.HuangandH.Steinmetz.1995.MusicalAbility.

Science268,(5211May):621-22.Wade,BonnieC.2013.ThinkingMusically:ExperiencingMusic,ExpressingCulture.

3rded.NewYork:OxfordUniversityPress.WikimediaCommons.“HarmonicPartialsonStrings.svg.”LastmodifiedJuly8,2008. AccessedOct.31,2016.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File: Harmonic_partials_on_strings.svg.Worland,Randy.“DemonstratingtheEffectofAirTemperatureonWindInstrument

Tuning.”Presentedatthe161stAcousticalSocietyofAmericaMeeting,May26,2011.AccessedNov.5,2016.http://acoustics.org/pressroom/httpdocs/161st/Worland.html

Valdez,Stephen.2006.AHistoryofRockMusic.4thed.Dubuque,Iowa:Kendall/Hunt.

Page 44: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

Module5-ForminMusic

Formreferstothelayoutofapieceofmusicfrombeginningtoend.Itisthestructureofthemes,rhythms,patternsandothermusicalconceptsthatformthedesignofamusicalselection.Formcanbeeasytohearinshortand/orrepetitivepiecescommontoone’sownculture.Inlongerandculturallyforeignworkstheformcanbedifficulttorecognizewithoutpriorunderstandingandanalysis.Thisisbecausemusicalformsarevariedintheirconstructionandnotlimitedtoanyoneelementofmusicasapointofemphasis.Thebuildingblocksofformcanbemelodies,rhythms,chordprogressions,instrumentation,timbres,dynamics,andlyrics.Composersuserepetition,contrast,variation,growth,anddeclinetocreateexpectationandtodevelopthesebuildingblocks.

Formsaretiedtotheaestheticsoftheculturesthatcreatethem.TheformofthemusiccanfollowstrictlylaidoutceremonylikeintheRomanCatholicMassoritcanbesymbolicoflargerculturalandsocialformationslikethepolyphonic,cyclicalformsfoundinIndonesiangamelan.Formscanbetheproductsofevolutiontoagenreovertime.Thisisevidentinmodernpopularaestheticsthatvaluetheshortlengthofapiece.Themodernlengthofapopsongisadirectresultofthelimitationsplacedonlongerjazz,blues,andragtimeworksintheearlytwentiethcenturybyearlyrecordingequipment.Ten-inchrecordscouldonlyholdbetweenthreetofiveminutesofmusiconaside(withouthavingtocompressthegrooves,thusdiminishingquality).ThechangetoaformovertimeisalsoevidentintheevolutionofMedievalandRenaissancedancesuitesintomulti-movementformsthateventuallybecamethesonatacycleformusedtostructuresymphonies,stringquartets,sonatas,andconcertosintheeighteenthcentury.Enjoymentofthesegenresistiedtodevelopinganaestheticforappreciationofhowacomposerutilizesformtocreateawork.

Perhapstheoppositeofthe“Classical”decorumthatmanifestsintheformalemphasisisthe“FreeJazz”movementthatbeganinthelate1950’s.ThisgenreofmusicwasspearheadedbyblackAmericansatatimewhensegregationandracialinequalityinpartsofAmericawerethenorm.Thecivil-rightsmovementchallengedtheestablishednorms.Free-jazzmusicianschallengedthemelodic,rhythmic,formal,andharmonicnormsofestablishedpracticeinjazz.Inpure“freejazz”itispossiblethatthemusiciansarenotfamiliarwitheachother,thattheensembleisaunconventionalmixofinstruments,andthatthemusicianscompletelyimproviseallaspectsofthemusic.Thisisoneofthefewgenresofmusicinwhichmusicianshavelibertytocompletely“makeituponthespot”.

Improvisationisanimportantaspectofmanymusicalgenres.Becausetheimprovisationisgenerallyaspontaneouscompositionofmaterialthatisappropriatewithinthecontextscholarsareshyingawayfromcallingimprovisation“makingituponthespot”.Itisappropriatetocallitcomposinginthemoment.

