Music Revision.docx

An ethnomusicologist’s perspective on (good and bad) music “What’s ethnomusicology?” Ethnomusicology has been defined in many different ways, Ethnomusicology is the study of music in its cultural context. Ethnomusicologists approach music as a social process in order to understand not only what music is but why it is: what music means to its practitioners and audiences, and how those meanings are conveyed. Ethnomusicology is highly interdisciplinary. Individuals working in the field may have training in music, cultural anthropology, folklore, performance studies, dance, cultural studies, gender studies, race or ethnic studies, area studies, or other fields in the humanities and social sciences. Yet all ethnomusicologists share a coherent foundation in the following approaches and methods:

1) Taking a global approach to music (regardless of area of origin, style, or genre). 2) Understanding music as social practice 3) Engaging in ethnographic fieldwork and historical research. Ethnomusicologists are active in a variety of spheres. As researchers, they study music from any part of the world and investigate its connections to all elements of social life. As educators, they teach courses in musics of the world, popular music, the cultural study of music, and a range of more specialized classes (e.g., sacred music traditions, music and politics, disciplinary approaches and methods). Ethnomusicologists also play a role in public culture. Partnering with the music communities that they study, ethnomusicologists may promote and document music traditions or participate in

projects that involve cultural policy, conflict resolution, medicine, arts programming, or community music. Ethnomusicologists may work with museums, cultural festivals, recording labels, and other institutions that promote the appreciation of the world’s musics

- What is sound? Vibrations that travel through the air - or another medium - and can be heard when they reach a person’s or an animal’s ear - What is Music? Briefly defined, music is the rational organization of sounds and silences passing through time Tones must be arranged in some consistent, logical, and (usually) pleasing way

before we can call these sounds “music” instead of just noise. Musics can be defined as those temporally patterned human activities, individual and social, that involve the production and perception of sound and have no evident and immediate efficacy or fixed consensual reference. Musics are cultural particularisations of the human capacity to form -multiply intentional representations through integrating information across different functional domains of temporally extended or sequenced human experience and behaviour, generally expressed in sound.

- Fundamental Universal Properties of Music on Humans (the three sentences understanding

their meaning) - What is Sounds cape and what is Biofeedback? • No specific brain regions for music/sound exists all over the brain • Hearing/Music is closely connected to other systems (e.g. vestibulocochlear system; brainstem; central pattern generators; visual perception) • Music perception is prewired in our brains since even before our birth

- The 7 steps of how we hear - You have to practice on analyzing a musical piece or a concert or event after you hear it, based on all the basic information I give you on the slides. I want examples on the lists and questions I provide.

1 step: sound waves reach the ear and the pinna 2 step : sound waves enter the ear canal through the pinna 3 step : sound waves reach the tympanic membrane (ear canal) 4 step : ear drum vibrates and moves the three tiny bones of the inner ear (the malleus, the incus, the stapes) 5 step : These bones translate the mechanical forces of the air waves into liquid waves at the cochlea 6 step : The cochlea translates the liquid waves into electric current through the hair cells 7 step : electrical information travel to the brain

-Based on the latter notes of topic 2, you need to combine the information I gave you in order to be able to provide a full appreciation of a piece, a concert, an event. (You have to practice on different video clips learning how to analyze the content using my notes and lists).

-Learn the music history eras ❖ Prehistoric Music ❖ Ancient Music ❖ Medieval Music (500-1400) ❖ Renaissance (1400-1600) ❖ Baroque (1600-1750) ❖ Classical (1750-1830) ❖ Romantic (1830-1900) ❖ 20th Century (1900 – Present Day) -History

