OCR GCSE Music

Features of Romantic Songs - Lieder

Singer and Piano (reflects mood)

Story telling

In German

Dramatic and Emotional

Strophic or through-composed

Leitmotifs

Features of Pop Ballads

Vocals are important because they tell a story

clear and unhidden by vocals

Often slow and sad and tell a love story

each verse has same rhythm with different lyrics.

Rock Ballad = heavy drums, amplified guitar

Folk Ballad = acoustic guitar

Accompaniement reflects theme of vocals

repition and inversion of motifs by the vocalist

texture varies to make dynamics more dramaric

instrumental where an instrument does a variation of the tune

Features of Classical Concerto

Sonata

3 or 4 movements, written for 1 (or 2) instruments

each movement has a specific structure (sonata form)

Concerto

a work for a soloist and an orchestra, 3 movements

piano and violin were most popular. Soloist plays a cadenza.

Symphony

work for an orchestra, 4 movements

a massive piece, performances can last an hour

may include a choir as well as an orchestra

Features of Jazz

Swing

could be danced to

more structured

Bebop

fast

lots of improv

complex harmonies

syncopated rhythms

irregular phrase lengths

Dixieland Jazz

mix of brass band marches, ragtime and blues

tune would be shared between a few different instruments (often trumpet, trombone and clarinet)

Polyphonic and has a full texture

Contrasts melody section with rhythm section

General

swung and syncopated

call and response

blues notes (major key, flat 3rds, 7ths, and sometimes 5ths)

improv

Features of Indian Classical Music

Based off of Ragas (a set of between 5 - 8 notes)

Spirituality is an important part.

Sitar improvises melody

If singer takes melody, it is called a dhrupad

Tabla is the rhythm section

improvise complicated rhythms over the tala.

Tambura creates harmony

Tambura plays drone, based off of two notes of the raga

Features of Gamelan

Two types of scales:

Slendro - five notes, evenly spread throughout octave

Pelog - seven notes, often only 5 notes are played

All parts work around a core melody (called the balungan in javi, pokok in Bali)

The tune is repeated throughout, producing a rhythmic cycle (called the gongan)

Gongan played by metallophone (e.g the saron)

Higher-pitched saron play variations on the main tune, often doubling up notes.

Middle-pitched saron play the main tune

Lower-pitched instruments play bits of the tune, often missing the last beat of each bar.

Other instruments embellish the main tune

Other instruments = Gender, bonang, gambang, celempung, rebab, suling

Gongs mark time so the performers know where they are in the gongan

Gong ageng plays on the last beat of the cycle

Smaller section in the gongan are marked by kempul, kenong, and ketuk

Has 4 beats per keteg (AKA Bar), gongs accenting the last beat

Drummers cue performers (musicians and dancers) and keep tempo

heterophonic (parts play variations of a central melody)

Features of Baroque

Written in major and minor keys

Modulation allows for contrasting sections

Use of new structures (e.g. Binary, ternary, rondo, and variation)

Sudden dynamic changes (called terraced or stepped dynamics)

melody built upon short motifs, so there's a bit of repition

simple harmonies, composed of triads.

The melody has a lot of ornaments

The texture's often contrapuntal (polyphonic)

Harpsichord would play the basso continuo (continuous bass part)

Melodic Techniques: Melodic inversion, Retrograde, Sequencing, Imitation, Ostinato, Ornaments

Features of Classical Chamber Music

Similar to baroque (due to the fact that classical developed from baroque)

Very balanced, equal 4 bar phrases, split into 2 bar question, 2 bar answer

Classical music uses fewer ornaments

Used same strustures, with introduction of sonata form

more subtle dynamics, with crescendos and diminuendos

Composed for small groups (2-8 musicians)

each part played by one instrument

Common chamber groups were:

String trio, String quartet, Piano trion, Clarinet quintet

Melodic Techniques: Melodic inversion, Retrograde, Sequencing, Imitation, Ostinato, Ornaments

Features of The Great Choral Classics

Baroque choirs were fairly small (one singer for each part) (only men)

4 different voices (male only): treble (a boy soprano), countertenor (or alto)(a falsetto voice), tenor (high male voice), bass (a low male voice)

4 different voices (mixed)(SATB): Soprano (high female), Contralto (or alto)(low female), tenor(high male voice), bass (low male voice)

20th and 21st century are small compared to victorian choir

Modern choir pieces are varied and experimental

Atonal, discordant sounds, clashing harmonies

harder for choirs to sing, harder to listen to

John Rutter (English) - ignored minimalism and surrealism, more in common with traditional english and french choral music. Influenced by american songwriting, especially musicals, wanted his pieces to be hummable.

Sir John Tavener (English) - more discordant and modern-sounding than John.

Karl Jenkins (Welsh) - has interesting Rhythmic patterns.

Features of African A Capella

No instrumental accompaniment

Mbube (translates to ""lion"")

type of South African (Zulu) a capella singing

loud and powerful (like a lion, makes sense)

usually all male choirs, some groups have a female singer

One/ two high pitched lead vocals over a 4 part harmony bass line

can be homophonic or polyphonic

Isicathamiya (translates to ""to tip-toe"")

Other type of South African (Zulu) a cappella singing

Soft and gentle

Usually all male choirs

focuses on blending voices together into a harmony

four-part harmonies in call and response (AKA antiphony)

Dance moves are stamps and tip-toeing to keep singers in time

Features of The Basics

The pattern of (strong and weak) beats is called the metre

A regular metre, the strong beats make the same pattern throughout.

