assignment 1/2 Flashcards

(41 cards)

1
Q

Who is Murray Schafer?

A
  • A Canadian composer who recognized the importance of listening to soundscapes and acoustic ecology. He believed that every sound in the world is music and “if there isn’t a word to describe what something is, then it doesn’t exist”. So he created the word soundscape.
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2
Q

What is Acoustic Ecology

A

AKA soundscape studies, is a discipline studying the relationship, mediated through sound, between human beings and their environment. Started by Murray Schafer as part of the World Soundscape Project.

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3
Q

Define “soundscape”

A

word was created by Murray Schafer to describe any collection of sounds such as the sounds of the landscape around you or a virtual environment. Murray Schafer believes that the soundscape now a days is quieter than in the past as novel technologies has reduced some of the previous noise emission

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4
Q

Discuss the question, “What is music?”

A

Sound organized in an intentional, meaningful way, and may include a melody, harmony, rhythm, and form. It is a language of its own with expressive and communicative elements.
-Repetition, variation, and contrast basic to all musical forms

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5
Q

What are the elements of music?

A

A. Melody- B. Rhythm C. Texture D. Timbre E. Harmony F. Dynamics G. Word-Music Relationships
H. Form
I. Genre

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6
Q

Melody

A

Melody – a recognizable piece of music that includes different notes, or pitches, and rhythm in an organized way. Melody stands out from the background musical material because it is stronger, louder and played more aggressively. Can be simple or complex and can be comprised of smaller pieces called “motifs”.
-notes, scales, octave, conjunct, disjunct, tonic, cadence, phrase, theme, motiv

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7
Q

Rhythm

A

the systematic arrangement of musical sounds which may include a strong, regular repeated pattern of movement or sound
-Beat, Tempo, Duration, Repetition, Motives, duple, triple, simple, compound

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8
Q

Texture

A

term that describes what is going on in the music at any moment.
Musical texture is the way that melody, harmony, and rhythm work together.
Texture can be described in musical terms, such as monophonic, homophonic, and
polyphonic—or with adjectives, like “thin,” “thick,” and “rich.”

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9
Q

Timbre

A

or tone quality, describes the quality of a musical sound. Timbre is generally discussed using adjectives, like “bright,” “dark,” “buzzy,” “airy,” “thin,” and “smooth.” Many different adjectives can be effectively used to describe timbre, based on your perceptions and opinions about what you hear in the sound.

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10
Q

Harmony

A

refers to the vertical relationship between pitches and is created when two or more notes are sounded at the same time. Two main types of harmony
generally exist in Western music—homophony and polyphony. One additional musical
texture, monophony, does not include any harmony

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11
Q

Dynamics

A

refer to the changing volume levels of musical sounds. Dynamics can
range from softer than piano (soft or quiet) to fortissimo possibile (loudest
possible). Dynamics can also change, getting louder (crescendo) and getting softer (diminuendo). Dynamics and changing dynamics give the music expression, make it interesting, and add variety

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12
Q

Word-Music Relationships

A

difference between syllables that are sung to a single note and those that are sung to many notes.
-sung or talked

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13
Q

Form

A

is the organization and structure of a musical selection. The form of a work may include repeating large sections, repeating a theme or motif, or non-repeating sections. Large parts within a musical form are usually labeled with capital letters, like “A” and “B,” so we can discuss them.

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14
Q

Genre

A

Musical genres are broad categories used to classify music. Some genres that will be presented in Music Appreciation include Western classical and art music, world music, jazz, rock, pop, and other modern genres. Sometimes, music is grouped by instrumentation as a
genre, such as “symphony” or “string quartet.”

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15
Q

Monophony

A

one melody, no accompaniment

- For example some types of early chant, a solo singer, or an unaccompanied instrument—like a trumpet or flute.

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16
Q

Homophony

A

melody with accompaniment
-one clear melody with harmony or background material. In homophony, both the melody and its harmony can share similar rhythms

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17
Q

Polyphony

A

several equal melodies at the same time
-Two or more melodies may compete for importance. Rounds, canons, fugues, and many selections from the Baroque period, provide good examples of polyphony.

18
Q

Syllabic vs. Melismatic

A

one note per syllable(can get story out easier/faster, provides clarity of text) vs many notes per syllable (emphasizes certain key words)

19
Q

Concerto Grosso

A

Baroque piece for orchestra and soloist (s)

20
Q

Ritornello

A

repeated section for full orchestra

21
Q

Fugal Texture

A

imitative style of composition important in the baroque period

22
Q

Tonic vs Dominant

A

1st note of a scale vs 5th note of a scale

23
Q

Harpsichord

A

Keyboard instrument used in most Baroque instrumental ensemble music.
-accompanied with some kind of base instrument such as the cello, bassoon, trombone or bass that plays the baseline.

