I Elements

1. I Elements 1 Sound: Pitch, Dynamics and Tone Color

2. Pitch: Highness or Lowness of Sound • Music is the organization of sound and silence. • Sound begins with the vibration of an object. • As a result of the vibrations, our eardrums start vibrating too, and impulses, or signals, are transmitted to the brain. • Art based on the organization of sound in time. • Four main properties • Pitch • Dynamics • Tone Color • Duration

3. Pitch: Highness or Lowness of Sound • Pitch- the relative highness or lowness that we hear in a sound. • The pitch of a sound is decided by the frequency of the vibrations. • Tone- A sound that has definite pitch. • The sound is measured by a tuner at a rate of 440 cycles per second. • Pitch/Range-The distance between the lowest and highest tones that a voice or an instrument can produce. • Interval- The distance between two notes.

4. Dynamics • Dynamics- the degree of loudness or softness in music • A performer can emphasize a tone by playing it more loudly than the tones around it. This is called an accent. • Term Abbreviation Meaning pianissimo pp very soft piano p soft mezzo piano mp moderately soft mezzo forte mf moderately loud forte f loud fortissimo ff very loud Symbol Term Meaning > Decrescendo Gradually softer < Crescendo Gradually louder

5. Tone Color • Tone color is also known as timbre • Described in words like: bright, brilliant, mellow and rich • New tone color may be used to highlight a new melody.

6. Listening Outlines, Vocal Music Guides and the properties of sound • Each item describes some musical sound. • Dynamics, instruments, pitch level, or mood Vocal music guide, the text appears with brief notes in the margins. • Stravinsky, The Firebird, Scene 2 • Ellington, C-Jam Blues

7. The Firebird • Scene 2 (1910) • By Igor Stravinsky • Story • Stravinsky's ballet centers on the journey of its hero, Prince Ivan. Ivan enters the magical realm of Kashchei the Immortal. While wandering in the gardens, he sees and chases the Firebird. The Firebird, once caught by Ivan, begs for its life and ultimately agrees to assist Ivan in exchange for eventual freedom. • Next, Prince Ivan sees thirteen princesses, with one of whom he falls in love. The next day, Ivan chooses to confront Kashchei to ask to marry one of the princesses; the two talk and eventually begin to argue. When Kashchei sends his magical creatures after Ivan, the Firebird, true to its pledge, intervenes, bewitching the creatures and making them dance an elaborate, energetic dance (the "Infernal Dance"). The creatures and Kashchei then fall asleep; however, Kashchei awakens and is then sent into another dance by the Firebird. While Kashchei is bewitched by the Firebird she tells Ivan the secret to Kashchei's immortality and Ivan destroys it killing Kashchei. With Kashchei gone and his magic broken, the magical creatures and the palace all disappear, and all of the "real" beings (including the princesses) awaken and, with one final fleeting appearance from the Firebird, celebrate their victory.

8. Listening • C-Jam Blues (1942) • Duke Ellington and His Orchestra

9. Performing Media: Voices and Instruments

10. Voices • Soprano • Alto • Tenor • Bass Women Men Soprano tenor Mezzo-soprano baritone alto (or contralto) bass

11. String Woodwind Brass Percussion Keyboard Electronic Instruments

12. Strings • Violin • Viola • Cello • Bass • Harp • Guitar • Strings have the greatest versatility • Strings are made of gut or wire • Strings vibrate by drawing the bow across it with the right hand • Pitch is controlled by the musician’s left hand.

13. Woodwind Instruments • Flute • Clarinet • Saxophone • Oboe • Bassoon • English Horn • Single Reeds • Double Reeds

14. Brass Instruments • Trumpet • French Horn • Trombone • Baritone • Tuba • Cup shaped mouthpiece • Lip tension controls pitch • Slides and valves changes the length of the instrument

15. Pitched Instrument Tympani Bells Xylophones Glockenspiel Celesta chimes Non-pitched Snare drum Bass drum Tambourine Triangle Cymbals Gong Percussion Instruments

16. Percussion • Vibrations are set up in stretched membranes • Used to emphasize rhythm and to heighten climaxes

17. Keyboards • Piano- also considered percussion instruments. Produces sound through vibrating strings held under tension by an iron frame: striking a key causes a felt-covered hammer to hit a string (the harder the pianist strikes the key, the louder the sound) • Harpsichord- revived in the twentieth century for performance of early music. • Pipe Organ- was most prominent from 1600 to 1750 and is still used in religious services. • Accordion- has free steel reeds controlled by a treble keyboard with piano keys. The bass keyboard has buttons. Air blows and makes the reeds vibrate.

18. Electronic Instruments • Produce or amplify sound through electronic means, as early as 1904 • Uses synthesizers and computers. • Tape Studio • Analog and Digital • Frequency Modulation (FM) • Sampling • MIDI (musical instruments digital interface)

19. The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, Op. 34 (1946),by Benjamin Britten Listening Outline p. 28-29 Answer discussion questions online. Participation is encouraged!

20. Rhythm Rhythm-the flow of music through time. Beat Meter Accent and Syncopation Tempo

21. Beat • Recurrent pulsation that divides music into equal units of time. • The particular arrangement of note lengths in a piece of music.

22. Meter • Organization of beats in to regular groups. • The first or stressed beat is called a downbeat. • Triple meter, a pattern of 3 beats in measure. • Quadruple meter, has 4 beats to a measure. • Sextuple meter, has 6 beats to a measure.

23. Accent and Syncopation • Accent- to emphasize a note. • Syncopation- occurs when an “off-beat” note is accented.

24. Tempo • The speed of the beat. • Indication is usually given at the beginning of a piece. Term Meaning Largo very slow, broad Grave very slow, solemn Adagio slow Andante moderately slow, a walking pace Moderato moderate Allegretto moderately fast Allegro fast Vivace lively Presto very fast Prestissimo as fast as possible Accelerando-gradually speeding up Ritardando- gradually slowing down

25. Music Notation • Notating PitchNotating RhythmNotating Silence (Rests)Notating Meter The Score • Practice the chart with Notes and Rest values.

26. Notating Pitch • Staff • Ledger lines • Sharp, flat, naturals • Grand staff

27. Notating Rhythm • Whole note • Half note • Quarter note • Eighth notes • Sixteenth notes • Beam • Dotted notes • Tie • Triplet

28. Notating Silence (Rest) • Whole rest • Half rest • Quarter rest • Eighth rest • Sixteenth rest

29. Notating Meter • Time signatures • Common time/ 4/4 time Four-four time, the most common time is abbreviated with a capital ‘C’. The numerator stands for the number of beats in a measure. Two, the denominator indicates which note gets a full beat. (ex. Quarter note also written ¼) There are several other time signatures. 2/4; ¾; 5/4; 6/4; 6/8; and 12/8)

30. The Score • Example page 37 • The score shows all movement from each member of the ensemble. • All rhythms are displayed, thus, giving

31. Melody

32. Harmony

33. Key • The Major Scale • The Minor Scale • The Key Signature • The Chromatic Scale • Modulation: Change of Key • Tonic Key

34. Musical Texture • Monophonic Texture • Polyphonic Texture • Homophonic Texture • Changes of Texture • Farandole from L’Arlesienne Suite No2 (1879), George Bizet

35. Musical Form

36. Techniques that create Form • Repition • Contrast • Variation

37. Types of Musical Form • Three-Part (Ternary) • ABA Form Dance of the Reed Pipes from Nutcracker Suite By Peter Ilyich Tcaikovsky