The movements in a dance normally fit the tempo

The speed of the dance sets the mood

The tempo is usually constant

Some dances have set rhythms that go with set movements

set movements usually match regular phrases (usually for bars long), when a new phrase begins, the movements are repeated.

There are different types of dance:

Paired Dances

Group Dances

Improvised dances

Dances that tell a story

Instrumental Dance music

Features of Waltz

Triple metre, in 3/4

viennese waltzes are pretty fast, 70 dotted minim bpm

OOM cha cha rhythm, emphasised in the accompanying chords

2nd beat of each bar played slightly early to make it sound more lively

Strong clear melody, accompanied by chords, homophonic texture

Mostly uses primary chords (I (Tonic), IV (Sub dominant),V (Dominant))

Root of triad emphasises ""OOM"", rest of notes on ""cha cha""

Slow harmonic rhythm (there is a slow change in chords)

appogiaturas and chromatic notes to embellish tune

Features of Salsa

Features from Son:

Clave (pronounced Clah-vey) rhythm (played by the clave (pronouced clayve))

More repeated rhythms played on percussion instruments, these are often syncopated and form complicated polyrhythms.

The melody is played by brass instruments like trumpets

Pregón and Choro

easy to dance to

simple lyrics (possibly about dancers)(have chances to improvise)

Features from Big-Band Jazz:

harsh, brass based arrangements (Trombone a big focus)

took inspiration from Puerto Rican, Brazillian and African music

The most common salsa rhythm is the son clave

A piece of salsa doesn't use the same clave all the time (may switch from 3-2 to 2-3 (changing the emphasis))

The piece is always in 4/4

All the parts fit round the instruments playing the clave

The rhythm changes in each section

Features of Tango

Beautiful melodies and strong rhythmic energy, reflected in dancers' movements.

Precise performance details (e.g. Staccato) in the music reflected in the dance

2 or 4 beats per bar. There are several basic rhythms

Main melody often uses a slow rhythmic pace with triplets and sycopation.

Staccato notes give the music precision and its deliberate nature

Simple harmonies (almost always in a minor key) are based on the tonic and dominant chords.

Prominent and repeating dotted rhythms in the bass often move between the tonic and the dominant chord notes.

The habanera rhythm is used in early tango music. It comes from the 19th century Cuban dance music.

Features of American Line Dance

Line dance music is often played by a folk band

Advances in technology like, MIDI and sampling has made line dancing more modern. Older country and western music is still popular.

Clear sections and lots of repition, so it's easy to choreograph dances dances to it.

Moderate tempo

Strong beat

memorable tunes

USUALLY 4/4 (an exception is the State Line Waltz)

Slow harmonic rhythm

Features of Irish Jig and Reel

Instruments usually play the tune in unison

Strong regular beat, emphasis on first beat, so it's easy to dance to

quite fast

Clear regular, melodic phrases in a question and answer pattern.

Melodies often made up of two 8-bar sections, each played twice (for each foot) to make a 32 bar melody.

Reels

4/4 (sometimes 2/4 or 2/2) with accents on the 1st and 3rd beats of the bar

The tunes are often made up of straight quavers. They're quite quick.

Hornpipes

4/4

They often have dotted rhythms, though the musicians can choose to play them straight.

A bit slower than a reel

Jigs

Lively and fast. They often start on an anacrusis

Single, double, light and heavy jigs are in 6/8

Slip jigs are in 9/8

Features of Bhangra

Popular rhythm is the chaal, an eight note, swung quavers repeated pattern.

Tunes often based around intervals of a minor third

Lots of repeated notes

Modern Bhangra uses a lot of Music technology

Remixes - tracks with lots of different layers mixed together in a new way.

Samples from other music

Drum machines instead of the dhol

DJ techniques like scratching

Features of Disco

4/4, 120BPM

Simple beat makes disco easy to dance to

Catchy tunes (AKA hook)

Electric Guitars play Lead and Rhythm parts

Lead guitar plays solo melodies

rhythm guitar strums chords along the beat

Bass guitars plays short, rhythmic, heavy-sounding bass riffs

Sweeping string sounds fill out the music's texture

Brass stabs used, almost always on an offbeat

low bass drum plays every crotchet beat

Snare drum mostly plays on beats 2 and 4

Hi hat plays offbeat quavers

Basic drum rhythm plays all the way through the song

Features of Club Dance

Styles

House - 4/4, lots of repetition, especially in the bass line and loots of drum machine sounds

Techno - fast, hard 4/4 beat, between 130-150BPM, can be faster in hardcore techno. Rarely any voices or live sounds. mechanical and electronic sounds.

Jungle / Drum 'n' bass - 4/4, 170BPM. Drum-based with very strong, deep bass line. Lots of short, fast notes called ""breakbeats"" played between the main beats, giving it a disjointed feel.

UK Garage - uses ideas from jungle, drum 'n' bass and modern rhythm 'n' blues. Vocal sounds are used like percussion.

Trance - very repetitive sound. Uses echoey and electronic sounds and lots of sfx. Slow harmonic rhythm over a fast beat, meant to feel trance like.

