MUSICAL ELEMENTS Melody Harmony Tonality Rhythm INTRODUCTION The

MUSICAL ELEMENTS Melody, Harmony, Tonality, & Rhythm

INTRODUCTION • The relationship among sounds is what gives music its complexity. • Musical elements are the primary building blocks of a musical composition. • To some extent, all music contains these elements: – Melody – Harmony – Tonality – Rhythm

MELODY • Melody is the most easily recalled element of music. – We whistle or hum it. • It is a series of pitches & time values that sound one after another. • Melody can give a sense of movement in a piece of music. – Up – Down --even & smooth --jerky & angular

• Pitches & time values are inseparable. • The melodies that are dominant in a composition are called the THEMES. – These are the central musical ideas of composition. – The themes may be stated & restated in many different forms. • Melody is a HORIZONTAL aspect of music

HARMONY • Harmony gives music its structure & enhances its expressiveness. • Western music depends heavily on harmony. • Harmony is a composite sound made up of 2 or more tones of different pitch that sound simultaneously. – The smallest unit will have 2 tones. – Three or more tones together: chord • Chords can be heard individually or blended into a composite sound.

– A chord played individually is called arpeggio. • There are 2 functions of harmony: – Support & enrich melodies – Add energy & interest to the composition (through the use of consonance & dissonance) • Harmony is a VERTICAL aspect of music. • 2 qualities of harmony are consonance & dissonance. • Consonant harmony = stability, simplicity, & repose (calm) • Dissonant harmony = complexity, instability, & movement (tension)

• Movement between the 2 contributes to balance in a musical composition. • In music history, the relationship between the 2 has changed. – Most modern music is predominantly dissonant.

TONALITY • Most music is organized around a central tone (AKA key. ) • The central tone acts as a musical center of gravity; what many composers call the “home base. ” – The composition departs & returns to this point. – It helps give music a sense of conclusion. • Most composers use the major-minor system of scales.

– A scale is a series of ascending & descending pitches in a certain pattern. • Tonality has a psychological aspect associated with it. – Music that is atonal can be disturbing to the listener. (Atonal has NO specific key. ) -- The listener expects to hear certain sounds that complete the musical pattern. • Many composers use modulation in their longer musical compositions (symphonies & concertos for example. ) • Modulation is shifting from one key to another. • It provides a sense of variety in the music.

– The separate movements will be written in a different key with a return to the original key (this will be discussed later. ) • Examples of key are – C-major – F-minor • Symphony # 9 in D Minor by Beethoven • Adagio Cantabile, Piano Sonata #8 in C Minor, Op. 13, “Pathetique” by Beethoven

RHYTHM • This is the passage of musical time that is created by change. • It consists of 2 different aspects: – Regularity & diversity • 4 concepts associated with rhythm are – Beat – Meter --Syncopation --Tempo

BEAT • This is the most basic unit of musical time. • Measuring device • Each note is judged as lasting 1 beat, several beats, or a fraction of a beat (see note values. ) • Listeners become accustomed to a regular beat in music.

METER • This is the grouping of beats into equal units. • These units are called MEASURES. • Meter is determined by the number of beats per measure. • Most of the time, the first beat in a measure is accented (stressed. ) • NOTATION OF METER • There are 2 devices to indicate meter; the time signature & the bar line.

• The TIME SIGNATURE consists of 2 numbers written like a fraction. – The numerator represents the number of beats to the measure. – The denominator tells which kind of note is getting the beat. FOR EXAMPLE: 4/4 = 4 beats per measure & quarter note determines the beat. ¾ = 3 beats per measure & quarter note determines the beat.

***The combination of beats & notes is what gives music its rhythm. • The BAR LINE separates one measure from another. • Each measure has to have the same number of beats as determined in the time signature. • This can be a combination of notes &/or rests.

SYNCOPATION • This is when the accent falls somewhere other than on the first beat of each measure. • The accent is not where it’s expected • Jazz uses syncopation.

TEMPO • Tempo is the rate of speed of the beat. • If there is a quick beat, then there is a fast tempo. • If there is long beat, then there is a slow tempo. • Tempo indications will be written at the TOP of the musical composition or WITHIN the composition as the tempo changes.

TEMPO INDICATIONS (usually written in Italian) • Very slow – Largo (broad) – Grave (grave, solemn) • Slow – Lento – Adagio (leisurely) • Moderate – Andante (at a walking pace) – Moderato

• Fast – Allegretto (faster than moderate) – Allegro (cheerful) • Very fast – Vivace (vivacious) – Presto (very quick) – Prestissimo (as fast as possible) • These indications can be modified by using the following – molto: very – Meno: less – Poco: a little – Ma non troppo: not too much

• 2 other ways that tempo can be changed are – Rubato: freedom to move ahead & fall behind the tempo. – Fermata: hold the note longer than its normal time value (symbol----) • Levels of time value are follows --Beat-----Measures-----Phrases • The phrase is the largest unit of the measurement of musical time. • A phrase will be a group of measures that are to be played as if they go together as unit, separate from the other measures.