Inmostgenresofjazz(andothermusic),musiciansusefreedomtospontaneouslyputtogetherpre-conceived/practicedmusicalideas(improvise).Theseideasarearrangedoverpre-conceivedformsutilizingspecificscales.Theharmoniesandrhythmsarealsostandardized.Instandardjazzgenreslikebigbandswingtheimprovisedaspectoftheperformanceislimitedtoshortermelodic

Page 45: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

solos“overtheform”.Thesesolosaresmallfeatureswithinacomplexarrangementofsoundsthatrequiresmostmusicianstoreadthemusicwhileperforming.Inbe-bopandmorecontemporaryjazz“combo”settingsmusiciansgenerallyhavemorefreedomtoimproviselongersolosanddevelopideas.

Thereismuchdebateoverthedefinitionofjazz.Historicallyitisastyleofmusicthatoriginatedatthebeginningofthe20thcenturyinAfricanAmericancommunitiesintheUnitedStatesfromaconfluenceofAfricanandEuropeanmusictraditions.Somesaythatitisahistoricalgenrethatreliesheavilyonimprovisationoverswingingrhythmsandbluesprogressions.OtherssaythatjazzisaliveandwellinanymusicianwhowantstoexpressthemselvesthroughmelodicimprovisationoverAmericanstylerhythmsandchordprogressions.Whicheverthecase;thekeyaestheticvalueforjazzisexpressionthroughimprovisationofmelody.ToalesserextentthisisalsothecasewithotherAmericangenresofmusic.Improvisedsolosareexpectedintraditionalblues,gospel,psychedelicrock,jam-band,salsa,andcountrybasedgenreslikeoldtimeandbluegrass.Inhip-hopfreestylingtherapperimprovisespoetryrhythmicallyoverrhythmicostinatoscalled“instrumentals”.

Therearemanyculturesaroundtheglobethatshareanaestheticpreferenceformusicinwhichsomeaspectofthepieceisimprovised.InEwedrummingofWestAfricamasterdrummersimprovisepatternsinresponsetotheformandtothedancers.InIndianandMiddleEasternmusicthesubtledevelopmentofthescale(raga/maqam)throughimprovisationisafeatureofmuchmusic.Todothiswithpassionandartistry(soul)isthegoalofmanymusicians.Compositionscanlastoveranhourwhentheperformancesareinspired.

IntheEuropean“classical”traditionmodernaudiencesassociatethe

legendarycomposers(Beethoven,Bach,Mozart,etc…)withcompositionsthattheywroteonpaper.Thesecompositionshappenedprevioustoperformance.ModernaudiencesofWesternArtmusicknowthateachtimetheyhearthesecompositions(masterworks)theywillnotincludeimprovisation.What“classical”musicfansvaluearedifferencesininterpretation.Thiscouldbedifferenttempos,dynamics,timbres,orsubtlevariationsinexpressionbroughtoutbyconductorsormusicians.Tothosewitha“taste”forthismusicthesevariationsarewhatgiveitlife.Aesthetesformpreferencesbasedupontheirexperiencewithdifferinginterpretationsoftheart.Theuntrainedeartendstoclaim,“itallsoundsthesame”.ThissamenessmightalsobeareflectionofthelackofimprovisationinWesternArtmusicatthebeginningofthe21stcentury.FormuchofthehistoryofWesternArtmusiccomposerswerealsoperformers.Manywrotepiecestofeaturethemselvesonaninstrument.ItisdocumentedthatBach,Handel,Mozart,Beethoven,Chopin,andothersweremasterimprovisers.Somewouldevenduelontheirinstrument(muchlikebattlinginhip-hopmusicanddanceorcuttingheadsinjazz).Imagineattendingasymphonyconcertthatincludedamusicalduel.

Repetition,variation,andcontrastAslistenerswerecognizetherepetitionmusicalideas.Whenmusicians

structureaformtheyutilizerepetitionofmelodies,rhythms,chordprogressions,

Page 46: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

andmetriccyclestocreateorganizationunits.Smallmusicalideasthataredevelopedandrepeatedthroughoutapiecearecalledmotives.AhighlyrecognizableexampleofamotiveusedinWesternArtMusicisthe“three-shortsandalong”motivethatisheardatthebeginningofBeethoven’sSymphonyNo.5.Ifamotiveisrepeatedcontinuouslyitisreferredtoasanostinato.Themesaregenerallylonger(ormoresubstantial)thanmotives.Themesaremelodiesorrhythmsthatarerepeatedorvariedthroughoutamusicalwork.