Ambient - Slow, somtimes jazzy. sounds chilled and 'out of this world'

Rave - Fast, electronic dance music using samples from different songs.

uses music technology rather than live instruments

Mixing

Scratching

Sampling

Looping

Digital Effects

Quantising

Sequencing (AKA multitracking)

Features of Programme Music

Instrumental (no words)

Music sets the mood (minor = sad), or set the scene (like using flutes oboes and clarinets to imitate birds)

Composers often imitate real life sounds (flowing notes = a brook)

When the programme music is telling a story, different characters are sometimes represented by different themes.

Tritone (interval between C and F#) used for scary/ weird sound

Percussion makes pieces dramatic

Contrasts between different themes help to show different emotions

The rhythms are important too - irregular rhythms to show conflict, legato rhythms to show love.

Features of Film Music

Leitmotif

Repeated sections of music to link different parts of the film together.

Triumphant modulation of the main theme at end of film with drawn-out cadence if it was a happy ending.

The end may be left unresolved giving the film a more open and darker ending, if the film doesn't end happily or may have a sequel.

Repetition used to create tension and suspense

Traditional Instruments can give a feel of time and place

Sound effects can be added to contribute to conveying a theme

Unnatural scenes make strange scenes stranges

Style and instrumentation of music changes with the Mood

The music can be Digetic or extra digetic

Music may start major, but may go minor to show something going wrong

Ostinati keep the audience on edge for a long time.

Sustained notes create suspense (e.g. tremolo strings)

Tension is built with: crescendos, accelerandos, rise in pitch, a tune played in an earlier scary bit to remind you, silence followed by a crash to make you jump.

Many musical techniques may be used to show many layers of a story

Other Details for Romantic Songs - Lieder

Song Cycles - group of songs with similar theme

Other Details for Pop Ballads

Singer Techniques:

A Capella - Singing with no instrumental backing

Vibrato - singers quiver up and down in pitch

Falsetto - when men sing really high pitch

Portamento - singer's glissando

Riffing - singers ornament

Backing Singer Harmonies:

In Harmony - all singing different notes

In Unison - all singing the same notes

Descant - singing a higher part in time with the main tune

Call and Response - repeating the lead vocals or answering

Other Details for Classical Concerto

Cadenza - where the orchestra stops and the soloist plays something fiddly to show off.

After 1700, composers began to experiment with new instruments. Orchestra size increased, concertos were longer. Strings were most important, wind filled out the harmony.

Other Details for Jazz

Started as Dixieland Jazz in New orleans (early 1900s)

1920 - Jazz spread to Chicago. Era of prohibition, jazz played in speakeasies, gained bad rep

1930s and 40s - swing became popular.

1940s - Bebop (or Bop) developed from swing

1940s and 50s - Cool jazz, Progressive jazz, Free jazz

1960s and 70s - Soul jazz, Latin jazz, Jazz fusion

Later - Experimental fusion, fusions of jazz

Scat - a type of improvised singing using nonsense words and syllables, type of fill

early jazz (even some modern jazz) isn't written down)

Other Details for Indian Classical Music

A raga is not tempered (notes not equidistant).

Ragas are usually played at a particular time of day or season.

The notes on the way up can be different to the notes on the way down (melodic minor)

notes of a raga are called (sa, ri, ga, ma, pa, dha, sa) not all ragas contain all notes.

certain notes in a raga can have specified rules (e.g. staccato, tivra (slightly sharp), komal (slightly flat))

In northern india, school of player is called Gharana, which is run by a master, and each has its own traditions and theories of how to play.

Karnatic kriti (in Southern India), is a raga set to words in praise of a Hindu Deity

The tabla's rhythm is called the tala, the number of beats is called the matras

The first beat is called Sam. All instruments play on sam, the piece ends on sam

Vibhag = Bar, but can have different number of beats Vibhag khali = contrasting bar

Other Details for Gamelan

The Orchestra is called a Gamelan

Gamelan thought of as one instrument, all parts equally important.

Instruments made in set, all tuned and decorated in the same way. If used with another gamelan, it would look and sound wrong

Gamelan music isn't written down

when a gamelan is tuned to both a pelog and a slendro, it is called a double gamelan.

Other Details for Baroque

Ornaments

trill - starts on the note above the written note and quickly goes between the start not and the written note

Appoggiaturas (grace notes) - clash with accompanying chords, takes half the value of the following note, usually on a strong beat, so resolution is on a weak beat.

Acciaccatura - like an appoggiaturas but has a much shorter duration.

passing notes - links two notes, if on a strong beat, called an accented passing note

Mordent - like a trill but the last note is longer in duration

Turn - starts on the note above, goes down to written note, down below written note, then back up to the written note.

Other Details for Classical Chamber Music

Ornaments

trill - starts on the note above the written note and quickly goes between the start not and the written note

Appoggiaturas (grace notes) - clash with accompanying chords, takes half the value of the following note, usually on a strong beat, so resolution is on a weak beat.

Acciaccatura - like an appoggiaturas but has a much shorter duration.

passing notes - links two notes, if on a strong beat, called an accented passing note

Mordent - like a trill but the last note is longer in duration

Turn - starts on the note above, goes down to written note, down below written note, then back up to the written note.

