Terms cont’d. Harmony, Texture, and Form

Readings pp (harmony) pp. 45; 24, 42, 55, 61, 67, 74, 89 (texture) pp. 56; 33, 45, 56 (form)

Harmony Two or more pitches played at the same time

Harmony Key/Tonality - the idea of building a piece of music around a central or “ home sound ”

Harmony Consonance - stability. Pitch combinations that sound pleasant or stable Dissonance - instability. Pitch combinations that sound unpleasant or unstable

Harmony Scale - a series of pitches played in order from low to high or high to low. Major Scale - do re mi fa sol la ti do.The most common musical "menu" from which to choose pitches. Minor Scale - The scale with a darker quality, often times more emotional.

Harmony Drone - one repeated pitch among other changing pitches - more of a "folksy" quality.

Texture The interweaving of melody and harmony

Texture The interweaving of melody and harmony Monophonic - one unaccompanied melody Homophonic - one melody with some type of accompaniment (most common texture) Polyphonic - two or more melodies at the same time.May be with or without accompaniment. This is "the crowning achievement of Western Music".

Form Musical structure and design

Form Form. = formula; format = recipe.

Form Form can be followed by identifying repetition, variation, and contrast. Repetition - literal repeats of the same material. Contrast - completely new material from the first musical idea Variation - when the original material is slightly changed to create interest The above three methods used in conjunction are the methods used in achieving musical interest.

Form Theme - the tune in classical music.Not just repeated, but expanded and "developed"

Form Thematic development - when a theme is fragmented and used in different ways. Motive - a fragment of a melody.Very little piece that is recognizable, but not as long as a phrase. Sequence - the repetition of a motive at a higher or lower pitch. Ostinato - a short musical pattern that is repeated over and over as the basis of a musical composition.

Classic vs. Romantic Classic - form, symmetry, balance, emotional detachment. Adoration of the Magi by Botticelli Death of Socrates by Jacques-Louis David

Adoration of the Magi

Death of Socrates

Classic vs. Romantic Romantic - freedom, emotion, drama, individual Meeting of Abraham and Melchizedek by Peter Paul Rubens Traveler Looking Over A Sea of Fog by Caspar David

Meeting of Abraham and Melchizedek

Traveler Looking Over A Sea of Fog

Common Practice Period Composers use the common language of “tonality” Music is written using a central key or “home sound” Can be both Classic and/or Romantic