24
Q

Behold Spring, Francesco Landini

A

polyphonic, 2 melodies

25
I Can All Too Well Compare My Lady, Guillaume de Machaut
3 part secular song
26
Ritornello
repeated section for full orchestra | ex. in-between the solos of Winter
27
The Cricket, Josquin des Prez
-Italian Madrigal | word painting as they mimic the sound of a cricket
28
Play of Virtues, Hildegard von Bingen
the middle ages chant, womens voices, singing the same music in unison/monophonic (allows performers to project text clearly) -mixing syllabic and melismatic settings -brief resting points (cadences) -leaps in the mostly smooth melodies(conjunct) -most characters sing, but one speaks/shouts. Notice the clear projection of the Latin words -Listen for the climax of the drama on the highest pitches. -Listen for the way the irregular rhythms reflect the words being sung. -Morality play: dramatized allegory of good and evil struggling over the fate of a single soul Confrontations between Satan and 16 Virtues (e.g., Charity, Obedience, Humility, Chastity) -Satan does not sing, but speaks his lines
29
Behold Spring, Francesco Landini
The Middle Age polyphonic, 2 melodies->contrast between the melodies of the two voices, one high, one low -one of the first to write secular music, wrote about spring love -pulse of three beats -brief stopping points that break the melody into smaller units= conjunct -Smaller units end with a cadence, Smaller units make music easy to understand -the largely syllabic text setting (one note per syllable) and the occasional melismatic setting -Courtly love/secular polyphony -ABAA -Largely syllabic Occasional melismas create variety
30
I Can All Too Well Compare My Lady, Guillaume de Machaut
The Middle Age 3 part secular song -This is a polyphonic work for three equally important voices. Listen for the contrast in speed between the notes of the faster uppermost voice and the notes of the slower two voices below -points of rest in the music—within the melody/cadences -Courtly love emphasized romantic distance -AAB Form
31
Songs to the Virgin Mary, Alfonso el Sabio
The Middle Age Spanish sacred song—polyphonic/instrumental heterophony -Two fairly short melodic units -Form arises from their repetition and contrast A and B begin similarly, but soon diverge Three Kinds of Texture: 1. Monophony—both instruments and voice play the same notes together, in unison 2. Homophony—one voice plays/sings the melody, the other a drone bass 3. Heterophony—both voice/instruments play the same melody at the same time, but one of them plays a more elaborate and embellished form
32
The Cricket, Josquin des Prez
Renaissance -Italian Madrigal word painting as they mimic the sound of a cricket -four distinct voices (polyphonic). voices sing in the same or different rhythms. -return of the opening section. Listen for the contrast between the middle and outer sections. Chirping, hiccupping sounds for “drinking” Passionate, intense melisma for “love” -Ternary Form -shifts meters to keep listeners attention
33
Since Robin Hood, Thomas Weelkes
Renaissance English Madrigal -three distinct voices (polyphonic) -shift from duple to triple meter in the middle of the piece -descriptive nature of the music with words such as “to skip” and “trip it.” -About an actual event in 1599 William Kemp danced (Morris Dance) from London to Norwich (140 miles) in nine days -The Concerto->contrast between a solo instrument and a larger ensemble.
34
Winter from The Four Seasons Movement 1, Antonio Vivaldi
The Baroque Era violin solo/orchestra -contrast between the solo violin and the string orchestra. Notice how the soloist stands out at some points. -alternation of long sections with and without the soloist -Virtuosic solo displays
35
Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 Finale, Johann Sebastian Bach
The Baroque Era solo instruments/orchestra -This concerto is built around the ritornello principle (solo sections alternate with recurring orchestral sections). melody is presented in turns by the soloists. This entire movement is a fugue. concerto grosso-a concerto for multiple soloists -A central theme is introduced and then imitated by subsequent voices
36
The Renaissance
melodies more lively and jumpy, more imitation - interest in the human and individuality - more expressive with the text (word painting) and polymorphic music - invention of the printing press->allowed information to spread quickly and cheaply - composers captured human emotions - Polyphony typical of Renaissance madrigal
37
The Baroque Era1600–1750
Less complicated polyphony and more homophony. Homophony made opera(secular) and oratorio(sacred) possible (story telling) *emergence of the orchestra Emphasized energy, motion, ornamentation, and extremes Absolute Music -trumpet, violin, organ, harpsichord -expression of one emotion -Fugue
38
The Baroque Era1600–1750
Less complicated polyphony and more homophony. Homophony made opera(secular) and oratorio(sacred) possible (story telling) *emergence of the orchestra Emphasized energy, motion, ornamentation, and extremes Absolute Music= program music, extra musical idea expressed (ex. Winter) means what you want it to -trumpet, violin, organ, harpsichord -expression of one emotion -Fugue -vivaldi, bach and handel
39
The Baroque Era1600–1750
Less complicated polyphony and more homophony. Homophony made opera(secular) and oratorio(sacred) possible (story telling) *emergence of the orchestra Emphasized energy, motion, ornamentation, and extremes Absolute Music= program music, extra musical idea expressed (ex. Winter) means what you want it to -trumpet, violin, organ, harpsichord -expression of one emotion -Fugue=a polyphonic work based on a central theme -vivaldi, bach and handel -A system of equal tuning was devised so that instruments could play in every key.
40
Program music
instrumental work associated with story, event, or idea
41
The Harmonic series
a series of tones (fundamental pitch and overtones) that occur in nature via any vibrating column of air or vibrating body. It is the basis upon which tonal music is built.