Other Details for The Great Choral Classics

First sung in churches in the 14th Century

choral music in renaissance and baroque times was sacred

Masses were sung in Catholic churches.

Requiem was a mass for the dead.

Oratorios are bible stories set to music.

Main secular choral music were choruses in operas which told love stories.

Victorian era choirs were huge, over 100 members

20th and 21st century are small compared to victorian choir (under 130)

20th century choral works often written for chamber choirs (20-25 people) and orchestras

chamber choirs may be reaction to massive 19th century choirs

Other Details for African A Capella

A lot of sacred music was sung unaccompanied

In the renaissance period (1400-1600) the catholic mass would often be sung unaccompanied

Zulu men used to form Mbube choirs to sings songs after work in the mines to reinforce identity

Other Details for The Basics

Duple Metre: ONE two, ONE two

Triple Metre: ONE two three, ONE two three

Quadruple Metre: ONE two THREE four, ONE two THREE four

An Irish jig, has a fast, skipping tempo to match the carefree mood of the dance

Paired Dances - can be stately like the waltz, or lively like the Tango and salsa.

Group Dances - dances in big groups of people like the Irish jig and reel, american line dance and bhangra.

Improvised dances - make up the dance on the spot, usually to dance music in clubs or disco

Dances that tell a story - like classical ballet, set to orchestral music

Instrumental Dance music - written in the style of a dance, but are only meant to be listened to.

Other Details for Waltz

rubato - pulling the beat about, not on time.

Appoggiaturas (grace notes) - clash with accompanying chords, takes half the value of the following note, usually on a strong beat, so resolution is on a weak beat.

Waltz danced in ballroom hold (AKA closed position because you hold the partner closely, face-to-face)

The steps match the 3/4 time signature

Other Details for Salsa

Pregon and Choro = call and response

(pregón = announcement)

Sonero = lead singer

Choro = Chorus

Salsa grew in 1960s and 70s in New York. Salsa means sauce, it's meant to be spicy music.

Son Instruments = guitar, string bass (AKA double bass), bongos, maracas, claves and the tres (a guitar but with 3 sets of 2 strings)

Big band instruments = like trombones and trumpets

Some musicians use rapping, samplers, and synthesizers to transform traditional salsa music into club music. This modern interpretation of salsa music is called salsation.

The main thing is that the dancers move in time with each other and the music - so they stay coordinated.

Other Details for Tango

Has influences from Italy, Spain and Eastern europe. Tango melodies often have Italian origin

Ancestor of Milonga - a type of Argentinean and Uruguayan music in a syncopated style.

Another influence was Candombe, a style of music created by the Afro-Uruguayan community in Montevideo. Candombe rhythms were brought over by African slaves, and were used in the tango.

The tango was first found in the bars and brothels in the port areas of Buenos Aires in Argentina and Montevideo in Uruguay

Soon moved into more respectable surroundings of cabarets and dance halls

About 1950, orchestras started performing tangos without dancers in concert halls.

After 1950s tango went downhill, large orchestras disappeared. small tango groups are now more prevalent in Argentina, performing in smaller venues.

Different Tango varieties:

Tango-Cancion - Tango Song, seen during the golden age during the 1920s-30s

Ballroom tango - developed as a dance for competitions in Europe and the US

Tango Nuevo - combined elements of Tango, classical and Jazz, with complex harmonies and rhythms that dancers weren't used to. It became more listened to than danced to

Tango-rokero - replaced bandoneon and double bass with a rock band section, electric guitars and keyboards.

Electric tango - uses electronic elements like sampling mixed with traditional tango music

Other Details for American Line Dance

A type of group dancing with choreographed steps.

It was influenced by European immigrants to the USA - it has lots of similarities to European folk dancing

first popular American dances to be danced in lines were 1920s dances like the Charleston and the Cha Cha - modern line dancing grew from these.

Dances like the Madison and the Stroll were crazes in the 1950s and 60s - these had called steps and a regular back and forth pattern.

Modern line dancing didn't appear until the 1970s.

The term ""line-dancing"" wasn't really used until the 1980s - the tush push (choreographed 1920s) was one of the first dances to be called a ""line dance"".

Billy Ray Cyrus's Achy Breaky Heart made line dancing really popular

In America, line dancing today is danced to country and western

In the UK, line dancing today is danced to pop music

MIDI - Musical Instrument Digital Interface

Each beat in a line dance is called a beat. The more counts, the trickier the line dance (a 48 count dance doesn't necessarily have 48 unique dance steps - steps can be held)

Other Details for Irish Jig and Reel

Reels were first taught by travelling dance teachers in the 1700s

The hornpipe was originally an English dance - It spread to Ireland in the 18th century. It comes from the music of sailors.

Some people think jigs started out as the marches of ancient Irish clans.

Modern irish dance music combines folk rhythms with contemporary beats. They use both live instruments and MIDI sequencers. A good example of this is the music from Riverdance, a popular 1990s stage show.

Irish pop groups like The Corrs, Westlife and Van Morrison sometimes use elements of Irish music - for example, the Corrs use traditional Irish instruments in some of their songs

Other Details for Bhangra

Traditional Bhangra was played at harvest time when people dance and sing to celebrate the end of the harvest

The words that go with the beats are called bols. They help players remember the drum strokes for the rhythm. NA = play the small drumhead, GE = play the large drumhead, DHA = play both drumheads.

