HELENE GALETTISMusical Concepts MUSI C 1 AURAL SKI LL S PRELI MI NARY AND HSC COURSE First published in 2009 by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd 42 McDougall Street, Milton, Qld 4064 Typeset in 9.5/13pt Utopia © Helene Galettis 2009 The moral rights of the author have been asserted. National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Author: Galettis, Helene. Title: Musical concepts : music 1 aural skills preliminary and HSC course / Helene Galettis. ISBN: 978 07314 0832 0 (pbk.) 978 07314 0876 4 (web) Subjects: Music — Instruction and study — New South Wales. Music — Examinations. Examinations — New South Wales. High school students — New South Wales. Higher School Certificate Examination (NSW) Dewey Number: 780.709944 Reproduction and communication for educational purposes The Australian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act) allows a maximum of one chapter or 10% of the pages of this work, whichever is the greater, to be reproduced and/or communicated by any educational institution for its educational purposes provided that the educational institution (or the body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to Copyright Agency Limited (CAL). Reproduction and communication for other purposes Except as permitted under the Act (for example, a fair dealing for the purposes of study, research, criticism or review), no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, communicated or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission. All inquiries should be made to the publisher. Cover and internal images: Brand X Pictures (guitarist, rock band, sheet music); Corbis Corporation (teenager wearing headphones); Image 100 (teenage violinist, violins section of orchestra, orchestra and conductor); Photodisc (flautist, sheet music, saxophone keys, trumpet, piano keys). Printed in Singapore by Markono Print Media Pte Ltd 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 Contents Preface v About the author viii About eBookPLUS ix Acknowledgements x Introduction: Revising your music knowledge xi CHAPTER 1 Duration 1 Beat 2 Metre 4 Time signatures 4 Music with mixed metre 6 Absence of metre 6 Rhythm 9 Types of rhythm 9 Note values, rests and pauses 10 Traditional and graphic notation 10 Rhythmic devices 11 Rhythmic layers 12 Tempo 14 Chapter review and listening activities 17 CHAPTER 2 Pitch 22 Tonality 23 Diatonic scale system 24 Blues scale 24 Pentatonic scale 25 Modal tonality 25 Chromatic scale 25 Microtonal 26 Twentieth-century art music tonality 26 World music scales 28 Melody 30 Definite and indefinite pitch 31 Melodic arrangement 31 Pitch direction and contour 31 Register 32 Range 33 Melodic features 33 Harmony 37 Harmonic rhythm 37 Accompaniment styles 37 Chord structure 38 Modulation 38 Dissonant and consonant sounds 38 Harmonic features 39 Chapter review and listening activities 42 CHAPTER 3 Dynamics and expressive techniques 47 Dynamics 48 Dynamic levels 49 Changes in dynamic levels 50 Emphasis or accents on sounds 50 Expressive techniques 52 Tempo 52 Stylistic indications 53 Articulation 54 Ornamentation 55 Instrumental and vocal techniques 56 Electronic manipulation 61 Style 62 Chapter review and listening activities 64 CHAPTER 4 Tone colour 69 Making of sound 70 Material of the instrument 71 Method of producing sound 71 Types of sound 72 Types of sound sources 73 Performing media/sound sources 74 Types of instruments 74 Sounds: unconventional and electronic 78 Instrumental and vocal techniques 79 Traditional techniques 79 Non-traditional techniques 80 Contents iv Contents Combining sound sources 81 Number of sound sources 83 Sound source arrangements 83 Descriptions of tone colour 85 Musical effect 86 Style 86 Chapter review and listening activities 88 CHAPTER 5 Texture 92 Layers 93 Number of layers 93 Role of layers 95 Relation of layers to one another 99 Density 102 Describing the density 102 Thick density 102 Thin density 103 Type 105 Monophonic 106 Homophonic 107 Polyphonic 108 Heterophonic 108 Graphic notation 110 Chapter review and listening activities 111 CHAPTER 6 Structure 120 Labelling sections 121 Macro structure 123 Standard forms 123 Non-standard forms 129 Micro structure 130 Musical aspects that contribute to structure 130 Internal structural analysis 132 Unity and contrast 136 Chapter review and listening activities 137 CHAPTER 7 Conceptual links 145 Techniques that link the musical concepts 146 Comparison 147 Analysing similarities and differences 147 Analysing version 1 then version 2 149 Listening activities — comparison 152 Unity and contrast 153 Unity 154 Contrast 156 Listening activities — unity and contrast 158 Tension 160 Listening activities — tension 161 Climax 162 Listening activities — climax 164 Appendix 1: Answering an Aural Skills examination question 165 Appendix 2: Sample HSC Music 1 Aural Skills examination 168 Glossary 170 Sound bites 179 Index 185 Preface Preface v The principal aim of Musical Concepts is to help students to gain a deeper understanding of the six main concepts of music and to build their confidence in responding to musical excerpts in preparation for the Music 1 Aural Skills examination. A broader aim is to enrich students’ experience and enjoyment of music through a deeper appreciation of a variety of genres, forms and techniques. The features of this student textbook and the eBookPLUS, along with the teacher resources provided in the Musical Concepts eGuide and on the CD, form a unique and comprehensive set of resources to meet all requirements of the Aural Skills area of the Music 1 course. Musical Concepts student book The s Introduction on page xi revisits the main content areas of the mandatory Music Years 7–10 course for revision before embarking on the Stage 6 Music 1 course. Chapters 1–6 s provide comprehensive coverage of each concept of music: duration, pitch, dynamics and expressive techniques, tone colour, texture and structure. Chapter 7 focuses on the musical features that link all of the concepts — comparison, unity, contrast, tension and climax. This chapter suggests to students ways to frame responses when an examination question requires this broader perspective. Appendix 1 s guides students on ways to shape their answers for the Music 1 Aural Skills examination. Appendix 2 s sets out a sample HSC Aural Skills examination, using listening excerpts provided on the Musical Concepts CD. Sound bites s are listed by chapter at the end of the book for quick reference. These audio examples, accessed via the eBookPLUS, demonstrate to students key features and techniques they might recognise in musical excerpts. A s Glossary gathers together all key term definitions from the book. The specific features of this textbook are explained on pages vi–vii. Musical Concepts eBookPLUS The features of the eBookPLUS include: the electronic version of the complete textbook in HTML format s sound bites in high-quality MP3 format s weblinks to websites of interest. s See page ix for further details on accessing and using the eBookPLUS. Musical Concepts eGuide The eGuide provides the following resources for teachers: suggested answers and sample responses for ‘Concept check’ questions and s ‘Chapter review and listening activities’ details and excerpt timings for the listening piece excerpts from the s Musical Concepts CD, for teachers who prefer to download selected pieces Preface vi guidance on timings and activities to use with the ‘Additional suggested s listening pieces’ as alternative excerpts to those provided on the Musical Concepts CD. Musical Concepts CD The CD provides for teachers the listening piece excerpts to accompany the text’s listening activities and HSC-style questions. All listening excerpts are carefully selected so that students experience a wide variety of musical styles — from classical to postmodern and contemporary, and including international and Australian composers and artists. Musical Concepts — the features Dynamics and expressive techniques CHAPTER 3 CHAPTER 3 Dynamic and expressive techniques 47 LISTENING ACTIVITY PIECES ‘If You Keep Losing Sleep’ by Silverchair (page 66) ‘Overture: Marriage of Figaro’ by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (page 66) ‘Drift’ by Sean Haefeli (page 68) ‘Ta Douleur’ by Camille (page 68) ADDITIONAL SUGGESTED LISTENING PIECES ‘It’s Oh So Quiet’ by Björk ‘Ancient Voices of Children’ by George Crumb ‘Hung Up’ by Madonna (featuring ABBA) DYNAMICS refer to the volume of sound. Important aspects include the relative softness and loudness of sound, change of loudness (contrast), and the emphasis on individual sounds (accent). EXPRESSIVE TECHNIQUES are used to create the musical detail that articulates a style or interpretation of a style. Board of Studies NSW 1999, Music 1 Stage 6 Preliminary and HSC Courses, Sydney, NSW. This chapter will help you to discuss dynamics and expressive techniques in terms of: the softness and loudness of musical sound s¬ changes in volume s¬ accents on particular sounds s¬ ways of expressing or interpreting a musical style. s¬ After completing this chapter, check that you understand and can apply the following: a range of dynamics, including gradations articulations tempo, including gradations stylistic indications. A definition of the concept, extracted from the HSC syllabus, indicates the main content to be covered in the chapter. Listening activity pieces represent a wide range of musical styles. The listening activities at the ends of chapters are based on these excerpts (available on the Musical Concepts CD). Additional suggested listening pieces offer suitable musical alternatives for the study of each concept. Musical Concepts MUSIC 1 AURAL SKILLS PRELIMINARY AND HSC COURSE 52 EXPRESSIVE TECHNIQUES Expressive techniques refer to the way a performer plays a piece of music. The composer indicates specific details and techniques to guide the musician’s performance. These directions help portray the style of the music. Expressive techniques are coupled with dynamics; without these features to give a variety of ‘shades’ to a piece of music, it would sound quite unexciting and plain. A wide range of expressive techniques have been developed over time. They mainly relate to tempo, style, articulation, ornamentation, instrumental and vocal techniques, and electronic manipulation. Many of these features overlap in meaning. Music scores can contain many specific terms that identify expressive techniques. In the aural