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Musical Forms - Music from 1650 - 1900

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Ground: Definition: A ground (English) or basso ostinato (Italian) is a repeating bass line or progression of harmonies upon which music was improvised and composed in the Renaissance and Baroque.

Listening example: Pachelbel,  "Canon"

First, the bass lays down a simple rhythmic and melodic pattern, which it will repeat throughout the piece. This is called a Then at bar 12) a violin states the principal theme, and when it has gotten far enough along (0:21), another violin follows in its footsteps, repeating the very same notes, which have been ingeniously designed so that the first and second violins together create harmony. When the third "voice"--third violin--enters (0:30), the canon is fully underway. Gradually the theme is varied--developed--so that it becomes more complex and virtuostic; but every time the lead violinist does something new the second and third ones faithfully follow.

Theme & Variations: Definition: . (Baroque-Classical) A set of variations based on a theme that is stated at the beginning as in: A A1 A2 A3 A4 . . . A. Often the theme is itself in Rounded Binary* form. Prototype: Bach's Goldberg Variations

Listening example: Mozart, ‘Variations on Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’  

See a notation: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

These are a set of piano variations based on a French folk tune. The theme is stated clearly in the right hand with a simple one-note accompaniment. In the first variation, Mozart decorates the tune by adding to it with a quaver movement. There are 12 variations the variations become increasingly elaborate with use of semiquaver and triplet movement in the right hand. The theme appears in the minor key and in the left hand part. This is a typical Classical (1750-1820) variation for the newly popular piano, which could produce the crescendos and diminuendos popular at this time.

Rondo: Definition:  (Classical)

Listening example Mozart, ‘Rondo A La Turka’

This is a piano composition, the last movement of a sonata by Mozart in A major. A sonata is a solo work for piano with three or four pieces called movements. This is a lighthearted fast composition with a very strong rhythm. It is a typical rondo form piano piece in that it clearly follows the structure of a rondo form composition. It has a narrow range of notes showing the limitations of the Classical piano, which had a narrower range of motes and no sustaining pedal.

Ternary: Definition - A three-section form: A B A. Each section commonly has repeats. Each section begins and ends in the same key, but the B section is normally in a different key from A. Examples: classical minuets and scherzos.

Listening example: Beethoven Eccosaise

The entire composition can be organized in an overall form of ABA. A group of phrases can represent the A section of a song. It can then have a contrasting B section including a group of phrases and then return to the A section again. This is a form used in many compositions that early piano students play, such as the Beethoven Eccosaise in G major.

Back to Repetition and Contrast in Western Music 1600-1750

Musical Forms - New Directions in 20th Century Music

Serialism: Definition:  defines a piece of music for which there is an order to the progression of events.

• Events are notes and/or aspects of the music
• Including: chord duration, rhythms, dynamics
• Twelve Tone only refers to the notes.

The order of events (series) are determined by a numerical representation of a tone row

Tone Row – Definition The arrangement of all twelve notes of the equal-tempered scale so that each note appears only once.

• Each note has equal importance
• No tonic and dominant relations 
• The order of these twelve notes is to be strictly followed throughout the piece
• Only four possible permutations on the row

Listening example: Klavierstuk 6 by Schoenberg

Schoenberg was the composer who invented and first used the idea of a tone row as a building block of his composing. This is a  short and atmospheric piano composition which illustrates the effects of music which lacks a key centre.

Listening example:Quartet O. 22, I" by Webern 

  Webern was a follower of Schoenberg. This work contains an unusual combination of 4 instruments as well as  a-tonal writing

An Internet sit with a matrix showing all permutations of the tone row

http://www.geocities.com/dan_cavanagh/matrix.htm.

Further information about serial music

http://www.duckmusic.free-online.co.uk/hatton/serial/serialmenu.htm

http://members.aol.com/mikewyz/stuff/serial.html

http://www.pcpros.net/~ntxawgl/music/12_tones_technique.htm

 

 

Minimalist music: Definition - The main concept behind minimalist composition is the use of a small (or "minimal") amount of musical material. Composers take these musical patterns and repeat them over and over and over and over... you get the idea. They vary these patterns over long stretches of time, often so that the listener cannot readily perceive the changes. For that reason, minimalist music is often said to have a trance-like or hypnotic effect.

Listening example:  'Metamorphosis 1' by Philip Glass

A piano composition which contains gradually evolving broken chord patterns between strong sustained chords. It has the typically almost hypnotic repetitive patterns of minimalist music.

