MUSIC

Melody

A single line of notes heard in a succession as a coherent unit.

Note

The smallest unit of musical notation, indicating a specific pitch and duration, or the sounded pitch itself.

Phrase

A brief musical statement.

Cadence

A point of arrival signalling the end of a musical unit.

Melodic Motion

The movement of pitches within a melody up or down, either by step or by leap.

Conjunct Motion

Melodic motion of pitches by step.

Disjunct Motion

Melodic motion by pitches by leap.

Scale

A series of notes that provide the essential pitch building blocks of a melody.

Octave

The interval between two pitches of the same name. The frequency of the higher pitch is twice that of the lower pitch.

Interval

The distance between two pitches.

Key

The central note and mode on which a melody or piece is based.

Major Mode

A type of scale produced by singing "do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do," or by playing the white keys of the piano between C and C, in which half steps occur between notes 3 and 4 and notes 7 and 8. The sound of this mode is often described as "bright" or "happy."

Minor Mode

A type of scale produced by playing the white keys on the piano between A and A, in which half steps occur between notes 2 and 3 and notes 5 and 6, but often with the seventh note raised so that a half step also occurs between notes 7 and 8. The sound of this mode is often described as "dark" or "sad."

Dynamics

The volume of sound, determined by the size (amplitude) of each sound wave.

Pianissimo (pp)

Very soft

Piano (p)

Soft

Mezzo Piano (mp)

Medium soft

Mezzo Forte (mf)

Medium loud

Forte (f)

Loud

Fortissimo (ff)

Very loud

Rhythm

The ordering of music through time.

Meter

An underlying pattern of beats that maintains itself consistently throughout a work.

Duple Meter

An underlying pattern of rhythm in which each unit (measure) consists of one accented (strong) beat followed by one unaccented (weak) beat or some multiple of two (such as four or eight).

Triple Meter

An underlying pattern of rhythm in which each unit (measure) consists of one accented (strong) beat followed by two unaccented (weak) beats.

Tempo

The speed at which a piece of music is performed.

Measure

A rhythmic unit, indicated by bar lines in notated music, that presents one complete statement of the meter.

Harmony

The sound created by multiple voices playing or singing together.

Chord

Three or more notes played or sung together at the same time.

Tonic

The note that establishes a key, based on its distinctive relationship with a particular set of harmonies or other notes in the underlying scale. Also, the chord based on the first scale degree.

Texture

The number and general relationship of musical lines or voices to one another.

Monophony

A musical texture consisting of a single melodic line.

Unison

More than one performer playing or singing the same pitch or pitches at the same time.

Homophony

A musical texture in which a melody is performed with a supporting accompaniment.

Polyphony

A musical texture consisting of multiple lines of equal importance.

Timbre

The character or quality of a sound.

Pitch

The position of a sound on a range from very low to very high, determined by the frequency of its sound waves.

Fundamental

Basic sound wave

pure, sounds almost mechanical when produced by a machine (ex. Midi file).

Partials

Frequencies that blend with the fundamental to create a richer and more distinctive quality of sound.

Register

The range of a pitch or series of pitches, usually described as high, middle, or low.

Soprano

The highest of the voice ranges.

Mezzo-Soprano

A voice range between soprano and alto.

Alto

A voice range between soprano and tenor

the lowest range of the female voice.

Tenor

A voice range between the bass and alto

the higher range of the male voice.

Baritone

A voice range between bass and tenor.

Bass

The lowest of the voice ranges.

Orchestra

A large ensemble that consists of several different kinds of instruments, usually of different families (strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion).

String Family

These instruments are made of wood and strings, and are played by vibrating the strings using a bow or plucking or striking with a finger.

Woodwind Family

A family of instruments played by blowing either directly into the instrument or into a single or double reed.

Brass Family

A family of instruments in which players vibrate their lips against a mouthpiece, which is fitted into the instrument.

Percussion Family

A family of instruments in which the instruments are struck, scraped or shaken.

Form

The structure of a musical work

the way in which its individual units are put together.

