Intro to Music

Aaron Copland’s Sensuous Plane

Listening for the sheer pleasure of the musical sound itself. Focuses on the “wash of sound,” timbre, and dynamics without needing intellectual effort

Aaron Copland Expressive Plane

Focusing on the meaning, emotions, or associations the music evokes. (e.g., Does it sound fatefully sad or “smilingly sad”?)

Aaron Coplands Sheerly Musical Plane

Active listening to technical elements: melody, rhythm, harmony, texture, and form.

Motive

a short, distinct building block (eg. Beethovens 4-note opening)

Theme

a longer, more complete musical “sentence” or idea

Monophonic Texture

A single melodic line with no accompaniment (e.g., a solo flute or a group singing the same notes in unison)

Homophonic Texture

A primary melody supported by background chords (e.g., a pop singer with a guitar or a church hymn).

Polyphonic Texture

Two or more independent, competing melodies happening simultaneously (e.g. a “Round” or Caroline Shaw’s Partita).

Heterophonic Texture

Multiple performers playing the same melody but with individual variations in timing or ornamentation

Leitmotif

A recurring musical theme associated with a specific person, object, or idea (Pioneered by Wagner; used by John Williams).

Diegetic Music

Music that exists outside the world of the film; only the audience can hear it (e.g., the Cantina Band in Star Wars)

Non-diegetic Music

Music that exists within the world of the film; only the audience can hear it (e.g., the Imperial March).

Mickey-mousing

A technique where the music mimics the physical actions on screen (e.g., a character tip-toeing accompanied by staccato notes)

Mimesis

The direct imitation of real-world sounds (e.g., Vivaldi’s violin “birds” or Mussorgsky’s “chirping chicks”).

Musical Topic

A recognizable musical style carrying cultural associations (e.g., Pastoral = flutes/drones/nature; March = brass/military/nationalism).

Quotation

Directly inserting a pre-existing piece of music into a new work to borrow its meaning (e.g., Berlioz using the “Dies Irae” chant).

Organicism

A hallmark of Beethoven’s style where and entire symphony is developed from a single, small motive to create unity.

Oral Tradition

Music passed down by ear rather than written notation, allowing for “transmission and variation”( e.g., Pretty Polly)

Strophic Form

A song structure in which the music repeats for each verse/stanza (typical of folk ballads).

Through-composed Form

A song structure where the music changes constantly to follow the narrative, with no large-scale repetitions (e.g., Schubert Erlkönig)

Concept Album

developed in a studio using recordings and effects

Song Cycle

For live performances (voice/piano)

Polystylism (Gershwin)

The bending of multiple styles (Jazz, Classical, Tin Pan Alley) into one work to represent American “modernity”.

Florence Price’s Symphony No. 1

First symphony by a black woman performed by a major orchestra (1933); notable for replacing the 3rd movement with a Juba Dance.

Caroline Shaw’s Partita for 8 Voices

A Pulitzer-winning work that combines Baroque dance forms (Allemande, Sarabande) with modern vocal techniques like vocal fry and over tone singing

Melody

The “tune” or the part you hum. It is a sequence of individual notes (pitches) that move up, down, or stay the same to create a recognizable musical sentence.

Rhythm

The “heartbeat” or time aspect of music. It is how long or short notes are, how they are grouped (meter), and how fast the music moves (tempo).

Harmony

The "support" for the melody. It occurs when two or more notes are played at the same time to create a chord. It provides the "mood" (like happy/Major or sad/minor).

Timbre

Also called "Tone Color." It is the unique quality of a sound that allows you to tell the difference between a piano and a guitar, even if they play the same note at the same volume.

Dynamics

The volume of the music. Common terms include Piano (soft) and Forte (loud).

Texture

How many layers of sound are happening and how they interact. Is it just one voice (monophony)? Or a singer with a guitar (homophony)? Or many independent voices (polyphony)?

Form

The "map" or structure of a piece. It is how the composer organizes repetition and contrast (e.g., Verse-Chorus-Verse).

Vocal Fry

A low, "creaky" or "rattling" vocal sound produced by fluttering the vocal cords. Caroline Shaw uses this in her contemporary music to create unique textures.

Overtone singing

A technique where a singer manipulates the resonance of their mouth to sing two notes at once—a low "drone" note and a high, flute-like whistle note.

Juba Dance

An African American tradition involving rhythmic body percussion (patting, clapping, stomping). Florence Price famously used these rhythms in her symphony to represent her heritage.

Drone

A continuous, unchanging low note that held throughout a section of music. It provides a "floor" for the melody (common in bagpipes or folk music).

Canon

• A "list" of musical works that are considered "great" or "classics" by history and schools. (e.g., "The Western Canon" usually includes Bach and Beethoven).

Syncopation

When the music accents or "stress" a weak beat or an unexpected spot, making it feel "off-beat" and danceable.

John Williams - The Force Theme

Heroic but mystical. Primarily played by the French Horn. In a Minor Mode (for struggle/longing), but features a signature Major chord for “hope”. dotted rhythms and triplets, giving it a march-like, military feel.

John Williams - The Imperial March

Menacing, powerful, mechanical. Heavy use of brass (trumpets and trombones). Low, driving, repetitive pulse in 4/4 meter. Features disjunct melodic lines that sound aggressive.