exam, you will rely on your ear to identify techniques as scores are not provided. Selected terms are outlined below, along with sound bites, to help you to become familiar with expressive techniques and to use some of these terms in examresponses. ORNAMENTATION ELECTRONIC MANIPULATION STYLISTIC INDICATIONS ARTICULATION INSTRUMENTAL AND VOCALTECHNIQUES EXPRESSIVE TECHNIQUES TEMPO INDICATIONS Some categories of expressive techniques Tempo As we saw when we discussed the concept of duration in chapter 1, tempo is speed and the tempo indication on a score tells the performer how fast to play the piece. Tempo may also affect the expressive quality of the music. Although composers indicate on a written score the speed at which to play their music, it is not necessary to study these specific terms for this course. What is required is to gain an understanding of the effects the tempo and tempo changes have on a piece of music. Some composers using traditional notation add terms on scores to indicate tempo and changes in tempo. These terms may be in Italian, French, German or English, but are most commonly Italian. However, you can use English terms such as slow, steady, moderate, fast or very fast to describe the tempo. Changes in tempo As well as being able to recognise and describe the overall tempo of a piece of music, it is important to identify: changes in tempo s Expressive techniques refer to the way a performer plays a piece of music, and can include the tempo, style, articulation, ornamentation, instrumental techniques and electronic manipulation. HSC TIP Your aimin the Music 1 Aural Skills examis to demonstrate an understanding of the effects the expressive techniques have on the piece of music, rather than specifically naming the terms. Tempo is the speed at which a piece of music is performed. HSC TIP Tempo is also featured in chapter 1, ‘Duration’, demonstrating that many aspects of the concepts of music overlap. Key terms are defined in clear and concise language in the context of the topic. HSC tips offer students timely reminders about the level of understanding required for the Music 1 course. Mind maps illustrate the progressive development of each concept through the chapter. Preface vii CHAPTER REVIEW AND LISTENING ACTIVITIES CHAPTER 6 Structure 137 Mind maps are a way of visualising information. This mind map shows the features for the concept of structure that can be applied to any listening piece. binary form ternary form verse/chorus form rondo form twelve-bar blues MACRO MICRO TECHNIQUESTHAT CREATE UNITY TECHNIQUESTHAT CREATE CONTRAST STRUCTURE Analysis of all musical concepts Analysis of all musical concepts with internal structures Analysis of all musical concepts Standard forms Non-standard forms (structures that don’t fit into any standard forms) specific forms vocal forms common forms structures in world music theme and variation twelve-bar blues through composed verse/chorus form strophic form LISTENING ACTIVITIES 1. Copy and label the blank mind map on the next page fromyour understanding of what you have learnt in this chapter. Place the relevant words you have learnt on the branches provided. HSC TIP Mind maps are a useful revision tool for the HSC Aural Skills exam. A comprehensive mind map encompasses all important features of the musical concept as a memory aid and a visual tool for planning responses. Chapter review questions consolidate students’ learning, and listening activities provide aural skills practice. Musical Concepts MUSIC 1 AURAL SKILLS PRELIMINARY AND HSC COURSE 68 5. Listen to the excerpt your teacher will play and answer the following questions in extended point form. Dynamics (a) Comment on the overall dynamic levels in the music. Identify the range of dynamics used (you may use Italian or English words to describe the volume levels). (b) Comment on the dynamic levels at the start of the excerpt, before the voice enters. (c) Are there changes in dynamic levels in the excerpt? If so, name them and describe where they occur, using the instrumental entries to help you. Expressive techniques (d) Name the tempo of the musical excerpt. (e) Are there any changes to this tempo, or any other tempo changes? If so, describe themusing either Italian or English words. (f ) If a written score is available to you, what overall description of the excerpt would the composer use as a stylistic indication for the performer? (g) Comment on any use in the excerpt of articulation to portray expressive qualities. (h Describe the use of ornamentation in the excerpt to portray expressive qualities. (i) Are any instrumental or vocal techniques applied in the excerpt? If so, be specific as to which techniques the composer has chosen. (j) Are any electronic modifications to the sound used to manipulate it for effect? If so, what specifically has been used? HSC-STYLE QUESTION An excerpt (2 minutes 2 seconds) of ‘Ta Douleur’, by Camille, will be played SIX times for you to answer this question. Time: First playing short pause Second playing 30-second pause Third playing 1-minute pause Fourth playing 1-minute pause Fifth playing 2-minute pause Sixth playing 2-minute pause Discuss the use of dynamics and expressive techniques in this excerpt. PAST EXAM QUESTIONS Describe the solo singer’s use of pitch and expressive techniques in this performance. (2002) How are dynamics and expressive techniques explored in this excerpt? (2006) Board of Studies NSW HSC Music 1 Aural Skills Examinations CD TRACK 9 HSC TIP Be prepared in the examfor possible separate references to ‘dynamics’ and ‘expressive techniques’. A question may not necessarily refer to both terms. CD TRACK 10 Listening activities are based on the listening excerpts on the Musical Concepts CD but may also be applied to a teacher’s or student’s own choice of excerpts. The range of questions is designed to help students to critically evaluate music and articulate their understanding in terms of the concepts of music. HSC-style questions give students practice at answering exam questions. Musical Concepts MUSIC 1 AURAL SKILLS PRELIMINARY AND HSC COURSE 142 6. Score reading. Analyse the score then answer the following questions in relation to the excerpt. (a) Label the lowest to the highest notes in the first verse. What does this tell us about the range of the melody? (b) Outline the structure, using letter names. (c) How many bars are in each phrase? (d) Outline the structure in terms of verse, chorus etc. (e) What is the macro structure of ‘My Island Home’? My Island Home Words and Music by Neil Murray © Rondor Music Australia Pty Limited. All rights Reserved. International copyright secured. Used by permission. Samples of traditional notation and graphic notation are included in the chapters, and a score-reading activity is provided for each concept. Sound bite icons appear throughout each chapter. The ‘bank’ of sound bites, all in high- quality MP3 format, can be accessed via the eBookPLUS. Musical Concepts MUSIC 1 AURAL SKILLS PRELIMINARY AND HSC COURSE 78 As mentioned, you may hear unusual vocal sounds in a piece of music — for example, speaking, screaming, laughing, breathing or whispering. These non- traditional sounds are usually shown by composers on a musical score using graphic notation. Sounds: unconventional and electronic As well as performing media, we may also hear other sound sources in a piece of music. Such ‘unconventional’ sounds may include bird song or human screams, truck noises or electronic sounds. To hear and watch videos of some examples, such as Leroy Anderson’s ‘The Typewriter Song’ and Edgard Varèse’s ‘Poème Electronique’, log on to www.jacplus.com.au and access the weblinks for this chapter. Unconventional sound sources At the beginning of the twentieth century, composers experimented with all sorts of sounds and broke most of the conventional rules for making music. For example, John Cage’s piano piece ‘4'33"’ is made up entirely of musical rests, therefore silences. The factors that created the sound in this piece were audience noise, the turning of the score pages by the performer and the opening and closing of the piano lid. Composers of twentieth-century art music also experimented with the way instruments are played, for example composing a piece that requires a violinist to knock on the back of the violin. To watch a performance of John Cage’s ‘4'33" ’, log on to www.jacplus.com. au and access the weblinks for this chapter. Electronic sound sources An electronic sound is a sound that is produced or modified by electronic means. There are two ways that an electronic sound can be heard: the first is when a raw sound is electronically enhanced, such as by an electric guitar; the second is froma source that can produce sound only by electronic means — that is, by a synthesiser or MIDI. (Refer back to page 72 and read the section on synthesisers.) CONCEPT CHECK ½½½ SOUND SOURCES 1. Name the four instrumental families of the orchestra. 2. Listen to the sound bite and list the instruments that you hear. 3. Listen to the sound bite. Describe the voice or voices in the excerpt. 