MUSIC IN SOCIETY

How do you define music? ● We can define music as the intentional organization of sounds in time by and for human beings - although music can be enjoyed by all species. ○ “Sounds in time” ○ Three primary elements: ■ Melody ■ Rhythm ■ Harmony Properties of sound: ● Acoustics: the science of sound ○ Acousticians: those who study the theory and science of acoustics ○ Acoustical engineers: those who work in the areas of acoustic technology ● Sound and sound waves ○ Sound: The mechanical movement of an audible pressure wave through a solid, liquid, or gas ■ Sound waves: the rapid movements back and forth of a vibrating medium (gas, liquid, or solid) that has been made to vibrate ● Pitch: (aka “note” and/or “tone”) ○ Definite pitch: a tone that is composed of an organized sound wave ○ Indefinite pitch: a pitch that consists of less organized waves and tends to be perceived by the listener as “noise” ○ Frequency: repetitions of a wave pattern over time normally measured in Hertz or Cycles Per Second (CPS) When a sound wave is generated, it often generates other waves or ripple effects, depending on the medium through which it travels. When a string of a certain length is set into motion, for example, its waves may also set other strings of varying lengths into motion. The vibration with the lowest frequency is called the fundamental pitch. The additional definite pitches that are produced are called overtones or partials. ● The distance between any two notes is called an interval. On the piano, the distance between two of the longer, white key pitches is that of a step. The longer, white key pitches that are not adjacent are called leaps. The interval between C and D is that of a second, C and E a third, C and 4 a fourth, C and G a fifth, C and A a sixth, C and B a seventh, and the special relationship between C and C is called an octave. ● Melody: a coherent succession of single pitches. Characterized by range (distance from highest to lowest note), direction (ascending, descending, stationary), and motion (conjunct - mostly steps and narrow intervals or disjunct - many skips, leaps, and wide intervals.) ● Other properties of sound: Dynamics, Articulation, and Timbre ○ The volume of a sound is its dynamic ○ The timbre of a sound is what we mean when we talk about tone color or tone quality. We can use adjectives like “gravelly”, “smooth”, “bright”, “metallic”, “mellow”, etc. to describe sound characteristics of instruments and singers. ● Music notation: ○ Music is notated on a staff ■ Staves consist of 5 lines and 4 spaces ● Created and standardized by Guido d’Arezzo (circa 10th-11th century) ○ Sound is notated through notes of varying lengths ○ Silence is notated through rests of varying lengths ○ Rhythm: Organization of music in time through a combination of notes and rests ○ Beat: basic unit of rhythm (aka “pulse”) ■ Rhythms are organized by meters or time signatures. These help form predictable amounts of beats in measures or bars ■ Measures are separated by bar lines ■ Syncopation occurs when the accent of a beat is shifted onto weaker parts of the measure ■ Polyrhythms are simultaneous combinations of different rhythmic patterns ● Harmony: ○ Simultaneous combinations of pitches ■ Not all harmony is pleasing to the ear. When a harmony sounds natural, restful, and conveys stability it is known as a consonance. Harmonies that create tension are said to produce dissonance. The tug and pull of consonance and dissonance is what creates emotional interest in music. ○ A combination of 3 or more pitches is known as a chord ■ Triads are the most basic chords and are comprised of 3 notes ● Can be written in different positions known as inversions ○ Key: ■ Harmonic “tonal center” of a piece of music ■ Involves central tone and chord - aka tonic ■ Created from a scale ● Ordered series of whole and half steps (W,W,H,W,W,W,H) ● Scales use flats and sharps to maintain scale patterns. Flats lower a pitch by a half step; sharps raise a pitch by a half step ● Key signatures indicate which sharps or flats are needed to maintain the major scale whole and half step pattern ■ Major keys are bright, cheerful, and happy ■ Minor keys are dark, sad, and mysterious ● Tempo: ○ Determines how slow or fast a piece of music is played based on the speed of the beat. Some commonly used tempi are seen below: ■ Largo = very slow ■ Adagio = slow ■ Andante = walking pace ■ Moderato = moderate pace ■ Allegro = fast and lively ■ Presto = very fast ○ Specific markings in music can communicate a speed in tempo ■ Accelerando = becoming faster ■ Ritardando = becoming slower ● Dynamics: ○ Degrees of loudness or softness in a piece of music. Some commonly used dynamics are seen below: ■ Fortissimo = very loud ■ Forte = loud ■ Mezzo forte = medium loud ■ Mezzo piano = medium soft ■ Piano = soft ■ Pianissimo = very soft ● Texture: ○ Layers of musical sound and Interaction of musical lines ○ Monophonic: single melodic line with no accompaniment ○ Polyphonic: two or more independent musical lines ■ Can have additional harmony through counterpoint, the technique of combining melodic lines and imitation, a melodic idea restated in another part or register ● Musical form: ○ One of the most important aspects of listening. Musical forms are the organization of musical elements and melodic ideas. Based on the use of repetition, contrast, and variation. ○ Most common forms are Binary Form: two-part structure, Ternary Form: three-part structure, and Variation Form: which combines repetition and contrast of a previously stated musical idea ● Families of instruments: ○ The timbre of a sound coming from a musical instrument is affected by the materials used and the way in which the sound is produced. ○ There are 5 basic families of instruments: ■ String instruments ● Produce sound by plucking or bowing a string ■ Woodwind instruments ● Produce sound by forcing air through a tube and usually through the use of vibrating reeds in a mouthpiece ■ Brass instruments ● Made of metals and produce sound by vibrating the performer’s lips through a metallic mouthpiece ■ Percussion instruments ● Produce sound by striking the instrument. Many percussion instruments produce indefinite pitches, but many produce definite pitches such as the xylophone, marimba, vibraphone, timpani, etc. ■ Keyboard instruments ● Instruments that have a keyboard and use hammers or plectrum to strike stretched strings over a soundboard thus producing sound