1. The Elements of Music
Chapters 1 - 9

2. Sound: Pitch, Dynamics, and Tone Color
Pitch- The high or low quality of sound
Dynamics- The loud or soft quality of music
Tone color- Also known as timbre, refers to the unique quality of sound

3. Dynamics Forte--f,ff,fff-loud Piano--p,pp,ppp-very soft
Mezzo---mf,mp--medium
Crescendo--gradually louder
Decrescendo,diminuendo--gradually softer

4. Voices Women’s Voices Men’s Voices Soprano Mezzo-soprano Alto Tenor
Baritone
Bass

5. Orchestral Instruments: Strings pictures on p. 13-14
Violin- highest pitched of string family
Viola- medium pitched, takes role of supporting actor
Cello- larger and lower pitched than viola, held between knees
Bass- largest and lowest pitched of string family, played while standing
Harp-47 strings and 7 foot pedals

6. Orchestral Instruments: Woodwinds pictures on p. 17-19
Piccolo- highest pitched
Flute- blown across tone hole
Oboe- highest pitched of double reeds

7. Orchestral Instruments: Woodwinds
English horn- low oboe sound
Clarinet- single reed
Bassoon- lowest pitched of the double reed instruments, aka “clown” of the orchestra. Produces deep, nasal tone
Saxophone- made of brass, single reed

8. Orchestral Instruments: Brass pictured on page 21
Trumpet- highest pitched of the brass family
French horn-not as bright as a trumpet, consists of coiled tubing and is often used for hunting calls
Trombone- incorporates a movable slide to change pitches
Tuba- the lowest pitched of the brass instruments

9. Orchestral Instruments: percussion pictured on pp. 22-23
Pitched percussion instruments
Timpani: large kettle drums
Glockenspiel: metal bars hit struck with mallets
Xylophone: wooden bars struck with mallets, producing a dry brittle sound
Celesta: small upright piano that sounds like a glockenspiel
Chimes: a set of metal tubes hung from a frame which are struck by a hammer

10. Orchestral Instruments: Percussion pictured on pp. 23-24
Unpitched percussion instruments
Bass drum
Snare drum
Cymbals
Gong
Triangle
Tambourine

11. Orchestral Instruments: Keyboards Pictured on pp. 26-27
Piano: keys activate hammers that hit strings
Harpsichord: keys activate plectra which pluck the strings
Pipe organ: keys control valves that channel air through various pipes

12. Rhythm The flow of music through time; the pattern of durations of notes and silences in music
Beat - the pulse of music
Meter- the grouping of beats
Tempo - the speed of the beat (pg. 34)
Accent - a pitch that is played more loudly, held longer or is higher in pitch than the nearby notes
Syncopation- When an accented note comes where we would normally not expect it

13. Tempo Markings

14. Tempo Markings Molto-much Non troppo-not too much (fast or slow)
Accelerando- gradually faster
Ritardando- gradually slower

15. Music Notation Notating pitch
Staff: the five lines and four spaces on which music is written
Note: an oval which represents a specific pitch
Clef: placed at the beginning of the staff, the clef assigns pitch names to the lines and spaces (pg. 36)

16. Music Notation (cont.) Notating Rhythm
Durations: the color of the note and the presence of stems or flags and beams and dots affect the duration of a note (pg. 37)
Rests:symbols for pauses with specific durations (pg. 36)

17. Music Notation (cont.) Notating meter
Time signature: placed next to the clef, the top number of the time signature indicates the grouping of beats and the bottom number indicates what kind of note will receive one beat.

18. Melody A succession of pitches which add up to a recognizable whole
Intervals: the distance between two pitches
Sequence: the repetition of a melodic pattern at a higher or lower pitch
Cadence: a resting spot

19. Harmony the vertical aspect of music
Chord: a combination of three or more notes sounded simultaneously
Consonance: harmony that is stable and restful to the ear
Dissonance:tense and unstable harmony that demands onward motion to stable harmony (resolution)

20. Key - Tonality the homing instinct of music
Major scale: a succession of eight pitches arranged from low to high, based on the intervals of the white keys of a piano (pg. 46)
Minor scale: a succession of eight pitches arranged from low to high, based on a specific pattern of whole and half steps which results in a dark quality of melody and harmony

21. Key-Tonality (cont.)
Chromatic scale: a series of 12 pitches based on the black and white keys of the piano
Modulation: the shifting from one key to another

22. Texture layers of sound
Monophonic: a single unaccompanied melody line
Polyphonic: two or more independent melody lines happening simultaneously
Homophonic: melody plus accompaniment

23. Musical Form the shape, structure and organization of music
Binary form: AB
Ternary form: ABA
Rondo: ABACAD…
Theme and Variations:A A’ A’’ A’’’ A’’’’…
Ballad form: AABA
Strophic:stanzas or verses
Call and response