In the third class session I presented the time-keeping aspects of music, rhythm, and the components that make up rhythm -- beat, meter and tempo. In that session I didn't talk about melody, another one of the primary elements of music. However, on Monday I'll begin with melody and continue on to the subject of harmony. As we do we’ll cover more terms. Those terms include:
1. Harmony
2. Chords
3. Major and minor
4. Consonance and dissonance
5. Cadence
6. Texture
When you hear two sounds (pitches) at the same time, it is called harmony. When a couple of crickets of different sizes are “doing their thing” at the same time you hear harmony. It may not be the best harmony but it is, no less, harmony. In fact, when the harmony sounds stable or pleasing to our ears it is called consonant. When the sounds tend to be harsh or clash it is called dissonant.
When there are three or more pitches heard together it is defined as a chord. You could say that a chord is a more robust type of harmony because chords can be either consonant or dissonant. When structured correctly, a set of chords provides the basis for the key of a song or musical work. Most pieces begin and end in the same key.
Here’s a graphic example of pitch (one note at a time), harmony (two notes at a time) and chord (three or more notes sounding at a time). This illustration also shows how printed music looks. Keep in mind that the flow of the music is horizontal and that distinct points in time are views in a vertical relationship. You’ll also see what a time signature looks like in this image as well as how quarter notes and half notes appear (a quarter note will be heard for one beat and a half note for two beats).
Now answer these questions. When is a single line of a melody heard? In what measure is harmony first heard? What is the measure where the sounding of chords are heard or played?
Without trying to get too confusing it’s now time to build on this set of knowledge.
A pair of chords, when played one after the other, can create a cadence. Cadences come at the end of phrases (sections of a song that seem to go together) or at the end of the piece. A cadence is used to help bring the harmony to a point of rest so the song can end or the performer take a breath between phrases. A cadence in music is like punctuation in language. Just as the commas in a sentence help in making sense of the text, cadences help in understanding the different phrases of a song (a series of notes that are logically organized by some means).
Scales are the skeleton around which melodies and/or harmonies are built. The most common type of scale is one that is made up of eight (8) notes. Other cultures use scales that use five or six notes.
In class I talked about other aspects of melody and harmony. This included a demonstration of major and minor in addition to presenting concepts about counterpoint in music. (As I reminded you in class, the content of these blogs is meant to augment what is covered in class and is, in no way, a complete substitute.)
Putting It All Together
In the class session I gave examples of everything presented above. I also covered how all these facets of music merge to form texture.
Basically, there are three varieties of texture as they relate to melody and harmony.
- Monophonic - A single line with no accompaniment
- Homophonic - A melody with accompanying chords or other harmonious elements
- Polyphonic - Two or more lines of melody sounding at the same time (the melodies can be similar or contrasting)
First, the march theme is presented by the full orchestra. Note the homophonic texture (accompaniment in same rhythm as melody) and the sound of the minor key. This helps give it a serious or heavy sound.
Second, the march theme is repeated in the strings. Note the violins are imitated by the violas resulting in an exciting polyphonic texture.
Third, a dance-like melody is presented in the high woodwinds. The chords in the accompaniment result in a homophonic texture. It is played in a major key. This helps give it a lighter and more playful sound.
Fourth, the accompaniment (strings) becomes louder and changes in character as the dance them is develops through imitation and variation.
Fifth, the full orchestra enters. It has a monophonic presentation of the main theme in the strings. The woodwinds enter supported by strings (playing pizzicato instead of bowing). The strings divide to provide homophonic accompaniment followed by the woodwinds and strings (pizzicato). The music becomes more intensive and leads to the final section.
Finally, the dance and march themes are played together in full orchestra. Note the resulting polyphonic texture before we hear the cadence announcing the end of the piece with its homophonic texture.
Now, please watch and listen to a performance of the Bizet composition from You Tube. Note that what is shown below is a performance from a different group than shown in class. However, the composition and instrumentation is the same. You should be able to follow the various things pointed out above.
Prof. Songer
JCTC - Downtown