Variation

An altered restatement of musical idea

also used to designate a form consisting of multiple variations in succession.

Repetition

Musical statement that has repeated itself throughout a musical work.

Contrast

A different phrase, or new musical idea is introduced.

Word-Music Relationships

The way a text influences our hearing of the music, and the way music affects our perception of the words.

Genre

The category of a work, determined by a combination of its performance medium and its social function.

Middle Ages

The historical period in music extending from 476 CE to 1420 (also known as the medieval era).

The Dark Ages

The first 500 years of the Middle Ages. References a time of significant deterioration of the population, culture, technological advances, engineering, art, and even music.

Age of Antiquity

The period before the middle ages. Little music survived.

Dominance of the Church

- The Church dominated intellectual and cultural life

considered the most stabilizing force in western Europe
- Catholic Church was the official church upon the conclusion of the Roman Empire
- Strength and power of the church was amplified by the significant wealth and ownership of land
- Became so influential that priests, bishops, and even the pope would control secular life and government
- Had a centralized presence, continuing the use of Latin language, and uniform rituals/ceremonies that unified the western world
- Became the main outpost for education
- Music/art were seen as a means to serve God
- Music was mostly written by monks and priests

Plainchant

Monophonic vocal music in the medieval church designed to project religious texts.

Gregorian Chant

A variety of plainchant developed mostly in Western and Central Europe during the 9th/10th centuries.
- Legend: Pope Gregory wanted to create a collection of chants

Music for Sacred Spaces

- Churches were monuments to God

physical testemonies to the power of the Church
- Inspired by Gothic architecture
- Sacred music enhanced texts and inspired worshippers
- Plainchant ideal for projecting text through large, reverberant spaces
- Mustic composed specially for nine daily services

Secular Society

- Castles were symbols of worldly power
- Courts projected political and cultural power
- Feudal system

Feudalism

The dominant social system in medieval Europe, in which the nobility held lands from the Crown in exchange for military service, and vassals were in turn tenants of the nobles, while the peasants (villeins or serfs) were obliged to live on their lord's land and give him homage, labour, and a share of the produce, notionally in exchange for military protection.

Music for Entertainment

- Courts employed wandering minstrels, troubadours, and musicians
- Music captured simple pains and pleasures of human being
- Texts could be bawdy and explicit

Information Technology 1.0

- Music transmitted orally until the 10th century
- Earliest manuscripts use simple notation
- Music had to be written and copied by hand
- Ink and parchment were expensive
- Copyists worked slowly and carefully in order to avoid making mistakes
- Manuscripts subject to deviation

Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179)

- Most prolific composer before 1500
- Known as St. Hildegard or Sibyl of the Rhine
- Offered to Benedictine convent at age 7, became a nun at age 16
- Benedictine Abbess
lived in monastery for 80 years
- Musician, composer, wrote on theology, medicine, botany, lives of saints, natural history
- Had visions and revelations → became well known as a prophet or mystic
- Musical works consisted of chants for religious services
- 43 years old → instruction from God to 'write down that which you see and hear'
- Received Papal authority to continue documenting visions as 'revelations from the Holy Spirit'
- Compelled by God to establish her own monastery in St. Rupertsberg
- Received endowments and support from Nobel community first site purchased in 1147
- 10 years later secured financial protection of her convents from Emperor
- Established a second monastery
- Frequently involved herself in politics and diplomacy

Play of Virtues (Hildegard)

- Composed ca. 1150
- Uses plainchant (monophonic) to enhance the emotional impact of a morality play that pits the 16 Virtues against Satan
- Each of the Virtues is sung by a different singer Virtues associated with the female gender

Musical Characteristics of Play of Virtues

- Melodic phrases often begin with an upward leap then descend gradually by steps, ending on the same note with which the phrase began
- Melodic contour reflects structure of the text
- Phrases end on cadences
- "Otherworldly" sound due to medieval modes (based on Dorian mode)
- Uses a mix of syllabic and melismatic settings to provide variety
- Extremes of register emphasize dramatic moments
- Uses free rhythm

Mode

A type of scale on which a melody is based.