Modern bhangra style developed in the UK in the 1970s and 1980s

Asian musicians fused the chaal ryhthm with Western styles like hip-hop, disco, drum'n'bass, rap and reggae, creating a whole new sound and making bhangra much more popular with mainstream audiences.

Other Details for Disco

Until about 1960s audio equipment was pretty ropey. So clubs had live bands because it would be hard to play recorded music loud enough.

In the 1970s amplifiers, turntables and loudspeakers became a thing so music could easily be played in a club and DJs took over from bands.

Lighting technology got more exciting and became part of the experience of clubbing

palm muting is a guitar technique where you put the side of your hand on the string to stop notes ringing out to make it sound more percussive.

Extra percussive sounds (like claps) are added by drum machines.

Backing loops created by sequences

Samples are recorded on sequencers and played repeatedly through the recording.

Other Details for Club Dance

House music (one of the earliest form of club dance music) was founded in Chicago

In the early 1980s producers took disco and made the 4/4 beat deeper and stronger .

Dub, Jazz and synthpop motifs were layered over the cass using the technologies developed by bands like kraftwerk

Club dance became popular in the 1980s and 90s.

All-night raves were organised in big deserted buildings like warehouses (mostly illegally)

Dance music developed its own culture seperate from the pop and rock scene

As audio technology developed, so did new styles of club dance music arrised

As technology became cheaper and more available, more people can create music, and because of the internet, it can easily be distributed, meaning new genres are quiteare always arrising

At live performances the DJ or MC plays backing tracks, added sounds with samples, keyboards, or a drum machine to build the piece. They might rap.

In a studio a producer basically does the same thing - lays down a backing track and adds other sounds over it.

Mixing - when records with similar BPM and key, are mixed together to create a continuous dance music

Scratching - DJs turn vinyl records back and froth so the stylus makes a scratchy noise

Sampling - Using snippets of other people's tunes, rhythms and voices

Looping - Short (usually 4 bar) patterns of notes or rhythms are repeated.

Digital Effects - special effects made digitalls like reverb, echo, and vocoder.

Quantising - Sets the note in time (sounds robotic), groove quantising is the opposite.

Sequencing (AKA multitracking) - A way of building up a song by recording lots of tracks on over another.

How to remix 101:

Mix in samples to create a collage of sound, which is often laid over a drum and bass loop

Change the texture (by stopping the drum and bass for a few beats) to keep the music interesting. When the drum and beat kicks back in, the deep thumping makes a big impression.

Introduce breaks where just one or more solo instruments play, changing the texture.

Other Details for Film Music

Programme music is a type of music that describes an item or person, tells a story or sets a scene.

Term first used in the 19th century, popular during the romantic period. There are earlier examples such as Vivaldi's four seasons (1720s).

Symphonic poems (also called tone poems) are examples of programme music. They're single-movement works that tell stories - like myths and fairy tales.

when a character appears their theme will be played. it can be changed depending on situation. For example if the character won a fight it can sound triumphant and majestic.

Dance Macabre is an example of a Symphonic Poem"

Programme Music: "leitmotif is the main tune un the film, it represents a particular object, idea or character in the story.

Often returns in various forms in the background.

Sometimes leitmotifs can forshadow future events in the film.

Leitmotifs can be repeated throughout the film, but can change to reflect the situation. The instrumentation or key can be changed, sometimes just the rhythm of the leitmotif is played. All of this adds to the drama

Triumphant modulation means the film ends happily because the story has been resolved

Unusual harmonies and time signatures are used when things are weird

Synthesisers and irrelevant samples used to make the audience wonder what's going on.

Instruments or voices may be distorted.

Discords and diminished chords can make it hard to listen too.

rapid scalic patterns and interrupted cadences can make pulse-raising scenes feel moer frantic

Tritone for weird and scary

Minor and more dissonant chords make you feel uneasy

Low pitch in brass and strings sound dark as if you're underground

Percussive, metallic sounds with reverb effects make you imagine someone lurking about on lonely backstreets

Suspensions that don't resolve build tension and make you think danger is near

Dynamics swell from quiet to loud to quiet as if someone's comin in and out of the shadows.

Extra-diegetic means it's not part of the story, it's put over the scene, the actors cannot hear it

Some directors include music which the character and the audience can hear, this is diegetic music. (an example of this is in Atonement, the sound of Briony using a typewriter combines with the piano music so that the two play in time with each other, giving the impression she can hear the music).

Long notes in foreground with ostinato patterns in the background to create tenstion

A repeated pattern on woodblock sounds like a person on the move, percussive bursts and brass motifs suggest someone trying to catch them.

Other Details for Programme Music

leitmotif is the main tune in the film, it represents a particular object, idea or character in the story.

Often returns in various forms in the background.

Sometimes leitmotifs can foreshadow future events in the film.

Leitmotifs can be repeated throughout the film, but can change to reflect the situation. The instrumentation or key can be changed, sometimes just the rhythm of the leitmotif is played. All of this adds to the drama

Triumphant modulation means the film ends happily because the story has been resolved

Unusual harmonies and time signatures are used when things are weird

Synthesisers and irrelevant samples used to make the audience wonder what's going on.

Instruments or voices may be distorted.