OstinatobasedformSometimesentirepiecesofmusicarebasedupontherepetitionofone

ostinato.ThisisthecaseinseveraltraditionalAfricangenressuchasGnawamusicofNorthAfrica.Gnawamusiccontainsrepetitivechantingthataccompaniesreligioustranceandcanbeperformedforhours.Thissamerepetitiveostinatoisheardinreligiouschantingofmantrasinmanyreligioustraditions.InIndia,KirtanisaformofchantandprayerutilizedbyHindis,Sikhs,andsomeBuddhists.InaKirtanperformancecallandresponseformisusedoverostinatostocreatetheform.InCallandResponseamusicalleadersingsorplaysalineofmusicandthechorus(ensemble)ofmusiciansrespondsinunison.InKirtanandinGriottraditionsofWestAfricatheleadertellshistoricalandreligiousstoriesinthecall.Thevariationofthestoriessatisfiestheneedforcontrastinthesetraditions.InEuropeantraditionsostinatoformswereoftenbasedonrepetitivebasslines(groundbass)andchordprogressions(chaconne).NotableamongtheseworksistheBaroqueCannoninDbyJohannPachelbel.Thispiececanoftenbeheardaprocessionalceremonieslikeweddings.MelodicvariationisoftenusedtocreatecontrastinEuropeanworks.

Moreoftenitisthecasethatsectionsofalargerworkutilizeostinatos.Inpopmusicarepeatedostinatoisoftenreferredtoasariff.InjazzandLatinmusicitmightbecalledavamp.InIndianmusicitiscalledalahara.InAfricandrummingitissimplyarhythmthatmusiciansperformuntilamasterdrummersignalstheswitchtoanewsection.MinimalismisaWesternArtmusicmovementofthelatetwentiethcenturyinwhichcomposersutilizedsimplerepeatedpatternstobuildlargerworks.SomeofthemostfamousminimalistcomposersaretheAmericansPhilipGlass,SteveReichandJohnAdams.GlassandReichbothacknowledgetheinfluenceofostinatobasedformsfoundinIndianandAfricanmusic.

CyclicformsWhenthesectionthatrepeatsislongerthananostinatothentheformis

consideredtobecyclic.Likeostinatosthecyclesthatarerepeatedcanbemelodic,harmonic,orrhythmic.RepeatedmelodiescreatethetraditionalliubanandbabanformsofthetraditionalChinesefolkmusiccalledJiangnanSizhu.Twoprimarycyclelengthsareusedformanyoftheworks.Thesecyclesaremelodiesof60or64beatsinlength(Thrasher,1989).Musiciansperformthemelodyoverandover.Eachtimemusiciansareexpectedtoembellishthemelodiesandaddtheirownpersonaltreatments.Thisisreferredtoas“addingflowers”.

Page 47: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

ThiscyclicalmelodicformisakintothestrophicformsofWesternmusic.Strophicreferstoaforminwhichmusicalelementsremain(largely)thesamewitheachrepetitionofasectionwhilesomeelementorlyricschange.Itisoftenthecasethattheonlychangingaspectforeachstropheisthelyric.ThisisthecasemanytraditionalcorridosofMexicoandAmerica.Insuchworkseachsectionofmusicrepeatsthesamemelody,harmony,andrhythmunderthechanginglyrics.

Inmanyjazzpiecesarecurringchordprogressionservesasthefoundationofthepiece.Oneofthemostcommonchordprogressionsutilizedinjazzisthetwelve-barbluesprogression.Eachtimethroughthechordprogressionisreferredtoasachorus.Atypicaljazzarrangementwouldhaveawrittenmelodycalled“thehead”playedoverfirstchorus.Aftertheheadisperformedthemusicianswilldecideonanorderformelodicandrhythmicsolosinthefollowingchoruses.Whenperforminglive,thesoloistsarefreetokeepgoingaslongastheywant.Thepiecetypicallythenendswithanotherperformanceofthehead.Figure1illustratesthiscyclicalforminJoe“King”Oliver’spieceWestEndBluesasitappearsinthefamousrecordingmadebyLouisArmstrongandhisHotFiveonJune28,1928.IntroductionslikeArmstrong’sopeningtrumpetsolo,andcodas(outros),aresuperfluousadditionstotheform.