Syllabic

A style of setting a text to music so that there is one note per syllable.

Melismatic

A style of setting a text to music so that there is more than one note per syllable.

Melisma

A syllable of text sung to many notes.

Free Rhythm

Length of individual notes determined by length of syllables in the words

Measured Rhythm

Individual notes would be grouped into a consistent meter.

The Mass

The ritual reenactment of Christ's Last Supper with the Disciples, in which Jesus blessed and distributed bread and wine to his followers. A priest blesses and distributes bread and wine - the Holy Sacrament - to those who have come forward to take communion.
- The most important service
- Consists of a combination of elements (Ordinary and Propers)

Ordinary

Unchanging elements of the Mass will always be part of the Mass service, and the text used for all of those elements will always be consistent, regardless of melody changes. Consists of the Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei.

Kyrie eleison

Seeks God's mercy.

Gloria

Praises God's glory.

Credo

Professes faith in God and the church.

Sanctus

Proclaims God's holiness.

Agnus Dei

Asks for God's mercy and for peace.

Propers

Elements of the Mass that change according to the specific Sunday or feast day can use different texts that can be referenced from liturgy, or that highlight/reinforce a message that they're trying to use within the celebration. Consists of the Introit, Gradual, Offertory, Communion, and Alleluia.

"Caro mea"

- Composed ca. 1275
- Medieval plainchant composer remains anonymous
- Recognized as an Alleluia
- Used during the Mass for the Feast of Corpus Christi (Latin for Body of Christ)
- Celebrates the Holy Sacrament → body (bread) and blood (wine) of Christ
- Alleluia was taken from the Gospel of John, 6.55-56 → words Jesus spoke to his disciples at Synagogue at Capernaum (foreshadow words - Last Supper)

Musical Characteristics of "Caro mea"

- Plainchant enhances meditation, prayer, and devotion helps to create a sense of calm and well-being with gentle flow of the melodies, absence of repetitive rhythms, and relatively narrow range of timbre
- Responsorial chant soloist intones the opening word ("Alleluia"), chorus "responds" by repeating the words and music of the soloist, the soloist sings two biblical verses, and chorus closes the chant by repeating the word "Alleluia" to the original music once again
→ "Alleluia" heard four times throughout
- Monophonic texture chorus of men singing in unison
- Melody has "floating" qualities
- The contrasting melodic section occurs in the middle portion of the chant with two biblical verses
- Singing lengthens and extends each syllable and allows the singer to project the words over a much larger space than if spoken
- Shifts in the register may also help to embellish the meaning of the text

Responsorial Chant

A type of plainchant in which a soloist's passage is followed by a response from the chorus (call-and-response format).

Francesco Landini (1325-1397)

- Most famous and prolific Italian composer of the 14th century
- Also known as an organist and poet
- Blinded by smallpox at a young age
- Wrote more than 150 secular songs
- Church organist who was crowned with laurel by the King of Cyprus

Squarcialupi Codex

Consists of parchment, gold leaf, and minature portraits.

"Behold, Spring" (Landini)

- Composed ca. 1350-1397
- Illustrates development of polyphony in medieval music
- Based on love poetry
- Two-voice ballata
- Courtly love

Ballata

A genre of secular song in the Middle Ages, and based in dance.

Courtly Love

A code of behaviour in medieval courts in which the knight worshipped a lady from afar.
- Originally a literary fiction created for the entertainment of the nobility
- Set to music by courtly minstrels

Musical Characteristics of "Behold, Spring" (Landini)

- Polyphonic texture written against new, original melodies
- The upper and lower voices are of equal importance
- Melodies used longer note values in the lowest voice, with faster-moving voices layered above the plainchant
- Triple meter organizes the song
- Conjunct melodies subdivided into smaller units
- Smaller units end with a cadence
- Consists of three strophes/stanzas (verses)
- Last strophe repeated at the end: ABAA
- Largely syllabic setting allows text to project clearly, occasional melismas create variety