Discords and diminished chords can make it hard to listen too.

rapid scalic patterns and interrupted cadences can make pulse-raising scenes feel more frantic

Tritone for weird and scary

Minor and more dissonant chords make you feel uneasy

Low pitch in brass and strings sound dark as if you're underground

Percussive, metallic sounds with reverb effects make you imagine someone lurking about on lonely backstreets

Suspensions that don't resolve build tension and make you think danger is near

Dynamics swell from quiet to loud to quiet as if someone's coming in and out of the shadows.

Extra-diegetic means it's not part of the story, it's put over the scene, the actors cannot hear it

Some directors include music which the character and the audience can hear, this is diegetic music. (an example of this is in Atonement, the sound of Briony using a typewriter combines with the piano music so that the two play in time with each other, giving the impression she can hear the music).

Long notes in foreground with ostinato patterns in the background to create tension

A repeated pattern on woodblock sounds like a person on the move, percussive bursts and brass motifs suggest someone trying to catch them.

When & Where for Romantic Songs - Lieder

Romantic Period 1820 - 1900

Europe

When & Where for Pop Ballads

N/A (Ballads since 15th Century)

N/A

When & Where for Classical Concerto

Classical period 1750 - 1820

N/A

When & Where for Jazz

Early 20th Century

Developed in USA, Fusion of African and European traditions

When & Where for Indian Classical Music

N/A

India

When & Where for Gamelan

N/A

Indonesia (Java and Bali)

When & Where for Baroque

Baroque Period 1600 - 1750

N/A

When & Where for Classical Chamber Music

Classical period 1750 - 1820

N/A

When & Where for The Great Choral Classics

N/A (since the 14th century)

N/A

When & Where for African A Capella

N/A

Africa

When & Where for Waltz

N/A (since the 1790s)

Started in Austria, Vienna. Developed in 19th century, in Europe and North America

When & Where for Salsa

1960s and 1970s

Cuba, A combination of Cuban Son and Big-Band Jazz

When & Where for Tango

1850s

Argentina and Uruguay. Influences, Italy, Spain and Eastern europe

When & Where for American Line Dance

N/A (Since 1920s)

America

When & Where for Irish Jig and Reel

N/A

Ireland

When & Where for Bhangra

N/A (Modern Bhangra = 1970s and 80s)

Punjab - an area in northern India and Pakistan

When & Where for Disco

1970s

Soul, jazz and funk

When & Where for Club Dance

1980s and 90s

Chicago. Fusion of Disco, Dub, Jazz, Synthpop

When & Where for Film Music

1820s onwards

N/A

When & Where for Programme Music

N/A

N/A

Dance for Waltz

One partner does the move forwards whilst the other does the steps backwards

the feet move in different directions on the first two beats, but meet on final beat of the bar

The first step is longer to mark the start of a new bar, matching the ""OOM"" and the two shorter steps matching the ""cha cha""

Dance for Salsa

Danced in closed position, chances for the pair to break apart and improvise.

They dance on the spot

8 beats to complete a dance cycle (2 bars of 4/4 music (or one clave))

2 quick steps on the 1st 2 beats of the bar, followed by a longer step on the 3rd beat, then a pause.

leader steps forward on the first beat of the cycle whilst his partner steps backwards, then return to their original places.

the pattern is then repeated as the leader steps backwards.

Dance for Tango

Paired dance, cheek to cheek contact, legs often becoming entwined, very passionate, sensual dance

Improvised dance around a range of basic steps

Men would dance together while waiting for men to rehearse and show off new, flashy steps.

Dancers movements are provocative yet controlled

Deliberate and exaggerated movements are supported by precise performance details in the music

The amount of space affects the dance (in a bar the steps may be smaller and the dancers are close, in a larger dance halls the steps may be larger and the dancers can let go of each other to perform some of the fancier steps.)

Dance for American Line Dance

A basic is a set of steps from the first count to the last count, without tags or bridges

Tags (2 or 4 steps) or bridges (8 or 16 steps) are sets of steps added to a basic to make the dance fit the music

A restart is when the basic dance sequence is interrupted and started again, so the dance fits the music.

The most common step is the grapevine. Others include the shuffle step, the lock step and the sailor step.

Each dance has a number of walls - a wall is just the direction the dancers face. Most are 4 wall dances, they're done facing the front, back and sides of the room.

Most line dances are done as solo dances, but some are done in pairs or groups. Group line dances aren't always done in lines - barn dances are done in circles.

Dance for Irish Jig and Reel

The regular phrases make it easy to fit steps to and keep in time with.

Can be social or performance dance

social dances are ones where everyone joins in (ceili dances or set dances)

Ceili involves couples danicing in a square, circle or line

In a set dance, four couples dance in a square

Social dances take place at celebrations like fairs and weddings

Performance dances are dances that the audience watch, rather than join in.

Most performance dances are a form of step danceing.

In step dancing, the complicated footwork is the most important part of the dance - dancers often keep the top half of their body still.

Performance dances (Jigs, Reels, and Hornpipes) are either hard shoe dances (the noise the dancers feet make is important) or soft shoe dances (they're more about moving around the dance floor)

Reels

For women, a reel is a soft shoe dance - it's light, with lots of leaps. Men wear hard shoes.