Figure1:WestEndBluescyclic12barbluesform

Intro- Bluesprogression:Chorus1

Bluesprogression:Chorus2

Bluesprogression:Chorus3

Bluesprogression:Chorus4

Bluesprogression:Chorus5

SoloTrumpet

HeadPolyphonicpresentationofthewrittenmelodyontrumpetwithcountermelodiesplayedonclarinetandtrombone

TromboneSolo:Improvisedmelodicsolo

VocalandClarinetsolo:CallandresponsestyleimprovisedsolobyArmstrongscatsingingwithclarinet

PianoSolo:Improvisedmelodicsoloinrighthandwithlefthandharmonicaccompaniment

HeadArmstrongdepartsfromreplayingthewrittenmelody,insteadimprovisingalongwithclarinetandtrombone

Sectionalforms

Sectionalformshappenwhenthemusicalpiececontainsmultiple,identifiablesections.Sometimesthesesectionsarecompletelydifferentanddonotrepeat.Itisoftenthatapieceofmusicwillreturntoonesection.Thiscreatesasenseofexpectationfulfilledwithinthemusic.

Page 48: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

Sectionalformswithcycles

GamelanLayeredcyclesthatchangeindifferingsectionsofapieceareafeatureof

severalAsianmusicalgenres.Sometimesthepieceswillhaveanintroductionsectionbeforethecyclesbegin.InJavaneseGamelantherearebothrhythmicandmelodiccyclesatthecoreoftheform.Inketawang(16beatcycle)workseachgongcycleconstitutestherepeatingformofthepiece.Cyclicalmelodiesofvaryinglengthsandspeedsarelayeredontopofthegongcycle.Thekendhangdrumguidesplayersbysignalingchangesovertheconstantgongcycle.

ArabicMusicInmuchEgyptian(Arabic)musicsectionsofmusicareoftenrepeatedas

manytimesastheperformerchooses.Intraditionalperformancesthemelodies(maqam)arevariedandexpandedthroughimprovisationineachcycle.Theultimateaestheticgoalistobringaboutstateofemotionalexcitementorecstasy.Theefforttoexploreandheightenanemotionthroughmusicisnotable.Thispracticeresultsinperformanceswhereitiscommonforonepiecetolastoverandhour.OumKulthumisafamousEgyptiansingerthatisreveredforheremotiveimpact.Sheperformedwithanorchestra(takht)filledwithvirtuosomusicians.ShewasfavoredforhertraditionalArabicpresentationatatimewhenWesterninfluencesandaestheticswerechallengedinEgypt.MuchmusicthatsheperformedhasbecomepartofacannonofArabicmusic.OneofthesongsthatshepopularizedistitledAnaFiIntizarak.InthispiecethereareseveralsectionsthatbuildforoverthirtyminutesasKulthumincreasestheemotion.Theformalarrangementofthesesectionsiscomplexbecauseitisbaseduponthepoemthatisbeingsung.Occasionallythepiecereturnstoaninstrumentalchorusthatisheardattheintroduction.Themusicologist,composer,performer,andArabicscholarDavidMarcuswroteinanemailtotheauthor:

“Intermsoflyricsandemotion,AnaFiIntizarak'ssingerisgettingmoreand

moredistressedineachverse,asshewaitsandimagineseachfootsteptobethearrivalofherlover,whonevercomes.It'sasifsheisslowlygoingcrazy,andtheneachYaReytchorus("IwishIhadneverfalleninlove!")releasestheenergy.ThesongisinEgyptianColloquial(orSpoken)Arabic,asopposedtoFormal(orClassical)Arabic.”(Marcus,2017)ThecyclicformallowedKulthumtocustomizeeachperformanceextendingorcontractingthelengthofworksbasedupontheemotionalcontent,audienceresponseandcreativity. HindustaniMusic

InHindustanimusicaltraditionsimprovisatoryexplorationsofragasandtalastravelthroughformalsectionsthatcometogetherinthebadhatform.Theformcontainsaseriesofguidepoststhatfacilitatevirtuosicperformanceresulting

Page 49: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

fromyearsofstudyandpractice.Theoverallbadhatformisagradualcrescendoofintensitythatpeaksattheendofthework.Musiciansgrowthe“raga”orscaleaccordingtotraditionscombinedwiththeirowncreativity.Theybuildtheintensityofthemusicoverthecyclicaltala.Inmusicwherethereisnomelody/onlytalathepercussionisaccompaniedbyamelodiccyclecalledalahara.

