music apprec stuff

Pitch

single sound frequency

Herts

a unit of frequency measuring cycles (vibrations) per second

Octave

the interval between two notes, the frequency of the second note being double that of the first

human ears sound perception range…

low: 20 Hz

high: 20,000 Hz

Frequency

pitch

Amplitude

loudness

The Fundamental

lowest and loudest frequency of a note

Composer/Song writer

the musical artist; the creator

Performer

the instrumentalist or vocalist responsible for bringing the music to life after studying the composer’s score

Improvisor

in Jazz, a performer who also composes live in concerts, based on information given to them by the composer

Rock/Pop concerts

• casual dress

• opening act

• no program order for audience

• random applause

• interaction btwn performers and audience frequent

• possible variation on recorded music

Potential Damage Threshold

85 dB

Jazz Concerts

• clubs/social halls

• casual dress

• no set program for audience

• applause at the end of piece or solos

• refrain from talking, clapping, or making other sounds during the performance

• phones off

Formal concert Etiquette

• arrive prior to start of concert

• look at program order; read notes

• never enter/leave during piece

• business casual dress, no hats

• applaud at the end of pieces

• remain silent during program

• phones off

• refrain from eating

• some venues have cough drops

Orchestral Concerts

• applaud for concertmaster

• orchestra tunes to the principle oboe

• applaud for the conductor

Concertmaster

principle violinist

Principle Oboe

A = 440

3 tuning notes (woodwinds, brass, strings)

Musician etiquette

• bow to thank the audience

• no flipping music during clapping

• clap for concertmaster

• pretune

• play few notes on stage

• play only related music

• no waving at audience

Opera, Ballet, and the Musical theater

• Learn the story before attending

• Orchestra in the pit

• arrive early

• conductor receives applause from pit

• filled w music, acting, staging, costumes, sets, and props

• dress business casual or formal, depending on the venue; no hats

• begins w the overture

Movies

• music to create, amplify, or change feelings in scenes

• leitmotif’s

Leitmotif

melody or chord progression that is always associated with a particular person, place, object, or feeling

Melody

• a “musical sentence”

• consists of pitches/notes

• can be copyrighted

Solfege

do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti

Pythagoras experiments

• around 500 BC

• fixed string

• discovered:

  • stopping the string halfway caused it to vibrate twice as fast (octave)

  • stopping the string two-thirds of the way gave a ratio of 3:2 (fifth)

The Staff

arrangement of five lines and four space on which musical notes are placed

Lower pitches lower on the staff, higher=higher

Intervals

distance btwn two notes

**count first note as one and then every space until you reach the next note

Types of melodies

• short and simple

• long and elaborate

• A Motif

• Conjunct

• Disjunct

Rhythm

how music is organized in time

Tempo

refers to how fast or slow a piece is

Duple Meter

Beats organized in groups of 2 or 4

“Stars and Stripes Forever”

Triple Meter

Beats organized in groups of 3

“Waltz of the Flowers”

Triads

chord of three, consisting of the third and fifth above it

Functional Harmony

system wherein priority is given to diff chords

**Western music tends to move from Tonic (home) to Dominant (away from home)

Tonic chord

chord built on the first note in a scale

Dominant chord

chord built on the fifth note in a scale

Chord Progression

• order in which chords occur

• designed to start on the tonic, move away, and eventually return to the tonic

Harmonic Cadence

point of rest in the harmonic progression

Monophonic

only one melody

Homophonic

one melody w harmonic/chordal accompanyment

Polyphonic

multiple independent melodies

dynamics

pianissimo, piano, mezzo piano, mezzo forte, forte, fortissimo, crescendo, decrescendo, diminuendo

capital letters

notating large sections

lower-case letters

notating small sections

apostrophes or superscript

notating similar music

types of Forms

• repetition (AA)

• contrast (AB)

• variation (AA’)

Strophic Form

• several verses with the same melody but diff text

  • A A’ A’’ A’’’

• Amazing Grace

Binary Form

• two contrasting sections

  • AB or AABB

• Three Blind Mice

Rounded Binary

• variation

  • AABA’

Ternary Form

• middle section called a trio

  • ABA

• Twinkle twinkle little star

Compound Ternary form

• expanded form

  • ABA CDC ABA

Arch Form

• a palindrome

  • ABCBA or ABCDCBA

March Form

• written in four-measure phrases

• Intro II: 1st strain :II: 2nd strain :II: Trio I Break strain/Dogfight :II Coda

  • Intro AABBCDCDAA

  • Stars and Stripes forever

The Trio

• always in a new key and often quieter

• Does not immediately repeat like the other secitons

• the coda is often the material of the trio

The break strain/dogfight

• breaks up the tow hearings of the trio

• is much louder and filled w more intensity than the trio

Rondo Form

• alternates one repeated melody w new melodies

  • ABACADA

Through-Composed Form

• avoids repetition

• each section has new melodies

  • ABC

Minuet and Trio

• typically in triple meter

• II: a :II: b a :II: c :II: d c :II a II b a II

The Fugue

• exposition, episode, middle entry, episode and middle entry, final statement

exposition

subject (melody) is presented in the tonic key. an answer is given by another instrument in a diff key

episode

fragments only of the subject and countersubject(s)

middle entry

the entire subject is presented in at least one voice

Sonata Form

exposition, development, recapitulation

Theme and Variation

• form played by instrumentalists

• begins by stating the theme (melody)

• composer manipulates theme in many ways

  • A A’ A’’

The Symphony

• not a form type

• large, often multi-movement piece of music

  • often contains four related movements

Symphony 3 Movement Forms

• Sonata Form

• theme and variations, sonata, rondo

• Rondo

Symphony 4 Movement Forms

• Sonata Form

• theme and variations, sonata, fondo

• Minuet and Trio

• sonata, rondo

Concerto

multi-movement piece for solo instrument(s) accompanied by orchestra, piano, or ensemble