Hornpipes

Hard shoe dance

Jigs

Most jigs are soft shoe dances except for the heavy jig (AKA hard jig or triple jig), which is a hard shoe dance

Slip jigs are graceful with hops and skips

Dance for Bhangra

Jhumar - a slow flowing dance. Dancers move in a circle around the drummer and dance in time to the bear. They sing a quiet chorus to accompany drum's rhythm

Giddha (women only) - uses dance to tell stories or act out events. The dancers control the beat of the music by clapping their hands.

Daankara - Danced at weddings. Men dance in pairs and beat the rhythm using coloured sticks.

Bhangra dances often include ambitious stunts like human pyramids and spinning jumps.

Dance for Disco

People danced on their own and enjoyed showing off their moves

Improvised

Simple beat means most moves will fit

Dance for Club Dance

Improvised

Moves involving dramatic arm movements in time to the beat (like ""big fish, little fish, cardboard box"")

People also wave glow sticks around and jump in time to the fast beat of the music

Instruments of Romantic Songs - Lieder

Vocals and Piano

Instruments of Pop Ballads

Vocals and classical instruments (e.g guitar, piano, etcetera)

Instruments of Classical Concerto

Orchestra and/ or solo instrument(s)

Instruments of Jazz

front row = trumpet, trombone, clarinet, (later saxophone)

rhythm section = piano, guitar, drums, double bass. (Plays chords)

big band = 5 sax (2 altos, 2 tenors, a baritone) 4 trumps, 4 trombs, 4 piece rythm section (piano, guitar, drums, double bass).

Instruments of Indian Classical Music

Main Instruments = Sitar, Tambura, Tabla

Other instruments = Sarod, Sarangi, Bansuri, shehnai, harmonium, Singer

Sitar = string instrument, 7 strings (5 melodic, 2 drone), sympathetic strings (create thick, shimmery sound), movable frets, can bend notes, sitar glissando = mind

Tambura = string instrument, 4 - 6 strings, similar shape to sitar, backing instrument.

Tabla = percussion instrument, pair of drums (smaller is called tabla (or dayan), larger is called bayan

Sarod = small, fretless sitar. Sarangi = small, bowed, fretless instrument. Bansuri (or venu) = a bamboo flute. Shehnai = double reeded instrument, like oboe. Harmonium = Accordion

Instruments of Gamelan

Saron is a particular type of metallophone, metal bar for each note of an octave, bars rest on hollowed-out wooden cradles, use a wooden mallet to play it.

Gender has narrow bronze keys, with bamboo pipes underneath to resonate, making the sound big and rich.

Bonang have two rows of gongs resting on cords across a wooden frame

Gambang is a xylophone with wooden bars

celempung is a plucked stringed instrument, like a mini harp

rebab is a two stringed violin

suling is a bamboo flute except you blow over the end.

Gong Ageng is the biggest hanging gong

Kempul is the medium hanging gong

kenong and ketuk are gongs which rest horizontally across a wooden box

Two main types of drum

Kendang gending - a big cone shaped drum (one skin smaller than the other), played resting sideways, so one hand is on each hand.

Ketipung - a smaller cone shaped drum (one skin smaller than the other), played resting sideways, so one hand is on each hand.

Instruments of Baroque

Harpsichord

Flute

Recorder

Oboe

Bassoon

Organ

Strings

Instruments of Classical Chamber Music

String trio - Violin, Viola, Cello

String quartet - First violin, Second Violin, Viola, Cello

Piano trio - piano, violin, cello

Clarinet quintet - Clarinet + String quartet

Instruments of The Great Choral Classics

All male choir = treble (a boy soprano), countertenor (or alto)(a falsetto voice), tenor (high male voice), bass (a low male voice)

Mixed choir = Soprano (high female), Contralto (or alto)(low female), tenor(high male voice), bass (low male voice)

All female choirs usually, SSAA or, SSA

All Male choirs usually, TTBB

Soloists can be mezzo soprano (below soprano) or baritones (below tenor)

Instruments of African A Capella

Voices

Instruments of Waltz

Large Orchestras (typical of the romantic period)

Instruments of Salsa

Salsa band combines instruments from son and big-band jazz

Modern salsa band

front line = trombones, trumpets and saxophones

Vocals = sonero, choro

Strings and piano = bass guitar, spanish guitar, tres, piano

rhythm section = congas, timbales, bongos, maracas, a guiro, drum kit

Instruments of Tango

Early tango orchestras included flute, violin, and guitar

tangos were also played on solo piano

the double bass, bandoneon and percussion instruments were soon added

Singers accompanying themselves on guitar and even brass bands were soon playing tango

A classical tango lineup was = 2 bandoneons, 2 violins, 1 piano, 1 double bass

Instruments of American Line Dance

Fiddle

Banjo

Mandolin

Accordion

Harmonica

Double bass

Guitar (sometimes)

(In more modern line dance music) Electric guitar

Drum machines

Instruments of Irish Jig and Reel

Violin (fiddle)

Irish open-holed wooden flute

tin whistle

concertina or accordion

guitar

Uilleann pipes (the Irish version of bagpipes)

percussion such as bodhran (a framed drum) and the spoons

Instruments of Bhangra

Key instrument is the dhol (a double headed, barrel-shaped drum), one head is lower than the other.

Modern Bhangra uses western instruments such as electric guitar and synthesisers.