Thereareseveralsectionsthatofferguidepostswithinbadhatform.Thefirstisthealap.Thealapsectionservesasanintroductiontothenotesoftheragathatisbeingperformed.Thisofferstheaudiencetheopportunitytohearprincipalnotes,motives,andextra-musicalideas(suchasmood=rasa)thatwillbeusedthroughoutthepiece.Thealapsectionisidentifiablebecauseitisamelodicimprovisation(withdrone)thathasnosteadybackgroundpulse.

Jorisatransitionalsectionthatfacilitatesthemovefromthealaptothemainmelodysectionknownasgat.Inthejorthemelodicinstrumentbecomesmorerhythmicallyactivebyaddingapulse.Thisispartoftheoverallbuildupofintensitythathappensinbarhatform.

Thegatsectioncontainsthemainmelody(s)oftheperformance.Thismelodyservesasafoundationformelodicandrhythmicimprovisationthroughoutthegatsection.Thegatisperformedoveratala(rhythmicmode)andisaccompaniedbythepercussioninstrument(usuallytabla).

Jhalaisanintensesectionthatservesasamusicalclimaxandending.Inthejhalamusiciansoftenalternateplayingmelodic/frettedstringswiththefixedpitch/dronestringsontheinstrument.Thisservesbothtointensifyrhythmandtoreinforcetheprimarynoteoftheragcalledsa(towhichthedronestringsaretuned).Jhalashappenattheendoftheperformancebuttheycanalsoexistattheendingofthejorbeforethetalabegins.

Inatypicalperformancethegrowthoftheragathroughthebadhatformcanprogressforhalfanhour.Thebeginningiscalmandslowandtheendisafierydisplayofvirtuosicability.Thegrowththathappensfromtheslowbeginningtothevirtuosicandfastendingisoftencomparedtothegrowthofaplantfromseedtoflower.Theperformanceofaragaisdevotionalandisseennotonlyasmusicalbutalsospiritualpractice,withtheultimategoalbeingNadaBrahma(“thesoundofGod”).(Bakan2012,135)Sectionalformsinpopmusic

Whenanalyzingtheformofpopmusicthetermsverse,chorus,andbridgeareoftenutilized.Thesetermseachrepresentcontrastingsectionsofthemusic.Inmanypopandfolkgenresthemelodythatisheardinthechorusisconsideredtobethemainmelodyor“hook”ofthepiece.Oftentheverseshavelyricsthattellastoryandthechorusexpressestheemotion.Iftheverseandchorusrepeatwithonlylyricalterationthentheycanbeconsideredonesectionandtheformcanbecalledstrophic.Whenthebridgesectionsofferscontrasttotheverseandchorusitoftencreatesaformcalledstandardsongform.Figure2illustrateshowthisformisoftenutilizedinpopularmusic.

Page 50: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

Figure2:SongForm

A A B AorA’ Intro Verse Chorus Verse Chorus Bridge Verse Chorus Codaoptional narrative “hook” narrative “hook” Contrasting

material-possiblemodulation

Sometimesverseisskippedforreturntothe“hook”

optional

Asimpleformthatisoftenusedtodescribethestructureofmelodiesis

calledbinaryform.Inbinaryformthetunehastwodistinctsections.ExamplesofbinarymelodiesarethepiecesTurkeyintheStraw,YankeeDoodleandGreensleeves.ThesepiecesshowthecontrastoftheAsectionandtheBsection.Thiscontrastoftenisbothmelodicandharmonic.

Figure3:SampleBinaryForm

ASection BSectiontonicchord dominantchord

Westernartmusicsectionalforms

InWesternmusicrealizationofformalmarkers(oftenidentifiablemelody)isahighlyvaluedaesthetic.Listenersareoftenawareofthedesignofcomplexformsandthuslistenforhowcomposers’usetheformtocreateaworkofart.Theylistenforthedevelopmentandvariationofmelodicthemesandmotives.Inmanygenresthelistenersevenlistenfortheexpectedtemposandharmonicprogressions.ThroughawarenessofformagreaterunderstandingofWesternartmusiccanberealized.