4. As you listen to each of the following sound bites, identify the solo instrument featured. Sound bite Instrument SOUND BITE 4.13 Sound sources 3 SOUND BITE 4.14 Sound sources 4 5. There are several unconventional sounds in the sound bite. List all the sounds that you can hear Weblink: Unconventional sounds in music Weblink: 4'33" by John Cage SOUND BITE 4.11 Concept check — Sound sources 1 SOUND BITE 4.12 Concept check — Sound sources 2 SOUND BITE 4.15 Concept check — Unconventional sounds Weblinks to websites of interest can be accessed from the eBookPLUS. Concept check questions are included at regular intervals to test students’ understanding. About the author About the author viii Helene Galettis is an experienced music teacher with a strong commitment to inspiring students to achieve excellence while also enjoying their music studies. Helene completed a Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Education at the University of New South Wales. She first taught at Sydney Girls High School and has taught the HSC preparation course for Music 1 and Music 2 at the Australian Institute of Music, as well as tutoring privately. Helene is an HSC marker for the practical component of the examinations. She currently teaches at Ashfield Boys High School in Sydney. Her input into the school’s outstanding music program has seen her nominated as a finalist in the 2008 ASG Inspirational Teacher Awards as part of the National Excellence in Teaching Awards. Next generation teaching and learning About eBookPLUS Musical Concepts features eBookPLUS: an electronic version of the entire textbook and supporting multimedia resources. It is available for you online at the JacarandaPLUS website (www.jacplus.com.au). Using the JacarandaPLUS website To access your eBookPLUS resources, simply log on to www.jacplus.com.au. There are three easy steps for using the JacarandaPLUS system. LOGIN Once you have created your account, you can use the same email address and password in the future to register any JacarandaPLUS books. Step 2. Enter your registration code Once you have created a new account and logged in, you will be prompted to enter your unique registration code for this book, which is printed on the inside front cover of your textbook. Step 3. View or download eBookPLUS resources Your eBook and supporting resources are provided in a chapter-by-chapter format. Simply select the desired chapter from the drop-down list and navigate through the tabs to locate the appropriate resource. Step 1. Create a user account The first time you use the JacarandaPLUS system, you will need to create a user account. Go to the JacarandaPLUS home page (www.jacplus.com.au) and follow the instructions on screen. Minimum requirements Internet Explorer 7, Mozilla Firefox 1.5 s or Safari 1.3 Adobe Flash Player 9 s Javascript must be enabled (most browsers s are enabled by default). Troubleshooting Go to the JacarandaPLUS help page at s www.jacplus.com.au Contact John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd. s Email:
[email protected] Phone: 1800 JAC PLUS (1800 522 7587) About eBookPlus ix Acknovvledgements Acknouvledgements x The author and publisher wish to thank the following reviewers whose comments helped to develop the content and features of the chapters: Karen Burke, Jodie McInness, Linda Moulton, Jennifer Nangle, Greg Goyette and Steve Wilkins. We are grateful to Paul Burjan, who created the sound bites, and Katherine Galettis for contributing vocal examples. Musical Concepts would not have been possible without the skills and professionalism of the Jacaranda team. Helene gives a special thank you to editor Jem Bates, copyright researcher Terry Burkitt and compositor Peter Evans; and special mention to publisher Angela Wong and developmental editor Carol Grabham for their endeavours. Helene also gives special thanks to family and friends for their support during the writing and development of the book and to her music teachers for their inspiration. The author and publisher thank the following copyright holders, organisations and individuals for their assistance and for permission to reproduce copyright material. AAP Image/Daniel Pace: page 95 (band photo) • A. Robertson, W. Cornell Jnr, D. Wilkins: pages 19–20, 97–9 (‘Hip’ score and lyrics) • Board of Studies NSW: pages 1, 22, 47, 69, 92, 120 (Music 1 Stage 6 Preliminary and HSC syllabus extracts); pages 21, 46, 68, 91, 119, 144, 146–7 (past exam questions) • Corbis Australia: page 32 (female singer)/Lebrecht Music & Arts; page 60 (trumpets)/Jim Sugar • Edition Peters Limited: page 56 (score excerpt from John Cage’s ‘TV Köln’)/© 1960 by Henmar Press. Used by permission of C. F. Peters Corporation; page 80 (score excerpt from George Crumb’s ‘Black Angels’)/© 1971 by C. F. Peters Corporation • EyeWire Images: page 58 (violinist) • Fairfax Photo Library/Anita Jones: page 77 (choristers) • Faber Music Ltd: page 34 (excerpt from Peter Sculthorpe’s ‘Boat Rise’)/© 1980 by Faber Music. Reproduced by kind permission of the publishers • Image 100 Ltd: page 4 (conductor and orchestra) • Photolibrary: page 32 (male singer)/photolibrary.com/Lebrecht/Toby Wales • Stockhausen-Verlag: page 7/ © 1995 by Stockhausen-Verlag, Kuerten • Tim Finn and Neil Finn: pages 134–5 (‘Weather with You’ score and lyrics)/© Mushroom Music Publishing. All print rights for Australia and New Zealand administered by Sasha Music Publishing, a division of All Music Publishing & Distribution Pty Ltd, ACN 079 628 434 ABN 79 079 628 434, PO Box 1031, Richmond North, Victoria 3121, www.ampd.com.au. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Unauthorised reproduction is illegal • Universal Music Publishing: pages 142–3 (‘My Island Home’ score and lyrics)/ words and music by Neil Murray, © Universal Music Publishing Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Reprinted with permission • Yamaha Music Australia: page 62 (synthesiser). Every effort has been made to trace ownership of copyright material. Information that will enable the publisher to rectify any errors or omissions in subsequent reprints will be welcome. In such cases, please contact the Permissions Section at John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd. Introduction: Revising your music knouvledge Introduction: Revising your music knouvledge xi Before beginning the senior course, Music 1, you will have completed the Music Years 7–10 course. Some students may also have completed the Music Elective course in Years 9–10. Following is a brief theory revision of the Years 7–10 mandatory course. You will be familiar with this from your experiences in performing, composing and listening. The content covers four broad areas: music concepts, musical notation, music technology and musical contexts. MUSIC CONCEPTS We can analyse any piece of music that has ever been written using the six concepts of music: duration, pitch, dynamics and expressive techniques, tone colour, texture and structure. Duration Duration refers mainly to length. In music we refer to aspects of duration as beat, metre, tempo and rhythm. A beat is the underlying pulse in a piece of music. Beats are arranged into s groups; they can be divided into two, three or four beats per bar (a division of music). Metre is the division of the beats per bar, referred to as duple metre, triple s metre or quadruple metre. Tempo refers to the speed at which a piece or song is to be played. Tempo s indications on scores are often presented using Italian words. For example, allegro means ‘fast and lively’. They can indicate either the overall tempo that the composer desires or a change in tempo within a piece of music. Rhythm refers to the way patterns of notes of different lengths are organised. s Pitch A tune in a song is generally made up of high and low sounds. This is called pitch. Like rhythm, pitch is organised into patterns — in this case, of high and low sounds. Aspects of pitch in music include melody, harmony, tonality, indefinite/definite pitch and pitch direction. Melody is the organisation of pitch into patterns. Composers can include s various features in a melody to make it sound interesting. In a rock band, the lead singer usually holds the melody. Harmony is heard at the same time as a melody to complement it musically. s In a standard rock band, a harmonic role is played by a bass guitar, a keyboard player or backing vocalists. Tonality refers to the scale system used for a piece of music. Most music s is written in a major key or minor key, although many other scales exist. A piece in a major key generally has a pleasant, happy sound to it; one in a minor key can sound sad. Composers can use the key signature to portray such moods. Definite pitch is a tuned and distinct sound, such as the singing voice; an s indefinite pitch is an untuned sound, such as the speaking voice. Introduction: Revising your music knouvledge xii Pitch direction is the movement of the melody. The pattern of notes might s have an upward or downward direction or stay at the same level. The pitch direction might include steps from one note to another, leaps of larger intervals or combinations of these. Dynamics and expressive techniques Dynamics refers to the volume of sound in music. It is generally described in terms of loud and soft levels, although other dynamic levels are also described in music. Dynamic levels are often indicated using Italian names, ranging from pianissimo meaning ‘very soft’ to fortissimo meaning ‘very loud’. Dynamic levels in music also include changes in dynamics, for example crescendo meaning ‘gradually becoming louder’. Expressive techniques refer to additions made to a piece of music by a composer or performer to portray the stylistic features of the particular piece. For example, an expressive technique for an electric guitar is distortion. Distortion is added to create a certain effect and is associated with a particular style of rock music. Tone colour Tone colour refers to the quality of sound. If someone you know very well speaks but you cannot see the person, it is likely that you will recognise their voice. You would decipher first whether it is a male or female voice, then the quality of the sound. In the same way, we identify instruments by the various sounds available to the people performing with them. The table below shows how instruments are categorised in an orchestra into four ‘families’: strings, woodwind, brass and percussion. The four families of the orchestra Families of the orchestra Examples of instruments Strings violin, viola, cello, double bass, harp Woodwind flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, piccolo, English horn, bass clarinet, double bassoon Brass trumpet, trombone, tuba, French horn Percussion triangle, maracas, timpani, castanets When we study world music, we group world music instruments as membranophones, chordophones, idiophones or aerophones. These are described in the table below. World music classification World music group Description Examples and country of origin Membranophones instruments with a stretched skin steel drums (Caribbean) dundun (Africa) Idiophones instruments that are hit, shaken or scraped gamelan (Indonesia) mbira (Africa) Aerophones instruments that are blown into didgeridoo (Australia) bagpipes (Scotland) Chordophones instruments that have strings bouzouki (Greece) sitar (India) Introduction: Revising your music knouvledge xiii Musical instruments are occasionally categorised into a class called performing media. Performing media refers to the media or instruments used to perform a piece of music. Sound sources relate to ‘other sounds’, often unconventional, that may be found in a piece of music, such as bird sounds and human screams. Descriptive words are used to describe sounds when analysing a piece of music. For example, an oboe can be said to have a ‘nasal’ quality, or a voice could be described as having a ‘raspy’ tone. Texture The texture of sound in a piece of music is its ‘thinness’ or ‘thickness’. We use the term ‘layer’ to describe one instrument or a combination of instruments in a piece of music. Structure The structure of a building is essentially how it is put together. In music, the structure or form of a piece results from the way the smaller components, the sections of music, are arranged together. For example, the overall structure of a song may take a verse/chorus form, the smaller component being a verse. Styles of music through history have often provided set, standardised forms commonly used by composers of that time. The table below lists some forms. Common forms in music Form Symbols or terms that indicate musical sections Binary AB Ternary ABA Rondo ABACA Verse/chorus form introduction, verse, chorus, bridge, coda Theme and variations — Strophic — Through composed — Unity and contrast are also a part of the study of structure. Pieces that have a standard or non-standard form can be analysed through their components and the musical aspects that unify or create contrast. MUSICAL NOTATION Musical notation is the written representation of music. In the Western music tradition, the time came when it was necessary for music to be written down in order for musicians to perform it. More importantly, it allowed many more musicians to reproduce the music and for the composer’s work to live on. Many cultures still rely only on the aural communication of music, although transcriptions of music into a written form have become a common way to help preserve the unique music from these cultures. Musical notation can be viewed in two different ways: conventional or traditional notation, or s unconventional or non-traditional notation, also known as graphic notation. s Introduction: Revising your music knouvledge xiv Graphic notation has been utilised by postmodernist composers, from the twentieth century onwards. This music is represented by symbols drawn graphically, rather than the traditional (notes on a stave) notation. Conventional notation Conventional or traditional notation is the most regularly used notation. It is also referred to as ‘Western notation’, from its European origin in the seventeenth century. Sound is represented by notes placed on a grid framework. This grid of four spaces and five lines is called a stave or staff. A blank stave is shown below. A blank stave The first seven letters of the alphabet are used when reading music in staves: ABCDEFG. These notes are placed on either a line or a space on the stave. Notes are placed on a line or in a space on the stave. Phrases using each letter (known as ‘mnemonics’) are a useful memory tool for students learning to read a musical score and play an instrument. For example: treble clef lines, EGBDF — ‘Every Good Boy Deserves Ferraris’ s treble clef spaces, FACE — ‘Face’ s bass clef lines, GBDFA — ‘Great Big Dreams For Australia’ s bass clef spaces, ACEG — ‘All Cows Eat Grass’. s Tones and semitones Tones and semitones are terms referring to the distances between notes. A semitone is the smallest distance between two notes. s A tone is the distance of two semitones. s Accidentals are sharps, flats and naturals used in front of notes to change the pitch. Accidentals Key signatures In music, a key is the tonic note from which a system of tones and semitones is established to form different modes or scales. The key note is the most important note. A key signature is the sharps or flats indicating what key the piece is in. Introduction: Revising your music knouvledge xv Clefs Clefs are the signs at the start of a piece of music indicating the relative pitch of notes. The most commonly used clefs in music are the treble clef and the bass clef. Musicians playing higher sounding instruments, such as the violin, clarinet or flute, read the treble clef. Musicians playing lower sounding instruments, such as the bass guitar or the tuba, read the bass clef. On the typical piano score shown below, the treble clef indicates the notes played by the right hand, or higher notes, and the bass clef indicates the left hand or lower notes. Extract from a piano score showing key signature and clefs Leger lines Notes can extend higher or lower than the five-line stave. These notes are written on leger lines above and below the stave, and are counted in sequence in the same manner as notes inside the stave. Examples of leger lines Note values Music is read on a stave and each note has a particular count value. The combination of various note values with pitch produces a melody. A musical rest can also be shown, meaning that the performer is silent for that duration of time. The time calculations for these rest values are the same as for their corresponding note values (see below). Note Symbol Rest Value English names American names Semiquaver Sixteenth note , ¸ ¼ beat Quaver Eighth note , ¸ ½ beat Crotchet Quarter note , ¡ 1 beat Minim Half note , - 2 beats Semibreve Whole note ¸ - 4 beats Common note values and corresponding rests Introduction: Revising your music knouvledge xvi The English terms for notes, such as semibreve and minim, are used in Australia. However, the American names for notes are helpful when deriving and understanding time signatures. The range of rhythmic values can also be arranged as a rhythm tree, where the branches indicate the division of beats. Every line is equivalent to four crotchet beats and a semibreve, as shown below. Whole note Half notes Quarter notes Eighth notes Sixteenth notes Rhythm tree Metre Metre is the organised succession of rhythmic pulses. It is most frequently indicated by the time signature at the beginning of a piece of music. The division of metre can be duple, triple or quadruple. Time signatures A time signature is a symbol at the start of a piece of music that indicates the timing for the piece of music. For example, in the table on page xvii, we see that the American name for a crotchet is a quarter note. When written as a fraction, the number four is at the bottom. Thus when indicating four crotchet beats per bar, the time signature looks like this: Introduction: Revising your music knouvledge xvii Score reading and analysing Reading and analysing a score is more than just reading the ‘dots on the page’ from left to right. When you analyse a score in Music 1, you will need to consider a number of components and aspects of the score, as shown below. Analysing a score A numbering system used by Mozart Famous classical composer Stylistic indication: at an easy walking pace quaver rest trill time = 2 crotchet beats per bar piano = soft pizzicato = plucked crotchet rest slur sharp semiquaver rest minim rest with the bow alto clef bass clef Cello and Double Bass treble clef crotchet Oboe Horn in C Principal transverse flute Violin 1 Violin 2 Viola Andante in C Major K. 315 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) for Flute and Orchestra Introduction: Revising your music knouvledge xviii MUSIC TECHNOLOGY Technology plays a significant role in music. Some aspects of music technology that you might study are: the ways technology is used to create music s the music industry and sound recording s recorded sound through history s the development of electronic instruments. s Not only have technological developments occurred through music history, but the way we listen to music is based on technology. Today, MP3 and MP4 players are the new digital way to listen, transfer and even manipulate music. As well as this digital mode of listening to music, there are also MIDI tracks. ‘MIDI’ stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. A MIDI track can be imported into sequencing software and edited for the individual. In Years 7–10, you will have used sequencing and notation software to create or edit music. There are many programs to choose from depending on what is available at your school, although they are all very similar in design. Examples are GarageBand, Cubase, Sibelius, Finale and Logic. MUSICAL CONTEXTS In music, a genre is a particular style of music. In Years 7–10 you will have studied Australian music as a mandatory topic, as well as some other genres, such as: Baroque music Classical music Nineteenth-century music Medieval music Renaissance music Art music Music of a culture Music for small ensembles Music for large ensembles Popular music Jazz music Music for radio, film, television, multimedia Theatre music Rock music Music and technology Environmental music Australian music The compulsory topic ‘Australian Music’ is a significant part of the mandatory Music Years 7–10 course. Australian music has many genres that you can study, including the traditional music of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Traditional Australian music The Australian Aboriginal people use music to preserve their tribal culture, expressing their feelings for the past, present and future through ceremonial songs and dances. Tribal stories, legends and nature are the main subjects of Aboriginal songs and dances. In their songs and dances they often mimic the behaviours of birds, animals and fish. The most common Aboriginal instrument is the didgeridoo. As in many tribal cultures, the voice plays a major part in their music, as does hand clapping and beating sticks together. Introduction: Revising your music knouvledge xix Western art music Western art music commonly refers to the music of the Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical and Romantic periods and twentieth- and twenty-first- century art music (postmodernism). It refers to the music of the western region of Europe. The following table of Western art music gives approximate period dates and key composers from those periods. Western art music Musical period Dates (approx.) Key composers of the period Medieval 476–1400 Guillaume de Machaut (c. 1300–1377) Renaissance 1400–1600 Josquin Desprez (c. 1450–1521) William Byrd (c. 1534–1623) Baroque 1600–1750 Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) George Frideric Handel (1685–1759) Classical 1730–1820 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) Joseph Haydn (1732–1809) Romantic 1815–1900 Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) Franz Schubert (1797–1828) Twentieth-century art music 1900–2000 Arnold Schoenberg (1874–1951) John Cage (1912–1992) Phillip Glass (born 1937) Peter Sculthorpe (born 1929) Postmodernism (twenty-first- century art music) 1975–current Gyorgy Ligeti (1923–2006) Ross Edwards (born 1943) First published in 2009 by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd 42 McDougall Street, Milton, Qld 4064 Typeset in 9.5/13pt Utopia © Helene Galettis 2009 The moral rights of the author have been asserted. National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Author: Title: Galettis, Helene. Musical concepts : music 1 aural skills preliminary and HSC course / Helene Galettis. 