MUSICAL ELEMENTS

Melody, Harmony, Tonality, & Rhythm

INTRODUCTION

• The relationship among sounds is what gives music its complexity.

• Musical elements are the primary building blocks of a musical composition.

• To some extent, all music contains these elements:– Melody– Harmony– Tonality– Rhythm

MELODY

• Melody is the most easily recalled element of music.– We whistle or hum it.

• It is a series of pitches & time values that sound one after another.

• Melody can give a sense of movement in a piece of music.– Up --even & smooth– Down --jerky & angular

• Pitches & time values are inseparable.

• The melodies that are dominant in a composition are called the THEMES.– These are the central musical ideas of composition.– The themes may be stated & restated in many

different forms.

• Melody is a HORIZONTAL aspect of music

HARMONY

• Harmony gives music its structure & enhances its expressiveness.

• Western music depends heavily on harmony.• Harmony is a composite sound made up of 2 or

more tones of different pitch that sound simultaneously.– The smallest unit will have 2 tones.– Three or more tones together: chord

• Chords can be heard individually or blended into a composite sound.

– A chord played individually is called arpeggio.

• There are 2 functions of harmony:– Support & enrich melodies– Add energy & interest to the composition

(through the use of consonance & dissonance)

• Harmony is a VERTICAL aspect of music.

• 2 qualities of harmony are consonance & dissonance.• Consonant harmony = stability, simplicity, & repose

(calm)• Dissonant harmony = complexity, instability, &

movement (tension)

• Movement between the 2 contributes to balance in a musical composition.

• In music history, the relationship between the 2 has changed.– Most modern music is predominantly dissonant.

TONALITY

• Most music is organized around a central tone (AKA key.)

• The central tone acts as a musical center of gravity; what many composers call the “home base.”– The composition departs & returns to this point.– It helps give music a sense of conclusion.

• Most composers use the major-minor system of scales.

– A scale is a series of ascending & descending pitches in a certain pattern.

• Tonality has a psychological aspect associated with it.– Music that is atonal can be disturbing to the listener.

(Atonal has NO specific key.)

-- The listener expects to hear certain sounds that complete the musical pattern.

• Many composers use modulation in their longer musical compositions (symphonies & concertos for example.)• Modulation is shifting from one key to another.• It provides a sense of variety in the music.

– The separate movements will be written in a different key with a return to the original key (this will be discussed later.)

• Examples of key are– C-major– F-minor

• Symphony # 9 in D Minor by Beethoven

• Adagio Cantabile, Piano Sonata #8 in C Minor, Op. 13, “Pathetique” by Beethoven

RHYTHM

• This is the passage of musical time that is created by change.

• It consists of 2 different aspects:– Regularity & diversity

• 4 concepts associated with rhythm are– Beat --Syncopation– Meter --Tempo

BEAT

• This is the most basic unit of musical time.

• Measuring device

• Each note is judged as lasting 1 beat, several beats, or a fraction of a beat (see note values.)

• Listeners become accustomed to a regular beat in music.

METER

• This is the grouping of beats into equal units.

• These units are called MEASURES.

• Meter is determined by the number of beats per measure.

• Most of the time, the first beat in a measure is accented (stressed.)

• NOTATION OF METER

• There are 2 devices to indicate meter; the time signature & the bar line.

• The TIME SIGNATURE consists of 2 numbers written like a fraction.– The numerator represents the number of beats to

the measure.– The denominator tells which kind of note is getting

the beat.

FOR EXAMPLE:

4/4 = 4 beats per measure & quarter note determines the beat.

¾ = 3 beats per measure & quarter note determines the beat.

***The combination of beats & notes is what gives music its rhythm.

• The BAR LINE separates one measure from another.

• Each measure has to have the same number of beats as determined in the time signature.

• This can be a combination of notes &/or rests.

SYNCOPATION

• This is when the accent falls somewhere other than on the first beat of each measure.

• The accent is not where it’s expected

• Jazz uses syncopation.

TEMPO

• Tempo is the rate of speed of the beat.

• If there is a quick beat, then there is a fast tempo.

• If the there is long beat, then there is a slow tempo.

• Tempo indications will be written at the TOP of the musical composition or WITHIN the composition as the tempo changes.

TEMPO INDICATIONS (usually written in Italian)

• Very slow– Largo (broad)– Grave (grave, solemn)

• Slow– Lento– Adagio (leisurely)

• Moderate– Andante (at a walking pace)– Moderato

• Fast– Allegretto (faster than moderate)– Allegro (cheerful)

• Very fast– Vivace (vivacious)– Presto (very quick)– Prestissimo (as fast as possible)

• These indications can be modified by using the following– molto: very– Meno: less– Poco: a little– Ma non troppo: not too much

• 2 other ways that tempo can be changed are– Rubato: freedom to move ahead & fall behind the

tempo.– Fermata: hold the note longer than its normal time

value (symbol----)

• Levels of time value are follows

--Beat-----Measures-----Phrases

• The phrase is the largest unit of the measurement of musical time.

• A phrase will be a group of measures that are to be played as if they go together as unit, separate from the other measures.