ArguablythemostimportantoftheWesternartformsisamulti-movementformcalledthesonatacycle.SonatacyclescameintovogueasaformintheClassicalstyleperiod(1750-1820).Itwasatthispointthatcomposersestablishedmanyofthegenresthatwehearinmodernconcerthalls.Thefourgenresthatutilizethesonatacyclearethesonata,theconcerto,thestringquartet,andthesymphony.Becausetheyallusethesonatacycletheytypicallyhaveafast(allegro)firstmovement,aslowsecondmovement,andafastclosingmovement.Thesonataandconcertoonlyhavethesethreemovementswhilestringquartetsandsymphoniesalsohaveafourthmovement,adance(minuetandtrio)insertedbetweentheslowmovementandtheclosingfastmovement.Pausesoftenhappenbetweenmovementsintheperformancethesegenres.Inthesepausesmusiciansandaudiencemembersadjustandprepareforthenextmovement.Inthe20thcenturyitbecamestandardnottoapplaudbetweenmovements,insteadsavingapplauseuntiltheendoftheentirework.

Page 51: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

Symphoniesareworksfororchestras(alsoknowassymphonyorchestrasorphilharmonicorchestras)thatarecomposedusingthefour-movementsonatacycleform.Stringquartetsusethesameformasasymphonybutarewrittenforaninstrumentationoftwoviolins,aviola,anda‘cello(stringquartet).Concertosandsonatasarewrittenusingthethree-movementcycle.Aconcertoisaworkforsoloinstrumentaccompaniedbyanorchestra.Thetermsonatacanbeconfusingbecauseofitsmanyrelateduses.Thegenrecalledsonatahasmanyhistoricalvariationsbutitisgenerallyconsideredtobeaworkforasoloinstrument(orinstrumentwithpianoaccompaniment)thatiscomposedusingthesonatacyclethreemovementfast-slow-faststructure.Asmentionedabovetheseconduseofthetermsonataisintheformcalledsonatacycle.Thethirduseisinthetermsonata-allegroform.Thisreferstotheformofthefirstmovementofthesonatacycle.

Figure4:Sonatacycle=usedinsonatas,

Movement1:Allegro=fasttempoSonataform

Movement2:SlowtempoOftenthemeandvariations/rondoform

Movement3:MinuetandTrioDancein3Doesnotappearinsonataorconcerto

Movement4:FastSonataRondoorSonataForm

Inthesonata-allegro(firstmovement)formcomposersusethreemelodiesas

thesourcematerialforbuildingthepiece.Thesemelodiesarecalledthemes.Themeoneisthemostimportantthemeinthepiece.Thefirststepinlisteningtosonataformistorecognizethemeoneandtolistenforeachappearanceofit.TherearethreemainsectionsofSonata-allegroformcalledtheexposition,developmentandrecapitulation.Intheexpositionthethreethemesarepresented(exposed).Thefirstthemewillbeinthetonickeyarea.Forexample:InSymphonyNo.1inCmajorthefirstthemewillbewritteninCmajor.Atransitionsectionsfollowsinwhichthemusicmodulates(changeskeyarea)toarelativekey.Forexample:InSymphonyNo.1inCmajorthemetwomightbeinthedominantkeyareaofGmajor.Theclosingthemewillbeinthesamekeyastheme2.Expositionsarerepeated.

Thedevelopmentsectionofsonata-allegroformcontainstheleastamountofestablishedstructure.Inthissectionthecomposermaypresentthemesoutoforder,fragmentthemes,sequencethemes,ordeveloptheminotherways.Theultimategoalofthedevelopmentistosetupthecadencefrombacktotonicforthereturnoftheme1intherecapitulation.Therecapitulationisanotherpresentationofthethemesfromtheexpositioninthesameorder.Themaindifferenceisthatallthemeswillbepresentedinthetonickeyarea.