Music may have been in existence for at least 55,000 years. The first music may have been invented in Africa and then evolved to become a fundamental constituent of human life -Prehistoric music, once more commonly called primitive music, It is probable that the first musical instrument was the human voice itself, which can make a vast array of sounds, from singing, humming and whistling through to clicking, coughing and yawning -The ancient music era may also include contemporary but traditional or folk music, including Asian music, Persian music, music of India, Jewish music, Greek music, Roman music, the music of Mesopotamia, the music of Egypt, and Muslim music -While musical life was undoubtedly rich in the early Medieval era, as attested by artistic depictions of instruments, writings about music, and other records, the only repertory of

music which has survived from before 800 to the present day is the plainsong liturgical music of the Roman Catholic Church, the largest part of which is called Gregorian chant - Music The beginning of the Renaissance in music is not as clearly marked as the beginning of the Renaissance in the other arts, and unlike in the other arts, it did not begin in Italy, but in northern Europe, specifically in the area currently comprising central and northern France, the Netherlands, and Belgium. -The term Baroque is a word borrowed from architecture which is used to describe a highly decorative style of building, found in the palaces and churches of Germany and Austria in the 1600s and 1700s. The Baroque period was a time of contrapuntal music (tunes or melodies played above or below each other in harmony). People also became interested in music and drama which

led to the creation of opera (a play that is sung). Five composers from this period are Vivaldi, Purcell, Bach, Handel and Pachelbel. Different textures are present such as: • Homophonic – Music built on chords where all parts move at the same time. • Polyphonic – Two or more parts playing independent melodies and rhythms -Composers of the classical period established the symphony, sonata and concerto (for solo instrument) as the major forms of musical expression. In the Classical period the music became less about decoration and ornamentation, and more about simple, clean lines of melody. 3 composers of this period are Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven. Features of the Classical Period: ❖Larger orchestra with the woodwind section gaining

importance ❖ Texture of the music is now mainly homophonic (Baroque texture was mainly contrapuntal) ❖ Melodies became more graceful and elegant ❖ Richer variety of contrasting melodies, rhythms, keys & dynamics ❖ The piano is invented -The Symphony The word symphony means ‘sounding together’. It is a large work for the whole orchestra in four movements. A movement is a part or section of the whole work. Movement 1 Fast Movement 2 Slow Movement 3 Minuet and Trio form Movement 4 Finale, fast. Usually contains a coda (a tailpiece to round off the movement) The Concerto A large work for the orchestra and solo instrument. There are three movements in a concerto. Movement 1 Fast Movement 2 Slow Movement 3 Fast

-In the Romantic Period composers began to express emotion through music. The music was more powerful and the orchestras were much bigger than before. Three composers of the Romantic Period are Schumann, Chopin and Wagner. Chopin, a Polish composer, wrote for the piano in a new revolutionary way. He combined strange, discordant harmonies (notes which clash) with delicate, decorated melodies. In his compositions he uses rubato (variations in speed) to enhance expression. Listen and watch the following example and notice the use of rubato -Composers in the 20th century experimented with different sounds, instruments and techniques. New freedoms in harmony and rhythm enabled composers to put music together in unusual combinations.

Impressionism was a style of music popular in 1900 in France. The term borrowed from painters such as Monet, Manet and Renoir who suggested rather than stated what could be seen at a glance. Debussy (1862 – 1918) applied these principles to music. He used clusters of notes (lots of notes which are close together) and the whole tone scale (a scale where every interval is a whole tone apart) in his compositions. These techniques painted pictures in sound. Listen and watch this short film on Debussy’s life. The music playing is Clair De Lune, one of Debussy’s most famous piano pieces -Form in Music Music is written in a pattern called FORM. Binary Form A piece of music in Binary form divides itself into two sections A and B.

Ternary Form A piece of music in Ternary form divides itself into three sections A B A or A A B A. (She’s the One, Robbie Williams) Rondo Form A is the main theme (tune) which keeps coming round with contrasting sections. The plan is A B A C A etc.Think of these three forms as types of sandwich with different fillings! Episode (Bridge) A passage of music linking two musical themes, such as in Rondo Form Coda A passage at the end of a piece of music which rounds it of - Learn how to recognise the sounds and styles of the Renaissance Music, Baroque, Classical and Romantic music

-Learn the six basic elements of music Pitch Rhythm Melody Timbre Dynamics Texture

Pitch Register (high or low); Organization of pitches with a pattern of intervals between them creates scales; Words we might use to describe scales: major/minor, chromatic, gapped, and pentatonic.

