Elements of Music

Elements of Music

3 Properties Of A Musical Sound • Pitch • Dynamics • Tone Color Timbre

(musical term) Relative highness or lowness of a sound (scientific term) Speed or rate of vibrations in a sound producing body Pitch = Frequency

Interval • the “distance” in pitch between two tones Octave • the interval between two tones in which • the higher tone has twice the frequency • of the lower tone

Scale • A series of pitches arranged in order from low to high or high to low Tonic/Keynote • the central tone of a melody or a larger piece of music (#1 or “do” in scale) • when the piece is in the key of C major, for example, C is the keynote.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 Tonic Tonic

Major Scale • the series of seven different tones within an octave, with an eighth tone repeating the first tone an octave higher, consisting of a specific pattern of intervals. The intervals in this scale sound “brighter” Major Key • music based on the major scale

Minor Scale • the series of seven different tones within an octave, with an eighth tone repeating the first tone an octave higher, consisting of a specific pattern of intervals. The intervals in this scale sound “darker” and “more serious-sounding” Minor Key • music based on the minor scale

JOSEPH HAYDN Symphony No. 94 in G Major (the “Surprise”), Movement 2 1 1 3 3 5 5 3 4 4 2 2 7 7 5 .

1 2 3 1 1 2 3 1 Are you sleep-ing? Are you sleep-ing? 3 4 5 3 4 5 Bro-ther John? Bro-ther John? 5 6 5 4 3 1 5 6 5 4 3 1 Morn-ing bells are ring-ing. Morn-ing bells are ring-ing. 1 5 1 1 5 1 Ding, dong, ding. Ding, dong ding.

GUSTAV MAHLER Symphony No. 1 in D Major, Movement 3 (Funeral March) 1 2 321 1 2 321 3 4 5 3 4 5 5654321 5654321 5 5 1 5 5 1 .

FRANZ SCHUBERT “Der Müller und der Bach” (The Miller and the Stream) from Die schöne müllerin (The Maid of the Hill) 5 543252 5 7 5423 3 5 543262 17254321 .

English German The Miller: When a true heart Dies of love, Then lilies wither In every border Into the clouds must The full moon go So that its tears Men do not see. Then angels keep Their eyes shut, And sob and sing The soul to rest! Der Muller: Wo ein treues Herze In Liebe vergeht, Da welken die Lilien Auf jedem Beet. Da muss in die Wolken Der Vollmond gehn, Damit seine Tränen Die Menschen nicht sehn. Da halten die Englein Die Augen sich zu, Und schuchzen und singen Die Seele zur Ruh!

English German The Brook: And when love Conquers pain A new star Twinkles in the sky. Then three roses spring Half red and half white, And never wither on their sprig of thorn. And the angels cut Off their wings And go every morning Down to earth. Der Bach: Und wenn sich die Liebe Dem Schmerz entringt, Ein Sternlein, Ein newes Am Himmel erblinkt. Da springen drei Rosen, Halb rot und halb weiss, Die welken nicht wieder, Aus Dornenreis. Und die Engelein Schneiden Die Flügel sich ab, Und gehn alle Morgen Sur Erde herab.

English German The Miller: Ah stream, dear stream, You mean it so well; But do you know, stream, what love means? Ah down below, below Is cool rest! Ah stream, dear stream, Sing on then. Der Muller: Ach Bächlein, liebes Bächlein, Du meinst es so gut; Ach Bächlein, aber weisst du, Wie Liebe tut? Ach, unten, da unten, Die Kühle Ruh! Ach Bächlein, liebes Bächlein, So singe nur zu.

Dynamics = Volume • Degrees of loudness or softness in music

Italian musical terms used for DYNAMICS • Pianissimo = very soft (pp) • Piano = soft (p) • Mezzo-piano = medium soft (mp) • Mezzo-forte = medium loud (mf) • Forte = loud (f) • Fortissimo = (ff)

Accent • Emphasis of a note, which may result from its being louder, longer, or higher in pitch than the notes near it. • Example: • IGOR STRAVINSKY“Dances of the Youths and Maidens”from The Rite of Spring

Crescendo • Gradually louder. (Often abbreviated cresc.) Descrescendo / Diminuendo • Gradually softer. (Often abbreviated descrec. Or dim.)

GEORGES BIZET Faradole from L’Arlesienne Suite No. 2 • ff - MINOR • pp - MAJOR • Long crescendo to • fff - MAJOR • ff - MINOR alternates with pp • MAJOR at the end .

Elements of Music