Week 1

8/26 - era previews

medieval era music (1150-1400)

  • Song: Kyrie:

  • in the liturgy of the Catholic Church forever even now, used as a prayer every Sunday during the mass

  • Gregorian chants - one single melody, before harmony, repetition

  • notation systems look older and different from modern notations, kinda look like dots and clusters

  • The golden arch: used in European art, departure and return in music, books, film

  • monophonic = one sound


Renaissance era (1400-1600)

  • Song: Kalenda Maya:

  • secular music

  • sacred music was vocal only, no instruments except organs

  • based on poetry, melody repeats but the words change

  • no full sheet music of this piece; only given the rhythm and basic melody - historical performance practice = trying to fill in the gaps from music that wasn’t written down


Baroque era (1600-1750)

  • song: orch suite 2, Bardinerie:

  • instruments added and allowed

  • flute is the primary instrument, the first thing your ear catches

  • each instrument is busy - full lines

  • polyphonic = many independent sounds


classical era (1750-1830)

  • song: Eine Kleine Nachtmusik

  • homophonic music = one melody supported by accompaniment of other music

  • feel anticipation, like the music is taking you somewhere

  • rationality and form, simple and supported

  • absolute music = music for the sake of music, void of emotion


romantic era (1830-1920)

  • song: The Elfking

  • Lied = German for leader

  • emotional content, vocal music to tell a story

  • pre modern medicine

  • piano line is chaotic mimicking a horse galloping, tone changes to melodic when the elfking lures them in


modernism + (1920-now)

  • song: Pierrot Lunaire

  • spoken? Music in the back, telling a story with a tempo and some notes and beats

  • song: firebird finale: very uplifting


star wars

  • film music as a medium can go in any direction

  • themes: characters themes convey their background and emotions


music as a language


instruments and ensembles

  • flutes and drums being the oldest instruments; flutes made of wood and bone, drums made of animal hide

  • voice ranges: soprano, alto, tenor, bass

  • properties of sound: pitch, duration, volume, timbre/tone color

timbre/tone color

  • factors that influence: size of instrument and how its used

  • volume and pitch: dynamics = volume = amplitude

  • shape of sound wave: sine vs square

  • differences in attack, sustain, delay, release (ASDR): sonic fingerprint


world instrument classifications

  • aerophones (flutes) - air

  • chordophones (guitar/piano) - strings

  • idiophones (triangle/symbols) - vibrating

  • membranophones (drums) - striking

  • electronically produced sounds