978 07314 0832 0 (pbk.) 978 07314 0876 4 (web) Music — Instruction and study — New South Wales. Music — Examinations. Examinations — New South Wales. High school students — New South Wales. Higher School Certificate Examination (NSW) ISBN: Subjects: Dewey Number: 780.709944 Reproduction and communication for educational purposes The Australian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act) allows a maximum of one chapter or 10% of the pages of this work, whichever is the greater, to be reproduced and/or communicated by any educational institution for its educational purposes provided that the educational institution (or the body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to Copyright Agency Limited (CAL). Reproduction and communication for other purposes Except as permitted under the Act (for example, a fair dealing for the purposes of study, research, criticism or review), no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, communicated or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission. All inquiries should be made to the publisher. Cover and internal images: Brand X Pictures (guitarist, rock band, sheet music); Corbis Corporation (teenager wearing headphones); Image 100 (teenage violinist, violins section of orchestra, orchestra and conductor); Photodisc (flautist, sheet music, saxophone keys, trumpet, piano keys). Printed in Singapore by Markono Print Media Pte Ltd 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 rests and pauses 10 Traditional and graphic notation 10 Rhythmic devices 11 Rhythmic layers 12 Tempo 14 Chapter review and listening activities 17 CHAPTER 3 Dynamics and expressive techniques 47 Dynamics 48 Dynamic levels 49 Changes in dynamic levels 50 Emphasis or accents on sounds 50 Expressive techniques 52 Tempo 52 Stylistic indications 53 Articulation 54 Ornamentation 55 Instrumental and vocal techniques 56 Electronic manipulation 61 Style 62 Chapter review and listening activities 64 CHAPTER 2 Pitch 22 Tonality 23 Diatonic scale system 24 Blues scale 24 Pentatonic scale 25 Modal tonality 25 Chromatic scale 25 Microtonal 26 Twentieth-century art music tonality World music scales 28 Melody 30 Definite and indefinite pitch 31 Melodic arrangement 31 Pitch direction and contour 31 Register 32 Range 33 Melodic features 33 CHAPTER 4 Tone colour 26 69 Making of sound 70 Material of the instrument 71 Method of producing sound 71 Types of sound 72 Types of sound sources 73 Performing media/sound sources 74 Types of instruments 74 Sounds: unconventional and electronic 78 Instrumental and vocal techniques 79 Traditional techniques 79 Non-traditional techniques 80 .Contents Preface v About the author viii About eBookPLUS ix Acknowledgements x Introduction: Revising your music knowledge xi Harmony 37 Harmonic rhythm 37 Accompaniment styles 37 Chord structure 38 Modulation 38 Dissonant and consonant sounds 38 Harmonic features 39 Chapter review and listening activities 42 CHAPTER 1 Duration 1 Beat 2 Metre 4 Time signatures 4 Music with mixed metre 6 Absence of metre 6 Rhythm 9 Types of rhythm 9 Note values. Combining sound sources 81 Number of sound sources 83 Sound source arrangements 83 Descriptions of tone colour 85 Musical effect 86 Style 86 Chapter review and listening activities Micro structure 130 Musical aspects that contribute to structure 130 Internal structural analysis 132 Unity and contrast 136 Chapter review and listening activities 88 137 CHAPTER 7 CHAPTER 5 Texture 92 Conceptual links 145 Layers 93 Number of layers 93 Role of layers 95 Relation of layers to one another 99 Density 102 Describing the density 102 Thick density 102 Thin density 103 Type 105 Monophonic 106 Homophonic 107 Polyphonic 108 Heterophonic 108 Graphic notation 110 Chapter review and listening activities 111 Techniques that link the musical concepts 146 Comparison 147 Analysing similarities and differences 147 Analysing version 1 then version 2 149 Listening activities — comparison 152 Unity and contrast 153 Unity 154 Contrast 156 Listening activities — unity and contrast 158 Tension 160 Listening activities — tension 161 Climax 162 Listening activities — climax 164 CHAPTER 6 Structure 120 Labelling sections 121 Macro structure 123 Standard forms 123 Non-standard forms 129 Appendix 1: Answering an Aural Skills examination question 165 Appendix 2: Sample HSC Music 1 Aural Skills examination 168 Glossary 170 Sound bites 179 Index 185 iv Contents . tone colour. s A Glossary gathers together all key term definitions from the book. accessed via the eBookPLUS. for teachers who prefer to download selected pieces Preface v . The features of this student textbook and the eBookPLUS. demonstrate to students key features and techniques they might recognise in musical excerpts. unity. The specific features of this textbook are explained on pages vi–vii. texture and structure. s Sound bites are listed by chapter at the end of the book for quick reference. pitch. s Appendix 1 guides students on ways to shape their answers for the Music 1 Aural Skills examination. along with the teacher resources provided in the Musical Concepts eGuide and on the CD. Musical Concepts student book s The Introduction on page xi revisits the main content areas of the mandatory Music Years 7–10 course for revision before embarking on the Stage 6 Music 1 course. dynamics and expressive techniques. contrast.Preface The principal aim of Musical Concepts is to help students to gain a deeper understanding of the six main concepts of music and to build their confidence in responding to musical excerpts in preparation for the Music 1 Aural Skills examination. s Appendix 2 sets out a sample HSC Aural Skills examination. A broader aim is to enrich students’ experience and enjoyment of music through a deeper appreciation of a variety of genres. form a unique and comprehensive set of resources to meet all requirements of the Aural Skills area of the Music 1 course. These audio examples. Chapter 7 focuses on the musical features that link all of the concepts — comparison. Musical Concepts eGuide The eGuide provides the following resources for teachers: s suggested answers and sample responses for ‘Concept check’ questions and ‘Chapter review and listening activities’ s details and excerpt timings for the listening piece excerpts from the Musical Concepts CD. Musical Concepts eBookPLUS The features of the eBookPLUS include: s the electronic version of the complete textbook in HTML format s sound bites in high-quality MP3 format s weblinks to websites of interest. s Chapters 1–6 provide comprehensive coverage of each concept of music: duration. This chapter suggests to students ways to frame responses when an examination question requires this broader perspective. using listening excerpts provided on the Musical Concepts CD. See page ix for further details on accessing and using the eBookPLUS. forms and techniques. tension and climax. including gradations articulations tempo. Important aspects include the relative softness and loudness of sound. Music 1 Stage 6 Preliminary and HSC Courses. The composer indicates specific details and techniques to guide the musician’s performance. They mainly relate to tempo. Sydney. TEMPO INDICATIONS EXPRESSIVE TECHNIQUES ELECTRONIC MANIPULATION STYLISTIC INDICATIONS INSTRUMENTAL AND VOCAL TECHNIQUES ORNAMENTATION ARTICULATION Some categories of expressive techniques Tempo Tempo is the speed at which a piece of music is performed. These directions help portray the style of the music. Musical Concepts CD The CD provides for teachers the listening piece excerpts to accompany the text’s listening activities and HSC-style questions. EXPRESSIVE TECHNIQUES Expressive techniques refer to the way a performer plays a piece of music. and electronic manipulation. along with sound bites. style. EXPRESSIVE TECHNIQUES are used to create the musical detail that articulates a style or interpretation of a style. Additional suggested listening pieces offer suitable musical alternatives for the study of each concept. Many of these features overlap in meaning. ornamentation. French. Some composers using traditional notation add terms on scores to indicate tempo and changes in tempo.s guidance on timings and activities to use with the ‘Additional suggested listening pieces’ as alternative excerpts to those provided on the Musical Concepts CD. Expressive techniques are coupled with dynamics. it is not necessary to study these specific terms for this course. check that you understand and can apply the following: a range of dynamics. you will rely on your ear to identify techniques as scores are not provided. Board of Studies NSW 1999. articulation. it would sound quite unexciting and plain. DYNAMICS refer to the volume of sound. moderate. After completing this chapter. As we saw when we discussed the concept of duration in chapter 1. All listening excerpts are carefully selected so that students experience a wide variety of musical styles — from classical to postmodern and contemporary. extracted from the HSC syllabus. The listening activities at the ends of chapters are based on these excerpts (available on the Musical Concepts CD). instrumental and vocal techniques. Musical Concepts — the features CHAPTER A definition of the concept. without these features to give a variety of ‘shades’ to a piece of music. and can include the tempo. it is important to identify: s changes in tempo 52 Musical Concepts MUSIC 1 AURAL SKILLS PRELIMINARY AND HSC COURSE vi Preface . but are most commonly Italian. Music scores can contain many specific terms that identify expressive techniques. ‘Duration’. instrumental techniques and electronic manipulation. In the aural exam. Tempo may also affect the expressive quality of the music. Although composers indicate on a written score the speed at which to play their music. and including international and Australian composers and artists. German or English. tempo is speed and the tempo indication on a score tells the performer how fast to play the