Rhythm The time element of music. A specific rhythm is a specific pattern in time; we usually hear these in relation to a steady pulse, and mentally organize this pulse or tempo into meter (sometimes called a "time signature"). Meter organizes beats into groups, usually of two or three; beats can be divided into small units usually 2, 3 or 4 subdivisions Melody or musical line, is a combination of pitch and rhythm (some say "duration"). Sometimes a melody is considered to be the theme of a composition. A motif (or motive) is either a very short melody or a distinctive part of a longer melody

Timbre Sound quality or tone color; timbre is the characteristic that allows us to distinguish between one instrument and another, and the difference between vowel sounds (for example, long "a" or "ee"). Terms we might use to describe timbre: bright, dark, brassy, reedy, harsh, noisy, thin, buzzy, pure, raspy, shrill, mellow, strained. Dynamics loud or soft. A composition that has extremely soft passages as well as extremely loud passages is said to have a large or wide dynamic range. Dynamics can change suddenly or gradually (crescendo, getting louder, or decrescendo, getting softer.)

Texture • monophonic (one voice or line), • polyphonic (many voices, usually similar, as in Renaissance or Baroque counterpoint), • homophonic (1. a melody with simple accompaniment; 2. chords moving in the same

rhythm (homorhythmic)) • heterophony (“mixed” or multiple similar versions of a melody performed simultaneously (rare in European music; possibly used in Ancient Greece) • collage (juxtaposition & superimposition of extremely different textures or sounds)

- Learn how to recognise the beats and the notes in the notation topic…what is a whole note, a half note etc and how they look like. - Be able to solve note exercises as the one shown on slides -. Learn how to recognise all the basic parts of the lyrics in a music piece: verse, chorus, intro, bridge, hook etc. What are Introductions (Intros)? The introduction establishes melodic, harmonic, and/or rhythmic material related to the main body of a piece they establish the basics of what the song's about to make a connection to the listener. After hearing the intro the listener will decide if they want to listen to the rest of your song. Usually song introductions build anticipation for the listener so that when the main section of your music

floods through (or drops...like it's hot), it creates a small "shock" to the system. What is a Verse of a Song? Regardless of the size and number of verses in your song, verses are still used to take the listener on a journey. You can have each verse of your song tell a part of your story, or have each verse tell a different short story, all tied together by your chorus. The verse is the main part of a song. In popular music a verse roughly corresponds with a poetic stanza. When two or more sections of the song have basically identical music and different lyrics, each section is considered one verse https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVTfszppJl 8 For example, in Toby Turner’s song, he sings about one of the misadventures of Tim Tim, a fictional boy. Toby sets the story for his song in

a short pre-verse, leading right into his chorus. The story then continues with the next verse, until it reaches a quick climax during his bridge. And what's so remarkable is the entire song is only 1:30 seconds, but STILL entertaining as heck! What is a Chorus? A chorus is the most repeated section of your song structure, so it's the easiest remembered. Because of this, I believe the chorus is the part of your song listeners will judge first as to whether it's something they like What's a Refrain? a refrain is ANY line that repeats in your song lyric, while a chorus is any group of lines that repeats.

What is a Song Hook? A hook is an entertaining musical element or clever lyrical phrase that repeats multiple times throughout your song to tug at your audience's memory. It's a mnemonic tool that catches a listener's attention to help them remember a certain refrain, beat and/or melody What is a Bridge (Middle 8)? Lyrically, the bridge is the section of your song that (a) gives your audience time to reflect on your story, or (b) gives them the "climax" or conclusion of the story you just shared through your verses and chorus. https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=play er_detailpage&v=vTnWFT3DvVA#t=152 a bridge acts as your micro-diary or journal where if you weren't clear about your emotions throughout your song, you're free to tell your listener exactly what you're feeling. In the

example below, at 2:32 of her song, "See You Again", Carrie Underwood directly sings that she feels like her heart is breaking but that she'll hold on knowing (she'll see whomever again)... Musical Bridge (Middle 8) Bridges are also called "middle 8's" because they usually occur in the middle of common pop songs and often take up 8 bars (i.e. eight counts of 4 beats)

- Practise the above following my notes on the slides and using any youtube video pop song