The Triad
There are many different types of chords used in music
Some have three different tones, others have 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, etc.
The simplest, most basic chord is the triad, which has three tones
The bottom note of a triad is the root of the scale, and the middle note is the third, and the third note is the fifth
A triad that is built on the first note of the scale is known as the tonic chord
A triad built on the fifth note of the scale is known as the dominant chord
A triad built on the fourth note of the scale is known as the sub-dominant chord
Broken Chords (Arpeggios)
A broken chord or arpeggio occurs when the individual tones of a chord are sounded one after another
The Star Spangled Banner begins with a broken chord that includes the octave
Prelude in E Minor for Piano, Opus 28, No. 4 (1839), by Frederic Chopin
Chopin's mother was polish and his dad was French
Sad melody with obsessively returning long notes, accompanied by pulsating dissonant chords p
Return of sad melody tempo acceleration and crescendo to f
Key
Almost all familiar melodies are built around a central tone and all other tones gravitate toward it and away from it, with the melody usually ending on the central tone
Key involves the central tone, but also a central chord and scale
The Major Scale
The basic scales of western music from the late 1600’s to 1900 were the major and minor scales, which continue to be widely used today
The major scale has two kinds of intervals in it: the half step, and the whole step
It is most commonly known as do – re – mi – fa – so – la – ti – do
The C Major Scale
The C major scale uses only the white keys of the piano, with the half steps occurring between E and F, B and C
The Minor Scale
Consists of seven notes and an octave just as the major scale, however the sequence of half steps and whole steps is different
The Key Signature
When a piece of music is based on a major scale, we say that it is in a major key
When a piece of music is based on a minor scale, it is in a minor key
Each major and minor scale has a specific number of sharps or flats
Chromatic Scale
The twelve tones of the octave—all black and white keys in one octave on the piano—form the chromatic scale.
The tones of the chromatic scale, unlike those of a major or minor scale are all the same distance apart-a half step
Tonic Key
Often composers will begin a composition in a key which is known as the tonic key and then change keys several times during the composition, which is known as modulation
The entire piece will be arranged around the tonic key
Traditionally almost all compositions would end in the tonic key, however modern music often ends in a new key
Music Texture
There are three basic textures that we will discuss in detail
Music texture refers to how many different layers of sound are heard in the music with regard to melody and harmony
Often there are unaccompanied melodies, several melodies, or one melody with harmony
Monophonic Texture
The texture of a single unaccompanied melodic line is monophonic texture
This literally means one sound
If you sing or play alone, this is monophonic texture
If there are more than one voice or instrument singing or playing in unison, the result is a fuller, richer-sounding monophonic texture
Polyphonic Texture
Simultaneous performance of two or more melodic line of relatively equal interest produces polyphonic texture
In this type composition, several melodic lines compete for attention; each line enriching the other
Often polyphonic music uses a technique known as imitation, where a melodic idea is presented by one voice or instrument and then restated by another
A round occurs when several sing the same melody but each starts at a different time
A familiar example of a round is Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Homophonic Texture
When we hear one main melody accompanied by chords, the texture is known as Homophonic
Attention is given to the melody, which is supported and colored by sounds of subordinate interest
Accompaniments vary widely in character and importance from subdued background chords, to surging sounds that almost hide the main melody
Farandole from L’Arlesienne Suite No. 2 (1879), by Georges Bizet
Music by Bizet, a French composer, which was written for the play L’Arlesienne (The Women from Aries)
You will hear two contrasting themes
Musical Form
Form in music is the organization of musical elements in time
Repetition is the return of a melody that we recognize
Contrast consists of forward motion, conflict, and change of mood and can be created by loud then soft dynamics, strings vs. woodwinds, fast or slow music, major and minor keys
Variation consists of compositions that maintain some of its features while others change
Variation is often accomplished by making subtle changes in the rhythm of the melodic line
Dance of the Reed Pipes from Nutcracker Suite(1892),by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Tchaikovsky is a Russian composer that wrote the suite for a set of dances from the fairy-tale ballet, “The Nutcracker”