piece. Mind maps illustrate the progressive development of each concept through the chapter. including gradations stylistic indications. NSW. Changes in tempo As well as being able to recognise and describe the overall tempo of a piece of music. What is required is to gain an understanding of the effects the tempo and tempo changes have on a piece of music. steady. ADDITIONAL SUGGESTED LISTENING PIECES ‘It’s Oh So Quiet’ by Björk ‘Ancient Voices of Children’ by George Crumb ‘Hung Up’ by Madonna (featuring ABBA) CHAPTER 3 Dynamic and expressive techniques 47 Key terms are defined in clear and concise language in the context of the topic. articulation. HSC TIP Your aim in the Music 1 Aural Skills exam is to demonstrate an understanding of the effects the expressive techniques have on the piece of music. you can use English terms such as slow. This chapter will help you to discuss dynamics and expressive techniques in terms of: s¬ the softness and loudness of musical sound s¬ changes in volume s¬ accents on particular sounds s¬ ways of expressing or interpreting a musical style. However. demonstrating that many aspects of the concepts of music overlap. indicates the main content to be covered in the chapter. ornamentation. change of loudness (contrast). fast or very fast to describe the tempo. rather than specifically naming the terms. HSC TIP Tempo is also featured in chapter 1. These terms may be in Italian. to help you to become familiar with expressive techniques and to use some of these terms in exam responses. Selected terms are outlined below. and the emphasis on individual sounds (accent). A wide range of expressive techniques have been developed over time. style. HSC tips offer students timely reminders about the level of understanding required for the Music 1 course. 3 LISTENING ACTIVITY PIECES ‘If You Keep Losing Sleep’ by Silverchair (page 66) ‘Overture: Marriage of Figaro’ by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (page 66) ‘Drift’ by Sean Haefeli (page 68) ‘Ta Douleur’ by Camille (page 68) Dynamics and expressive techniques Listening activity pieces represent a wide range of musical styles. Expressive techniques refer to the way a performer plays a piece of music. or any other tempo changes? If so.11 Concept check — Sound sources 1 Mind maps are a way of visualising information. The ‘bank’ of sound bites. log on to www. There are several unconventional sounds in the sound bite.com. Describe the voice or voices in the excerpt. the second is from a source that can produce sound only by electronic means — that is. Sound bite SOUND BITE 4. ternary form twelve-bar blues binary form verse/chorus form theme and variation common forms through composed verse/chorus form Sound bite icons appear throughout each chapter. can be accessed via the eBookPLUS. laughing. Electronic sound sources An electronic sound is a sound that is produced or modified by electronic means. Name the four instrumental families of the orchestra. and listening activities provide aural skills practice. Sounds: unconventional and electronic As well as performing media. chorus etc. These nontraditional sounds are usually shown by composers on a musical score using graphic notation. 3. (j) Are any electronic modifications to the sound used to manipulate it for effect? If so.au and access the weblinks for this chapter. using letter names. Copy and label the blank mind map on the next page from your understanding of what you have learnt in this chapter. Place the relevant words you have learnt on the branches provided. All rights Reserved. (e) What is the macro structure of ‘My Island Home’? LISTENING ACTIVITIES 1. name them and describe where they occur. what specifically has been used? The range of questions is designed to help students to critically evaluate music and articulate their understanding in terms of the concepts of music. SOUND BITE 4. CD TRACK 10 HSC-STYLE QUESTION An excerpt (2 minutes 2 seconds) of ‘Ta Douleur’. screaming. such as by an electric guitar. CHAPTER REVIEW AND LISTENING ACTIVITIES Weblink: 4'33" by John Cage Concept check questions are included at regular intervals to test students’ understanding. (f) If a written score is available to you. for example composing a piece that requires a violinist to knock on the back of the violin. Listen to the sound bite and list the instruments that you hear. 2. truck noises or electronic sounds. describe them using either Italian or English words. CD TRACK 9 142 Musical Concepts MUSIC 1 AURAL SKILLS PRELIMINARY AND HSC COURSE HSC TIP Be prepared in the exam for possible separate references to ‘dynamics’ and ‘expressive techniques’. (Refer back to page 72 and read the section on synthesisers.12 Concept check — Sound sources 2 strophic form Standard forms structures in world music MACRO Non-standard forms (structures that don’t fit into any standard forms) 5. PAST EXAM QUESTIONS Describe the solo singer’s use of pitch and expressive techniques in this performance. CHAPTER 6 Structure 137 Chapter review questions consolidate students’ learning.com. A comprehensive mind map encompasses all important features of the musical concept as a memory aid and a visual tool for planning responses. au and access the weblinks for this chapter. we may also hear other sound sources in a piece of music. Time: First playing Second playing Third playing Fourth playing Fifth playing Sixth playing short pause 30-second pause 1-minute pause 1-minute pause 2-minute pause 2-minute pause HSC-style questions give students practice at answering exam questions. SOUND BITE 4. (c) Are there changes in dynamic levels in the excerpt? If so. using the instrumental entries to help you. such as Leroy Anderson’s ‘The Typewriter Song’ and Edgard Varèse’s ‘Poème Electronique’. identify the solo instrument featured. International copyright secured. therefore silences. the turning of the score pages by the performer and the opening and closing of the piano lid. (2002) How are dynamics and expressive techniques explored in this excerpt? (2006) Board of Studies NSW HSC Music 1 Aural Skills Examinations 68 Musical Concepts MUSIC 1 AURAL SKILLS PRELIMINARY AND HSC COURSE Preface vii . all in highquality MP3 format. Samples of traditional notation and graphic notation are included in the chapters. (b) Comment on the dynamic levels at the start of the excerpt. To hear and watch videos of some examples. (c) How many bars are in each phrase? (d) Outline the structure in terms of verse. log on to www. For example. Listening activities are based on the listening excerpts on the Musical Concepts CD but may also be applied to a teacher’s or student’s own choice of excerpts. To watch a performance of John Cage’s ‘4'33" ’. Composers of twentieth-century art music also experimented with the way instruments are played. My Island Home Words and Music by Neil Murray © Rondor Music Australia Pty Limited. Such ‘unconventional’ sounds may include bird song or human screams. by a synthesiser or MIDI. What does this tell us about the range of the melody? (b) Outline the structure. you may hear unusual vocal sounds in a piece of music — for example. composers experimented with all sorts of sounds and broke most of the conventional rules for making music. (e) Are there any changes to this tempo. speaking. Analyse the score then answer the following questions in relation to the excerpt. Used by permission. 4. what overall description of the excerpt would the composer use as a stylistic indication for the performer? (g) Comment on any use in the excerpt of articulation to portray expressive qualities. This mind map shows the features for the concept of structure that can be applied to any listening piece. Expressive techniques (d) Name the tempo of the musical excerpt. (h Describe the use of ornamentation in the excerpt to portray expressive qualities. The factors that created the sound in this piece were audience noise.14 Sound sources 4 SOUND BITE 4.13 Sound sources 3 SOUND BITE 4. Listen to the sound bite.) CONCEPT CHECK ½½½ SOUND SOURCES 1. A question may not necessarily refer to both terms.jacplus. As you listen to each of the following sound bites. before the voice enters.15 Concept check — Unconventional sounds Instrument twelve-bar blues specific forms vocal forms rondo form HSC TIP Mind maps are a useful revision tool for the HSC Aural Skills exam. There are two ways that an electronic sound can be heard: the first is when a raw sound is electronically enhanced.jacplus. Dynamics (a) Comment on the overall dynamic levels in the music. by Camille. Discuss the use of dynamics and expressive techniques in this excerpt. Weblink: Unconventional sounds in music As mentioned. (i) Are any instrumental or vocal techniques applied in the excerpt? If so. List all the sounds that you can hear TECHNIQUES THAT CREATE UNITY 78 Musical Concepts MUSIC 1 AURAL SKILLS PRELIMINARY AND HSC COURSE STRUCTURE TECHNIQUES THAT CREATE CONTRAST Analysis of all musical concepts MICRO Analysis of all musical concepts Analysis of all musical concepts with internal structures 6. Listen to the excerpt your teacher will play and answer the following questions in extended point form. will be played SIX times for you to answer this question. be specific as to which techniques the composer has chosen. breathing or whispering. Identify the range of dynamics used (you may use Italian or English words to describe the volume levels). Score reading.Weblinks to websites of interest can be accessed from the eBookPLUS. (a) Label the lowest to the highest notes in the first verse. John Cage’s piano piece ‘4'33"’ is made up entirely of musical rests. Unconventional sound sources At the beginning of the twentieth century. 5. and a score-reading activity is provided for each concept. She first taught at Sydney Girls High School and has taught the HSC preparation course for Music 1 and Music 2 at the Australian Institute of Music. as well as tutoring privately. Helene is an HSC marker for the practical component of the examinations. Helene completed a Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Education at the University of New South Wales. She currently teaches at Ashfield Boys High School in Sydney. Her input into the school’s outstanding music program has seen her nominated as a finalist in the 2008 ASG Inspirational Teacher Awards as part of the National Excellence in Teaching Awards. viii About the author .About the author Helene Galettis is an experienced music teacher with a strong commitment to inspiring students to achieve excellence while also enjoying their music studies. 5 or Safari 1. LOGIN Once you have created your account. There are three easy steps for using the JacarandaPLUS system.com. Enter your registration code Once you have created a new account and logged in. Create a user account The first time you use the JacarandaPLUS system.au). Minimum requirements s Internet Explorer 7.Next generation teaching and learning About eBookPLUS Musical Concepts features eBookPLUS: an electronic version of the entire textbook and supporting multimedia resources.com. It is available for you online at the JacarandaPLUS website (www. Go to the JacarandaPLUS home page (www.au Phone: 1800 JAC PLUS (1800 522 7587) About eBookPlus ix .jacplus.com.jacplus. Ltd. Step 3.com.au) and follow the instructions on screen. simply log on to www. you will be prompted to enter your unique registration code for this book. Using the JacarandaPLUS website To access your eBookPLUS resources. Email:
[email protected] s Adobe Flash Player 9 s Javascript must be enabled (most browsers are enabled by default). Simply select the desired chapter from the drop-down list and navigate through the tabs to locate the appropriate resource.au. you can use the same email address and password in the future to register any JacarandaPLUS books.jacplus.jacplus.com. Step 2. which is printed on the inside front cover of your textbook. Mozilla Firefox 1. View or download eBookPLUS resources Your eBook and supporting resources are provided in a chapter-by-chapter format. Troubleshooting s Go to the JacarandaPLUS help page at www. Step 1.au s Contact John Wiley & Sons Australia. you will need to create a user account. page 80 (score excerpt from George Crumb’s ‘Black Angels’)/© 1971 by C. All rights reserved.Acknov vledgements The author and publisher wish to thank the following reviewers whose comments helped to develop the content and features of the chapters: Karen Burke. 68. Musical Concepts would not have been possible without the skills and professionalism of the Jacaranda team. D. and Katherine Galettis for contributing vocal examples. www. The author and publisher thank the following copyright holders. Linda Moulton. W. All rights reserved. Greg Goyette and Steve Wilkins. Wilkins: pages 19–20. 144. Reproduced by kind permission of the publishers • Image 100 Ltd: page 4 (conductor and orchestra) • Photolibrary: page 32 (male singer)/photolibrary. Helene gives a special thank you to editor Jem Bates. and special mention to publisher Angela Wong and developmental editor Carol Grabham for their endeavours. All print rights for Australia and New Zealand administered by Sasha Music Publishing. International copyright secured. Used by permission of C. Helene also gives special thanks to family and friends for their support during the writing and development of the book and to her music teachers for their inspiration. Peters Corporation • EyeWire Images: page 58 (violinist) • Fairfax Photo Library/Anita Jones: page 77 (choristers) • Faber Music Ltd: page 34 (excerpt from Peter Sculthorpe’s ‘Boat Rise’)/© 1980 by Faber Music. We are grateful to Paul Burjan. Richmond North. 46. 92. Ltd. organisations and individuals for their assistance and for permission to reproduce copyright material. Jodie McInness. Robertson.au. Reprinted with permission • Yamaha Music Australia: page 62 (synthesiser). Used by permission. please contact the Permissions Section at John Wiley & Sons Australia. Every effort has been made to trace ownership of copyright material. Jennifer Nangle. © Universal Music Publishing Pty Ltd. 69.com/Lebrecht/Toby Wales • Stockhausen-Verlag: page 7/ © 1995 by Stockhausen-Verlag. who created the sound bites. Kuerten • Tim Finn and Neil Finn: pages 134–5 (‘Weather with You’ score and lyrics)/© Mushroom Music Publishing. x Acknou vledgements .ampd. 22. Peters Corporation. a division of All Music Publishing & Distribution Pty Ltd. 91. 120 (Music 1 Stage 6 Preliminary and HSC syllabus extracts). pages 21. 146–7 (past exam questions) • Corbis Australia: page 32 (female singer)/Lebrecht Music & Arts. page 60 (trumpets)/Jim Sugar • Edition Peters Limited: page 56 (score excerpt from John Cage’s ‘TV Köln’)/© 1960 by Henmar Press. 119. AAP Image/Daniel Pace: page 95 (band photo) • A. Unauthorised reproduction is illegal • Universal Music Publishing: pages 142–3 (‘My Island Home’ score and lyrics)/ words and music by Neil Murray. Cornell Jnr. 97–9 (‘Hip’ score and lyrics) • Board of Studies NSW: pages 1. PO Box 1031. copyright researcher Terry Burkitt and compositor Peter Evans. F. In such cases.com. Information that will enable the publisher to rectify any errors or omissions in subsequent reprints will be welcome. ACN 079 628 434 ABN 79 079 628 434. F. Victoria 3121. 47. dynamics and expressive techniques. Most music is written in a major key or minor key. pitch. Aspects of pitch in music include melody. s Definite pitch is a tuned and distinct sound. referred to as duple metre. The content covers four broad areas: music concepts. Composers can include various features in a melody to make it sound interesting. you will have completed the Music Years 7–10 course. three or four beats per bar (a division of music). music technology and musical contexts. a keyboard player or backing vocalists. They can indicate either the overall tempo that the composer desires or a change in tempo within a piece of music. composing and listening. s Tempo refers to the speed at which a piece or song is to be played. In a rock band. the lead singer usually holds the melody. allegro means ‘fast and lively’. s Melody is the organisation of pitch into patterns. s Metre is the division of the beats per bar. Beats are arranged into groups. Some students may also have completed the Music Elective course in Years 9–10. MUSIC CONCEPTS We can analyse any piece of music that has ever been written using the six concepts of music: duration. tempo and rhythm. musical notation. s Tonality refers to the scale system used for a piece of music. You will be familiar with this from your experiences in performing. For example. of high and low sounds. such as the speaking voice. although many other scales exist. In music we refer to aspects of duration as beat. happy sound to it. metre. texture and structure. Duration Duration refers mainly to length. one in a minor key can sound sad. A piece in a major key generally has a pleasant.Introduction: Revising your music knou vledge Before beginning the senior course. they can be divided into two. tone colour. s Rhythm refers to the way patterns of notes of different lengths are organised. a harmonic role is played by a bass guitar. Tempo indications on scores are often presented using Italian words. s Harmony is heard at the same time as a melody to complement it musically. tonality. Like rhythm. Introduction: Revising your music knou vledge xi . indefinite/definite pitch and pitch direction. In a standard rock band. Pitch A tune in a song is generally made up of high and low sounds. pitch is organised into patterns — in this case. This is called pitch. Music 1. Composers can use the key signature to portray such moods. s A beat is the underlying pulse in a piece of music. triple metre or quadruple metre. such as the singing voice. harmony. Following is a brief theory revision of the Years 7–10 mandatory course. an indefinite pitch is an untuned sound. for example crescendo meaning ‘gradually becoming louder’. double bassoon trumpet. timpani. idiophones or aerophones. tuba. cello. clarinet. The four families of the orchestra Families of the orchestra Strings Woodwind Brass Percussion Examples of instruments violin. double bass. piccolo. chordophones. maracas. Dynamic levels in music also include changes in dynamics. Dynamic levels are often indicated using Italian names.s Pitch direction is the movement of the melody. French horn triangle. The table below shows how instruments are categorised in an orchestra into four ‘families’: strings. Dynamics and expressive techniques Dynamics refers to the volume of sound in music. harp flute. viola. brass and percussion. For example. You would decipher first whether it is a male or female voice. bass clarinet. ranging from pianissimo meaning ‘very soft’ to fortissimo meaning ‘very loud’. it is likely that you will recognise their voice. World music classification World music group Membranophones Idiophones Aerophones Chordophones Description instruments with a stretched skin instruments that are hit. These are described in the table below. then the quality of the sound. oboe. The pattern of notes might have an upward or downward direction or stay at the same level. In the same way. an expressive technique for an electric guitar is distortion. English horn. bassoon. leaps of larger intervals or combinations of these. Tone colour Tone colour refers to the quality of sound. trombone. Distortion is added to create a certain effect and is associated with a particular style of rock music. It is generally described in terms of loud and soft levels. shaken or scraped instruments that are blown into instruments that have strings Examples and country of origin steel drums (Caribbean) dundun (Africa) gamelan (Indonesia) mbira (Africa) didgeridoo (Australia) bagpipes (Scotland) bouzouki (Greece) sitar (India) xii Introduction: Revising your music knou vledge . we group world music instruments as membranophones. although other dynamic levels are also described in music. Expressive techniques refer to additions made to a piece of music by a composer or performer to portray the stylistic features of the particular piece. If someone you know very well speaks but you cannot see the person. woodwind. The pitch direction might include steps from one note to another. castanets When we study world music. we identify instruments by the various sounds available to the people performing with them. Pieces that have a standard or non-standard form can be analysed through their components and the musical aspects that unify or create contrast. Introduction: Revising your music knou vledge xiii . standardised forms commonly used by composers of that time. the sections of music. Sound sources relate to ‘other sounds’. We use the term ‘layer’ to describe one instrument or a combination of instruments in a piece of music. often unconventional. The table below lists some forms. Musical notation can be viewed in two different ways: s conventional or traditional