Instruments of Disco

Electric guitars (lead and rhythm)

Bass guitars

Brass

Strings

Drum Kits

Drum Machines

Sequencers

Instruments of Club Dance

Music Technology

Instruments of Film Music

Timpani

Cymbals

Instruments of Programme Music

Whatever fits the feel they are going for, could be traditional folk instruments, could be gamelan, will probably be an orchestra because GCSE Music like orchestras.

Structure of Pop Ballads

verse-chorus structure with middle 8 and coda

Structure of Classical Concerto

1st Movement - Sonata form, brisk and powerful

2nd Movement - ternary or variation form, slower and song-like (cantabile)

(Extra Movement) - minuet or scherzo, fairly fast and dance-like

3rd Movement - rondo, variation and sonata form, fast and cheerful

Sonata form

Exposition - two contrasting themes are introduced in the opening sequence

Development - new harmonies or rhythms developed. sequences, imitation, inversion or pedal note may be introduced

Recapitulation - themes from exposition are repeated. ornaments to keep attention

Structure of Jazz

12 bar blues (I ,I ,I ,I ,IV ,IV ,I ,I ,V ,IV ,I ,I)

Structure of Indian Classical Music

Alap

sitar introduces notes of the raga, improvising freely

no beat or pulse, just flows

The only accompaniment at this point is the tambura

Jhor

Music speeds up, becomes more rhythmic with steady beat

Jhala

much faster than previous sections, more exciting

Gat or Bandish

tabla player comes in

plays pre-composed piece (Gat if instrumental, Bandish if song)

improvisation, pass around musical ideas, in a sort of musical question and answer

Structure of Baroque

Binary - AABB, B contrasts A (usually with modulation to the relative scale or dominant)

Ternary - AABBAA, section A ends in home key (usually with a perfect cadence), Section B the music usually modulates to the relative scale or dominant, and then goes back to the main key, if the last section is varied it is called A1 instead of A.

Rondo form - ABACA, Section A has main idea, each episode tends to modulate to a related key.

Fugues - a theme is developed, one part may start playing the theme, then a second part enters before the first is finished, but playing the theme slightly lower or higher

Canons - when one part plays a theme, then another part enters playing the a similar theme, sometimes with variations such as inversions, but starting afterwards

Rounds - when one part plays a theme, then another part enters playing the exact same theme, but starting afterwards

Theme and variation form - A,A1,A2,A3,A4 - A main theme is established, there is a pause between each variation, each variation is self contained

Ground bass form - variation form over a fixed bass part, called the ground, which is the main theme, there are no pauses. More complex melodies and harmonies are played over the ground. Two baroque dances in ground bass form, Chaconne and Passacaglia, they're slow and stately.

Structure of Classical Chamber Music

Binary - AABB, B contrasts A (usually with modulation to the relative scale or dominant)

Ternary - AABBAA, section A ends in home key (usually with a perfect cadence), Section B the music usually modulates to the relative scale or dominant, and then goes back to the main key, if the last section is varied it is called A1 instead of A.

Rondo form - ABACA, Section A has main idea, each episode tends to modulate to a related key.

Theme and variation form - A,A1,A2,A3,A4 - A main theme is established, there is a pause between each variation, each variation is self contained

Ground bass form - variation form over a fixed bass part, called the ground, which is the main theme, there are no pauses. More complex melodies and harmonies are played over the ground.

Structure of Waltz

Early waltzes were written in binary form with 8 bar sections

Waltzes were grouped together to make ternary form pieces

AABB

A'A'B'B'

AABB

Later waltzes had

A slow introduction, featuring tremolo strings, harp arpeggios and woodwind playing short melody motifs

Five or more waltzes tunes, each waltz with several tunes, all in related keys, each tune lasting 16 and 32 bars and is in binary or ternary form

A coda, a final section that ends the waltz by taking parts from all the tunes

Structure of Salsa

Typical Salsa Structure:

Intro

Verse - Hear the main tune, sung by sonero or played by instrumentalist

Break - the main tune leaves and just the rhythm section plays

Montuno - a kind of chorus where sonero/ lead instrumentalist improvises, and the choro or other instrumentalists answer.

Mambo - break between choruses, with new musical material, often played by horn section.

Montuno - a kind of chorus where sonero/ lead instrumentalist improvises, and the choro or other instrumentalists answer.

Ending

Timbale player plays a drum roll called an abanico at the start of each new section.

conga plays two drums in the montuno and mambo, but just one in verse

bongo switches to a cowbell and a different rhythm in the montuno and mambo

timbale switch to mambo bell and timbale in the montuno and mambo.

Structure of Disco

Intro

Purpose is to grab people's attention and sets the mood

Often use best bit from the rest of the song to make people listen

verse-chorus-verse-chorus...

All verses have the same tune, but the lyrics change for each one.

The chorus has a different tune from the verses, usually quite a catchy one. The lyrics and tune of the chorus don't change.

In a lot of songs the verse and chorus are both 8 bars long.

The middle 8

Middle 8 adds variation to the piece by having different sounding musical material.

It's an 8-bar section in the middle of the song with new chords, lyrics and feel

Coda

different from verse and chorus

Generally a general fade out so the DJ can mix the end of one song with the beginning of another.

Structure of Film Music

Can be no clear structure in the music's so it is unpredictable.

Music must be edited to to fit the action happening on screen