Listening example: 1988's "Different Trains"  by Steve Reich

This composition set Steve Reich on a new path which harked back to his earliest tape pieces. Composed for the Kronos String Quartet, it was based around taped interviews with, amongst others, Holocaust survivors. Fragments of speech were sampled, then duplicated and echoed by the strings. The result was both inventive and deeply moving. The recording was backed with the simple and unforced beauty of "Electric Counterpoint" (1987), a piece for multi-tracked guitars performed by jazz guitarist Pat Metheny.

Listening example:Tubular Bells by Milke Oldfield. http://www.tubular.net/midi/ 

At the site above there are many versions of Tubular bells which is an extended electronic pop composition which has many minimalist elements especially at the start.

Experimental: Definition - Composers who tried completely new ways to compose were called experimental composers.

Listening example: "Amores: I (1945)" by John Cage for prepared piano

The piano is prepared by adding rubbers and screws between strings to change the timbre of specific notes. Notations used: many of these sounds cannot be notated using conventional notation and so graphic notations are often used. This development also applies to electronic music.

Electronic music: Definition - Using electronic sources of sound or changing sounds with tapes utilizing sequences of music events and their permutations (augmentation, diminution, pitch shift and time reversal)

Listening example: Autobahn by Kraftwerk

This German group of composers were originally writing what they considered as Classical electronic music but became popular in the pop music scene. 'Autobahn' is perhaps their most well known composition.

Listening example: ‘Kontakte’ by Stockhausen

Stockhausen has sounds created by using tapes and computers which are not possible on ‘live’ instruments. E.g. ‘ a metallic sound gradually turning into a wooden sound; sounds spinning round the audience by using 4 speakers around the audience with four sound sources.

Back to new directions in 20th Century Music

Musical Forms - Song in popular music

Blues: Definition - A slow jazz style which is sung to sad lyrics and often has the 12-bar blues chord structure.  It can be accompanied by a small jazz band or just the guitar.  

Listening example: Morning Blues

Reggae Definition - Reggae is a 'pop' style from the Caribbean.  It features electronic instruments and singers, usually with West Indian accents.  It features off beat accents on the drum-kit and staccato chords on the rhythm guitar.  The bass player has a 'walking bass' type of bass melody accompaniment.  

Listening example: 'Brown Girl In The Ring' Jamaican traditional

Rock 'n' Roll  Definition - A 'pop' style from the 1950s.  It often uses the 12-bar blues chord sequence but in a faster and more cheerful style. Typical instrumentation includes the drum-kit, lead, rhythm and bass guitars as well as singers.  

Listening example: Hound Dog

Stage Musical  Definition - A musical is a play with music.  The story is developed through singing and dancing.  

Listening example: Edelweiss from Sound Of Music

Club Dance Remix  Definition - A pop tune or other well know tune playd to a new backing. This is usually a pop dance backing such as hip-hop 

Listening example: 

 

Back to song in popular music

Musical Forms - World Music

African Music Definition - Africa is a very large continet and naturally has a wide variety of local styles. Perhaps the biggest divide in the musical culture is that between the Arab north and the black African south. 

The music of black Africa is often very rhythmically complex using polyrhythms. The vocal music often makes use of the call and response structure of the work song.

An African links site from Australia: http://www.acslink.aone.net.au/christo/african.htm

Gamelan Definition - An orchestra of gongs and bells from South east Asia with a characteristic use of pentatonic scale and sometimes voices singing with quarter tone inflections.  

Indonesian gamelan links: http://indonesia.elga.net.id/music.html

Indian Raga - Definition  

Key Points

1. The music is usually associated with dance and religion

2. Indian ragas (scales) (about 132) associated with moods.  A fixed melodic formula used throughout the composition.

3.  Indian music is much more dependent upon melody than western music.

4. Chords are not used.

5.  Tuned drums are often used for accompaniment. The tuned drums are called tablas

6. The music usually starts solowly.  It gradually increases in speed and becomes more complex as it develops.

7. Often contains a drone instrument called a tambura which uses tonic and dominant notes (Doh and Soh)

8. The sitar is the main string instrument. There are 4 strings for the melody where the player slides from one note to another. There are between 15 and 20 sympathetic drone strings which vibrate continuously while the main tune strings are played.

Helpful Web site http://www.santoor.com/instruction1.html

Culture Mix

The music should combine characteristic elements of music from different cultures. For example

• The rhythms from one culture (African ) with the melodic lines of another (Arabian) e.g. Senegalese music

• The chord sequences from one culture (European) combined with the melodies of another. (Indian) e.g. Indian film music.

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