notation. Structure The structure of a building is essentially how it is put together. although transcriptions of music into a written form have become a common way to help preserve the unique music from these cultures. Texture The texture of sound in a piece of music is its ‘thinness’ or ‘thickness’. also known as graphic notation. an oboe can be said to have a ‘nasal’ quality. More importantly. it allowed many more musicians to reproduce the music and for the composer’s work to live on. bridge. chorus. Performing media refers to the media or instruments used to perform a piece of music. coda — — — Symbols or terms that indicate musical sections Unity and contrast are also a part of the study of structure. that may be found in a piece of music. For example. Many cultures still rely only on the aural communication of music. such as bird sounds and human screams.Musical instruments are occasionally categorised into a class called performing media. the smaller component being a verse. Descriptive words are used to describe sounds when analysing a piece of music. the structure or form of a piece results from the way the smaller components. For example. In the Western music tradition. the overall structure of a song may take a verse/chorus form. Styles of music through history have often provided set. the time came when it was necessary for music to be written down in order for musicians to perform it. are arranged together. or a voice could be described as having a ‘raspy’ tone. verse. Common forms in music Form Binary Ternary Rondo Verse/chorus form Theme and variations Strophic Through composed AB ABA ABACA introduction. MUSICAL NOTATION Musical notation is the written representation of music. In music. or s unconventional or non-traditional notation. Accidentals are sharps.Graphic notation has been utilised by postmodernist composers. These notes are placed on either a line or a space on the stave. rather than the traditional (notes on a stave) notation. from its European origin in the seventeenth century. GBDFA — ‘Great Big Dreams For Australia’ s bass clef spaces. a key is the tonic note from which a system of tones and semitones is established to form different modes or scales. This grid of four spaces and five lines is called a stave or staff. A key signature is the sharps or flats indicating what key the piece is in. For example: s treble clef lines. Accidentals Key signatures In music. FACE — ‘Face’ s bass clef lines. A blank stave is shown below. Sound is represented by notes placed on a grid framework. Phrases using each letter (known as ‘mnemonics’) are a useful memory tool for students learning to read a musical score and play an instrument. It is also referred to as ‘Western notation’. xiv Introduction: Revising your music knou vledge . from the twentieth century onwards. This music is represented by symbols drawn graphically. Tones and semitones Tones and semitones are terms referring to the distances between notes. s A semitone is the smallest distance between two notes. ACEG — ‘All Cows Eat Grass’. EGBDF — ‘Every Good Boy Deserves Ferraris’ s treble clef spaces. Conventional notation Conventional or traditional notation is the most regularly used notation. Notes are placed on a line or in a space on the stave. s A tone is the distance of two semitones. The key note is the most important note. flats and naturals used in front of notes to change the pitch. A blank stave The first seven letters of the alphabet are used when reading music in staves: ABCDEFG. Musicians playing lower sounding instruments. clarinet or flute. Note American names Sixteenth note English names Semiquaver Symbol Rest Value ¼ beat V C O F U v v Quaver Eighth note ½ beat Crotchet Quarter note 1 beat Minim Half note 2 beats Semibreve Whole note 4 beats Common note values and corresponding rests Introduction: Revising your music knou vledge xv . The combination of various note values with pitch produces a melody. read the treble clef. The time calculations for these rest values are the same as for their corresponding note values (see below). or higher notes. The most commonly used clefs in music are the treble clef and the bass clef. and the bass clef indicates the left hand or lower notes. A musical rest can also be shown. These notes are written on leger lines above and below the stave. Musicians playing higher sounding instruments. such as the violin. such as the bass guitar or the tuba. On the typical piano score shown below.Clefs Clefs are the signs at the start of a piece of music indicating the relative pitch of notes. and are counted in sequence in the same manner as notes inside the stave. meaning that the performer is silent for that duration of time. the treble clef indicates the notes played by the right hand. read the bass clef. Extract from a piano score showing key signature and clefs Leger lines Notes can extend higher or lower than the five-line stave. Examples of leger lines Note values Music is read on a stave and each note has a particular count value. the number four is at the bottom. Every line is equivalent to four crotchet beats and a semibreve. the American names for notes are helpful when deriving and understanding time signatures. Thus when indicating four crotchet beats per bar. the time signature looks like this: xvi Introduction: Revising your music knou vledge . as shown below. where the branches indicate the division of beats. Time signatures A time signature is a symbol at the start of a piece of music that indicates the timing for the piece of music. The range of rhythmic values can also be arranged as a rhythm tree. It is most frequently indicated by the time signature at the beginning of a piece of music. in the table on page xvii. When written as a fraction. The division of metre can be duple. For example. triple or quadruple.The English terms for notes. are used in Australia. we see that the American name for a crotchet is a quarter note. Whole note Half notes Quarter notes Eighth notes Sixteenth notes Rhythm tree Metre Metre is the organised succession of rhythmic pulses. However. such as semibreve and minim. as shown below. you will need to consider a number of components and aspects of the score. A numbering system used by Mozart Andante in C Major K. When you analyse a score in Music 1.Score reading and analysing Reading and analysing a score is more than just reading the ‘dots on the page’ from left to right. 315 Stylistic indication: at an easy walking pace treble clef for Flute and Orchestra time = 2 crotchet beats per bar crotchet Famous classical composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) trill quaver rest Oboe piano = soft Horn in C minim rest crotchet rest slur sharp semiquaver rest Principal transverse flute Violin 1 pizzicato = plucked with the bow Violin 2 Viola Cello and Double Bass bass clef alto clef Analysing a score Introduction: Revising your music knou vledge xvii . MUSICAL CONTEXTS In music. Some aspects of music technology that you might study are: s the ways technology is used to create music s the music industry and sound recording s recorded sound through history s the development of electronic instruments. ‘MIDI’ stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. Examples are GarageBand. multimedia Theatre music Rock music Music and technology Environmental music Australian music The compulsory topic ‘Australian Music’ is a significant part of the mandatory Music Years 7–10 course. including the traditional music of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. a genre is a particular style of music. as does hand clapping and beating sticks together. In Years 7–10. There are many programs to choose from depending on what is available at your school. Finale and Logic. expressing their feelings for the past. television. legends and nature are the main subjects of Aboriginal songs and dances. Sibelius.MUSIC TECHNOLOGY Technology plays a significant role in music. you will have used sequencing and notation software to create or edit music. A MIDI track can be imported into sequencing software and edited for the individual. Traditional Australian music The Australian Aboriginal people use music to preserve their tribal culture. Tribal stories. As in many tribal cultures. Not only have technological developments occurred through music history. there are also MIDI tracks. Cubase. In their songs and dances they often mimic the behaviours of birds. Australian music has many genres that you can study. As well as this digital mode of listening to music. but the way we listen to music is based on technology. present and future through ceremonial songs and dances. xviii Introduction: Revising your music knou vledge . transfer and even manipulate music. film. animals and fish. the voice plays a major part in their music. The most common Aboriginal instrument is the didgeridoo. as well as some other genres. such as: Popular music Baroque music Classical music Nineteenth-century music Medieval music Renaissance music Art music Music of a culture Music for small ensembles Music for large ensembles Jazz music Music for radio. Today. MP3 and MP4 players are the new digital way to listen. In Years 7–10 you will have studied Australian music as a mandatory topic. although they are all very similar in design. Classical and Romantic periods and twentieth.and twenty-firstcentury art music (postmodernism). 1534–1623) Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) George Frideric Handel (1685–1759) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) Joseph Haydn (1732–1809) Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) Franz Schubert (1797–1828) Arnold Schoenberg (1874–1951) John Cage (1912–1992) Phillip Glass (born 1937) Peter Sculthorpe (born 1929) Gyorgy Ligeti (1923–2006) Ross Edwards (born 1943) Postmodernism (twenty-firstcentury art music) 1975–current Introduction: Revising your music knou vledge xix . 1450–1521) William Byrd (c. It refers to the music of the western region of Europe.) 476–1400 1400–1600 1600–1750 1730–1820 1815–1900 1900–2000 Key composers of the period Guillaume de Machaut (c. The following table of Western art music gives approximate period dates and key composers from those periods. Western art music Musical period Medieval Renaissance Baroque Classical Romantic Twentieth-century art music Dates (approx.Western art music Western art music commonly refers to the music of the Medieval. Baroque. 1300–1377) Josquin Desprez (c. Renaissance.