Richard Wagner, “Act III, Scene III” from Valkyrie

Grand, sweeping, and dramatic orchestra/operatic sound. Uses Leitmotifs to tell the story. Listen for the chromatic woodwinds, descending heavy brass, and noble brass fanfare

George Botsford, Black and White Rag

Upbeat, jangly, syncopated piano music. Ragtime style. Features a steady “oom-pah” left hand with a highly syncopated right-hand melody.

Antonio Vivaldi, Spring from The Four Seasons

Bright, energetic Baroque violin concerto. Uses Mimesis by imitating birds with trills and a barking dog with the viola. Terraced Dynamics shifting between loud and soft, and Ritornello form where the main theme keeps returning.

Modest Mussorgsky “Ballet of Unhatched Chicks

High-pitched, quirky, and "clucking." Uses high woodwinds and dissonance to mimic chicks chirping. Features Ternary Form (ABA). The "B" section is full of trills.

Franz Schubert, Erlkönig, The Elf King

Urgent, dark, and frantic piano and solo voice. Through-composed form. The piano's rapid triplets represent a galloping horse. One singer portrays four characters (Narrator, Father, Son, Elf King) using different registers and tones.

Pretty Polly ( Dock Boggs vs. Jean Ritchie)

Appalachian folk ballad. Boggs Version: Fast tempo, banjo accompaniment, "raspy" vocals; has a bluesy, aggressive feel. Ritchie Version: Slower, Appalachian dulcimer, "straight" vocal tone (no vibrato); feels more mournful and focuses on Polly’s perspective.

The Beatles, “Being for the Benefit of Mr.Kite!”

Hallucinogenic" circus/carousel atmosphere. From a Concept Album. Uses Tape Loops of steam organs (calliopes) spliced together to create a swirl of sound. Switches between 4/4 meter (verse) and 3/4 waltz meter (chorus).

Jimi Hendrix, “The Star-Spangled Banner” (Woodstock)

Distorted, screaming electric guitar solo. Uses Mimesis via guitar feedback and "whammy bar" dives to mimic the sound of falling bombs and sirens (protesting the Vietnam War).

George Gershwin, Rhapsody in Blue

A mix of a fancy piano concerto and a smoky jazz club. Polystylistic. Starts with a famous Clarinet Glissando (smear). Uses "Blue notes" and jazz rhythms within a large orchestral framework.

Florence Price, Symphony No.1 in E Minor

A grand classical symphony with soulful, folk-like melodies. Incorporates African American traditions. Specifically, the 3rd movement is a Juba Dance featuring syncopation and pentatonic scales.

Beethoven, Symphony No. 5, Movement I

Intense, driving, and famous. Organicism. The entire movement is built on the 4-note "Short-Short-Short-Long" motive. Uses Sonata Form (Exposition, Development, Recapitulation).

Caroline Shaw, “Passacaglia” from Partita for 8 Voices

A capella voices doing strange things (talking, whispering, singing). Combines Baroque forms (dance suite) with modern techniques like vocal fry, overtone singing, and spoken word.

Kendrick Lamar, DAMN.

Modern Hip-Hop with complex, layered production. The first non-jazz or non-classical work to win the Pulitzer Prize. Recognized for its rhythmic complexity and storytelling (narrative).

Conjunct Motion

step by step

Disjunct motion

Leap

Duple meter

A group that contains two pulses. It emphasizes the first beat

triple meter

A group that contains three pluses. It emphasizes the first beat

quadruple meter

A group that contains four pluses. It emphasizes the first and third beat

Swing Rhythm

long-short patterns of the beat to create a lifting feel

Consonance

harmonies are restful, pleasing, stable

Dissonance

harmonies are clashing, harsh, unresolved

fortissimo

very loud (fff or ff)

forte

Loud (f)

mezzo forte

medium loud (mf)

mezzo piano

medium soft (mp)

piano

soft (p)

pianissimo

very soft (pp or ppp)

crescendo

increase in volume. (quiet to loud)

decrescendo or diminuendo

decrease in volume. (loud to quiet)

staccato

heavily punctuated

legato

smoothly connected

Grave

very slow, solemn (around 20-40)

Lento

slowly (40-60)

Largo

broadly (40 - 60)

Larghetto

rather broadly (60 - 66)

Adaglo

slow, steady (66 - 76)

Andante

walking pace (76 - 108)

Moderato

moderately (108 - 120)

Allegretto

moderately fast (112 - 120)

Allegro

Fast, Bright (120 -168)

Vivance

lively and fast (168 - 176)

Presto

very fast (168 - 200)

Prestissimo

extremely fast (200+)

Time signature

The top number is the number of beats in every measure. The bottom number is the type of beat in every measure (quarter note, half note, whole note)

whole note

1 per measure (4 beats)

Half note

2 per measure (2 beats)

quarter note

4 per measure (1 beat)

eighth note

8 per measure (1/2 beat)

sixteenth note

16 per measure (1/4 beat)

Dot

adds half of the note’s value to its original

Tied

connects two notes of the same pitch combining their values into one longer sound

Pickup Beat

the weak upbeat that leads into the downbeat

Sharp (#)

one half step note higher

Flat (b)

one half step lower

Tonic

the first note of the scale and the chord built on it

Dominant

the fifth note of the scale and the chord built on it

Inversion

flipping the intervals so it sounds like a similar version

Extension

Add in new notes to develop it into a longer phrase

Fragmentation

using a portion of the motive

Ornamentation

Make the motive more attractive, interesting, or detailed by adding extra features or details