(M&C): Ch. 5 - Harmony and Texture

Harmony

aspect of music containing simultaneous combinations of pitches.

Textures

musical fabric considered as a combination of sonic elements, a result of the density of elements (thick, thin) and the relationship among elements (homophony, polyphony, etc)

Basic building block of harmony is…

the chord

Chord

a combination of three or more pitches sounded simultaneously.

Consonant

a combination of pitches that sounds pleasant, smooth, relaxed.

Dissonant

a combination of pitches that sounds unpleasant, rough, or tense.

Triad

A group of three pitches consisting of two stacked intervals of a third.

Tonic

(1) the central generating pitch of a scale, the scale’s home base; (2) a chord built on the tonic pitch.

Tonality

The quasi-gravitational pull to resolution on the tonic.

Chord progressions

a sequence of chords

Basic Chord Progression: I

the tonic chord. Tonic pitch is the center of tonality’s “gravitational field,” the chord built on that tonic pitch functions as the sun at the center of the harmonic solar system.

Blues

a traditional African American genre of music, characterized by emphasis on the three basic chords (I, IV, and V), use of blue notes, frequent use of shuffle rhythms, and a preference for complex tone colors (growling, falsetto, etc).

Twelve-bar Blues

a repeating progression of the three basic chords over the space of three musical phrases, each phrase consisting of four bars.

Four-chord songs

a pop song built on repeating chord progression that, played on the white keys of a piano, can be represented by the triads built on C, G, A, and F.

Key

any of the 24 groups of pitches used in Western music, each defined by its tonic pitch and its mode (major/minor); C Major, F Minor, etc

Modulation

a shift from one key to another.

Pump-up

a sudden modulation upward by a whole step or a half step, common to many pop songs of the 1980s and 1990s; also called a step-up.

Pivot-chord modulations

a key change in which a chord with one function in the old key is reinterpreted as having a different function in the new key.

Tall chords

a chord of four or more pitches that extends a triad by stacking additional thirds; a chord built by stacking intervals other than thirds.

Atonality

the absence of any tonal center

Whole-tone scale

a six-note scale consisting of nothing but whole steps and therefore lacking a clear tonic. Lacks half steps.

Texture

musical fabric considered as a combination of sonic elements, a result of the density of elements (thick, thin), and the relationship among elements (homophony, polyphony).

Monophony

Simplest texture is that of a melodic line by itself; literally means “one sound.”

Heterophony

the texture of multiple musicians on a single melody, each ornamenting the tune differently.

Biphonic

the texture of a melody played against an unchanging drone.

Drone

a sustained tone that accompanies a melody.

Polyphony

the texture of two or more simultaneous melodies, more or less equal in importance.

Canon

A type of imitative polyphony in which multiple melodic lines are generated by playing or singing the same melody at different starting times.

Round

a type of simple cannon

Imitative polyphony

a texture in which two or more voices or instruments imitate each other either strictly (as in canon), or more freely (as in fugue)

Counterpoint

art of writing polyphony music

Homophony

the texture in which a melody is heard in the foreground against a background of lesser importance.

Block chords

a homophonic texture in which a melody is harmonized with additional pitches moving in the same rhythm.

Melody and accompaniment

a homophonic texture in which a melody moves independently of the background harmony.

Countermelody

an independent melodic line of secondary interest to the main melody.

Gagaku

imperial court music of Japan; performed by ensemble of wind, strings, and percussion

Ryuteki

a bamboo flute

Hickiriki

a loud double-reed instrument, also made of bamboo, which acts as the lead melody instrument.

Sho

version of a free-reed Chinese sheng

Gakuso

a 13-string zither related to Chinese guzheng and the Japanese koto

Biwa

pear-shaped plucked lute related to the Chinese pipa

Kakko

small, two-headed drum played with light sticks, whose player is the ensemble's leader, controlling the rhythm.

Tsuri-daiko

large, two-headed drum mounted on a stand and played with two sticks

Shoko

a small, high-pitched gong, also played with two sticks.

Big band

the standard jazz orchestra of the Swing Era and later, with around 15-17 brass, reed, and rhythm section players.

Rhythm section

in a jazz ensemble, a subgroup consisting of drums, double bass, and one or two chord-playing instruments (piano, guitar, or both).

Call-and-response

a texture in which a soloist’s phrase is answered by the group (vocal, instrument, or both).

Plunger-and-growl

a jazz trumpet or trombone technique involving a plunger mute and a gargling action in the players throat, for a pseudo-vocal effect.

rubber mute (plunger-and-growl)

a device placed in or over a brass instrument’s bell that dampens the sound and alters the tone color; a device placed on the bridge of a bowed lute, with similar effect.

The Western Orchestra

An orchestra is the most important large ensemble in Western classical music.

Orchestra

the large ensemble (from 12 or more than 100 players) that performs the backbone of the Western classical repertoire.

Five separate parts of an orchestra

first violins, second violins, violas, cellos, and double basses. Each part has its own melodic line to play.

Auxiliary Woodwind

any instrument related to one of the main members of the woodwind family and differing from its counterpart by being either higher or lower in pitch.

Piccolo

an auxiliary woodwind pitched one octave higher than the standard flute.

English horn

an alto oboe, pitched ⅕ lower than the standard oboe, with a pear-shaped bell that gives it a muted, mournful quality.

Bass clarinet

an auxiliary woodwind pitched one octave lower than the standard clarinet.

Piccolo clarinet

a clarinet smaller and higher-pitched than the standard clarinet.

Contrabassoon

an auxiliary woodwind pitched one octave lower than the standard bassoon.

Conductor

a musician who coordinates the efforts of the other musicians in a choir or orchestra.

Tutti

Italian; lit. “all.” A passage scored for the full complement of instruments, voices, or both.