Page 52: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

Figure5:Sonata-allegroform

Intro

ExpositionTheme1=tonictransition/modulationTheme2=contrastingkeyareaClosingtheme=contrastingkeyarea

DevelopmentDevelopsmotivesandthemespresentedintheexposition.EndswithcadencefromVtoIthatreestablishestonickeyforrecapitulation

RecapitulationTheme1=tonictransition/nomodulationTheme2=tonicClosingtheme=tonic

Coda

Likeallotherformsdiscussedtherecanalsobeanintroductionand/ora

coda.Incodas,composerswrapupthepiecebyemphasizingthetonicchord(homechord).Thisisdonebydrawingoutcadentialmaterial.Acadenceisarestingpointprovidedbytheharmonicprogression.ThestrongestcadencesintonalmusicareV-I(dominanttotonic).Tonalcentersorkeyareasareimportantpartsofthesonataforms.Allmovementsareexpectedtobeginandendinatonickey.Theharmonicpathawayfromthetonicisalsodeterminedbythesonataform.Seefigure4foramapofsonata-allegroform.Classicallytrainedmusiciansandenthusiastsspendmuchtimeanalyzingmusictoidentifyeachformalmarker.ProgrammaticForm

Inmovies,videogames,televisionshows,epicfolktalesandothergenresmusiciscomposedtosupportastory.Oftentheformsusedforthemusicwillbedirectlyrelatedtothestory.Composerswhoscorefilmsareoftenaskedtocreatecustomizedaccompanimentthatfollowstheactiononscreen.Ifthecomposerwantstocreatemusicthatidentifiesorsupportscharacters,themes,oractionsthentheymightcomposeamusicalthemethatisrepresentative.OneneedsonlytoheartheImperialMarchfromtheStarWarsmoviestogetavisualimageofDarthVader.ThisisbecausewhenJohnWilliamsscoredthesefilmsheutilizedtheconceptof“leitmotif”thathadbeenusedinoperaforacentury.“Leitmotif”isatermthatWagnerusedtodescribethemesthatrepresentcharacters,ideas,orotherobjectsinhismusicdramas(operas).

Withinanopera,cantata,oratorioorotherWesternArtgenresthathaveanarrativeandinvolvesingingitiscommontohavethreeactsthateachincludearias,recitative,andchoruspieces.Ariasarethe“hitsongs”oftheoperaandmaybecomposedforsolo,duos,orgroupsofsingers.Intheariatheemotionsofthecharacterareoftenrevealedandexpoundedupon.ImaginetheemotionalreleasesonginanyDisneymovie.Thisisakintooperaarias.Recitativeadvancestheplotbetweenthesearias.Usuallyariashavesomesortofrepetitivesectionalform.

Page 53: Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) · 2020. 2. 27. · Music Appreciation (Georgia Gwinnett College) Todd Mueller Georgia Gwinnett College, ... , opens a sheet of music

Recitativesareoftennon-repetitivebecausetheyfollowthetext.Ifnoorganizationalunitsorrepetitivestructuresarepresentinthemusicthentheformiscalledthrough-composed.

Analyzingform:

1. Doesthemusichaveapreconceivedformorisitimprovised?2. Istheformofthemusicasectionthatrepeatsoverandover?3. Istheformestablishedforthegenre?4. Doyounoticeanyrepetitiveformalmarkers?

ReferenceList:Bakan,MichaelB.2012.WorldMusic:TraditionsandTransformations.2nded. NewYork:McGraw-Hill.Kilroe-Smith,Catherine.2013.MusicalJourneys.Dubuque,IA:KendallHunt.Marcus,David.2016.EmailtoToddMueller.Jan.3,2017Roeder,John.2011“FluctantGroupinginaSilk-and-BambooMelody.”AAWM

Journal1,No.2.AccessedFeb.14,2017http://aawmjournal.com/articles/2011b/

Ross,Alex.2010.ListentoThis.NewYork:Farrar,StrausandGiroux.Thrasher,AlanR.1989.”StructuralContinuityinChineseSizhu:The‘Baban’Model.”

AsianMusic20.2:67–106.Wade,BonnieC.2013.ThinkingMusically:ExperiencingMusic,ExpressingCulture.

3rded.NewYork:OxfordUniversityPress.Valdez,Stephen.2006.AHistoryofRockMusic.4thed.Dubuque,Iowa:Kendall/Hunt.