Chapter 12: Music in Society=

  • Music serves different functions in different societies and cultures

    • Western classical tradition = few involved in performance of music

    • others more about singing as a group (cooperative work)

  • Sacred VS Secular within most cultures around the world

    • Sacred = for religious functions

      • usually sung in small group

      • women prohibited from singing in church (church ensemble only had boys)

    • Secular = for entertainment and other non religious activities

      • first written the vernacular (language of people instead of the church)

      • most prominent were the troubadours of Languedoc and the Trouveres of Northern France

      • no restrictions, for both men and women (unlike sacred music)

  • Genre VS Form

    • Genre = more general, overall character, its function

    • Form = structure and design in music, repetition, contrast and variation

  • Symphony Music

    • song is a genre, as is symphony

    • symphony = large work in orchestra, 3 or 4 movements

    • also implies the medium (performing forces in musical works)

      • medium is the specific group (orchestra cloud) that preforms a piece

  • How are works identified?

    • Titles: of musical compositions

    • Cataloguing System: described as Opus Number: the number on work that shows the chronological relationship to other works

There are many genres or categories of music, some works cross over categories, borrowing elements of one genre for use in another

  • Not all Music is written down

    • in most cultures, music is transmitted by imitation and is preformed from memory

    • oral transmission = music is that not written down but is known, preservation of music

    • concept of musical notation, not unique to western culture (can date back to China 2,500 yrs ago) but defines development of western music

    • music notation invented to further goals of christian worship, social music making was essential to early Christian church

    • in the secular context, it was for social music making for entertainment and personal expression (becomes both a social activity and commodity item)

  • Vernacular Music

    • vernacular = language of the educated elite

    • called popular and traditional

  • Style

    • characteristic way an artwork is presented

    • indicates the personal manner of expression

    • musical style is created through ones treatment of the basic musical elements

    • western style = melody oriented art

    • other culture styles = more complex rhythmic procedures and textures

    • music from other cultures will sound foreign as they are based on different systems

    • stem from European Tradition are the core of music making (due to notation, able to preserve works)

  • Musical Styles in History

    • each period has its won style characteristics

    • style of period = total language of artists

    • we organize styles of artworks into historical periods, each with its own characteristics