1. Making Musical Decisions
Chapter 7

2. What You Will Learn
Identify the musical elements composers use to create
Describe the distinction between composers and arrangers
Explain the musical form of theme and variations
List the responsibilities of the conductor

3. Musician Profiles
Bright Sheng
Marin Alsop

4. Music Compositions: Integrating Musical Elements
Composing music involves making decisions
Decisions involve the base building blocks of music
Form
Structure and design of a composition
Melody
Intentionally organized succession of musical tones
Timbre
Distinct tonal quality
Rhythm
Combinations of long and short sounds

5. Musical decisions about form
The structure and design of a composition, incorporating repetition, contrast, unity, and variety
It gives shape and direction
Does not control the emotional expression of the music
Binary (AB), Ternary (ABA), Rondo

6. Musicals decisions about melody
Melodies may be flowing or angular, short or long
Melodies are almost always built on a musical scale
Minor scale:
A sequence of eight pitches built on the pattern of WHWWHWW. W= whole step & H= half step
CDEFGABCDEFGA

7. Musical decisions about timbre
Composers choose from a palette of colors(tone color) or timbre
Some composers use conventional instruments in unconventional ways
Tuned differently
Played differently
Manipulated sound
Using timbres from non-Western cultures
Some composers use unconventional instruments – found instruments

8. Bright Sheng (b. 1955) Born in Shanghai, China Studied piano
Was discovered by Chairman Mao’s wife and allowed to continue studying
Moved to New York and studied with Leonard Bernstein
In 2001 he won the MacArthur foundation Fellowship (genius grant)
Under the grant he composed his opera Madame Mao – the story of Chairman Mao’s wife, who was one of the leaders of China’s cultural revolution

9. Musical decisions about rhythm
Felt time:
An aspect of music that controls the listener’s sense of how much time has passed
Adagio for Strings – Samuel Barber
Badinerie – J.S. Bach
Which piece of music feels longer? Why?

10. Checking For Understanding
Form
Melody
Rhythm
Timbre
Create a list of decisions that composers have to make about the assigned musical element.

11. The decision making skills of the arranger
Composers arrange all the elements of music when creating a work
Arranger:
A musician who reworks existing musical material
Adapts a composition written for one performing medium to another
Recomposes a work to suit different circumstances

12. Arranging jazz instrumentals
Jazz songs written to be sung with lyrics are commonly arranged as purely instrumental tunes
Sometimes the lyrics are dropped and the part is assigned to an instrument
Arrangers make artistic choices and can be just as creative as composers

13. Transcribing music The artistic involvement of the arranger can vary
The exact notes of the composer are rescored for any combination of instruments or voices
Transcriptions:
Arrangements of music transferred from medium to another

14. Theme and Variations
A musical form in which a melodic idea is stated then varied in a succession of statements
Composers extend a musical idea through subtle and obvious changes
Sometimes it is hard to recognize the theme(melody)
The theme can be original or borrowed

15. The theme can be Ornamented Tempo altered Harmony changed
Theme and variations
The theme can be
Ornamented
Tempo altered
Harmony changed
Texture transformed
Rhythm altered
Played backwards

16. Using harmony to create variations
Vertical blocks of different tones that sound simultaneously
Primary chords:
Harmony built on the first, fourth, and fifth degrees of the scale
The root is the tone on which the chord is built
All notes in the scale can be harmonized by one of these chords
Most song begin on the I chord or tonic
The V7 chord likes to move to the I chord

17. Finding Inspiration in the Classics
Many great composers use earlier works when writing later works
Eric Carmen’s song, “All by Myself” uses the main theme of Sergi Rachmaninoff’s 1901 Second Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (opus 18)

18. Musical Decisions in Performing for Others
Conductor:
The director of an orchestra, choir, or other performing group
The roles and skills of a conductor
Must know the music well enough to detect an error by a single musician
Select the music
Rehearse the musicians
Maintain the beat

19. Roles of a conductor cont...
Facilitate the performers interpretation of the music
Make musical decisions regarding expressive matters
Give visual cues to the performers
Conducting requires technique and an excellent sense of rhythm
They indicate the beat and meter with specific conducting patterns
Rubato:
The free treatment of tempo within a musical phrase

20. Marin alsop (b. 1956) Female Conductor
Conducting has been dominated by men
Born and raised in New York City
Parents were professional musicians
Main instrument in violin
Was inspired by Leonard Bernstein
Won the Barrier Breaker Award
First female conductor of a major American orchestra
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

21. Review - terms Arranger Conductor “Felt”time Harmony Minor scale
A musician who reworks existing musical material
Conductor
The director of an orchestra, choir, or other performing group
“Felt”time
An aspect of music that controls the listener’s sense of how much time has passed
Harmony
Vertical blocks of different tones that sound simultaneously
Minor scale
A sequence of 8 pitches built on the pattern of one whole step, one half step, two whole steps, one half step and two whole steps

22. More terms Primary chords Rubato Theme and variations Transcriptions
Harmonies built on the 1st, 4th, and 5th degrees of the scale
Rubato
The free treatment of tempo within a musical phrase
Theme and variations
A musical form in which a melodic idea is stated then varied in a succession of statements
Transcriptions
Arrangements of music transferred from one medium to another

23. Who is who? Marin Alsop Bright Sheng Prominent female conductor
Won the Barrier Breaker Award
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Bright Sheng
Chinese composer
Undergrad at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music
Studied with Berstein

24. What are some ways a composer can change a theme into a variation?
The key
Tempo
Rhythm
Meter
Texture
Timbre
Melody
Harmony
Style

25. Know the difference among composing, arranging, and transcribing
A composer creates a totally new piece
Arranging
An arranger manipulates notes, harmonies, rhythms, and other musical elements in a n existing composition
Transcribing
A transcriber assigns the music to a different set of players or singers, changing the medium of the music, but not the arrangement of the material