Music Theory free essay sample

One of the most famous pieces during the medieval period was O Planarians Virgo, which was composed by Hildebrand von Binge during ca 1140- 1179. The purpose of this heavenly chant was to give praise to the Blessed Virgin Mary and hymns were the form of this Christian chant. However, the form of O primitivism Virgo did not fit the traditional hymn pattern. Instead of having a regular number of lines and syllables per line, none had a regular number of lines per stanza or syllables per line.In spite of this, the chant was apparently strophic with successive verses all beginning with melodic phrases. In all, the form of o Vulgarisms Virgo was relatively vague compared to other hymns of the times. The piece consisted of only one melody, performed by male voices in sync without any instrumental sounds. In addition, the tone of the piece was modal with tonic pitch of G and the third above It. We will write a custom essay sample on Music Theory or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Since the dynamics of the piece maintained from mezzo Plano to mezzo forte without sudden or drastic dynamics changes, the piece flowed smoothly creating a great pleasure to the listeners.I enjoyed the smoothness f the piece and the descending scalar passages greatly adopted throughout the music. However, I did not appreciate much of the free style of the stanzas and the short breaks between each stanza. Non Aver Ambient Quests Ml Donna by Francesco Landing Non Aver Maples Quests Ml Donna was one of the well-known pieces created by simple form of homophony in the early medieval period, Non Aver Ambient Quests Aim Donna was a 3-part ballet with a solo female voice and two accompanying male vices forming a polyphonic rhythm.Each voice was independent yet formed a great harmony throughout the piece. There was no instrumental element in the piece but the mixture of upscale and downscale progressions of the different voices enhanced the fullness of the music compared to ones in the early medieval period. The form of the piece was more definite than the earlier works and there was a clear indication of strophic verses, which is the last stanzas repeating the beginning stanzas. However, the performing style was still indefinite during that period, which gave much power to performers on how to interpret the music.The purpose of this piece was to express the sorrow of love instead of the evenly praise of Christianity in the earlier periods. The suave harmony had a quite fast tempo and the tempo remained largo throughout the piece. Also, there were small breaks between stanzas occasionally, much less in frequency and in length compared to the previous piece. The swift tempo and the steady dynamics, which Nas maintained at mezzo forte for the most parts of the piece, constructed a smooth feeling to the listeners. Concerto No. 1 in E major, Pop. 8, REV 269 Allegro by Antonio Vivaldi Concerto No. In E major, Pop. 8, REV 269 Allegro was the first part in Antonio Vivaldi most famous work The Four Seasons and it was one of the best-known pieces of the Baroque music. The Four Seasons (Italian: Eel Equator Stagnation) was a set of the first four violin concertos composed in 1723. Instead of using the human voices to perform the melody, the classical string instruments, such as violins and cellos, created a form called string ensemble to enrich the melody of the piece. The piece Nas performed in E major with different melodies, usually more than two, mixing together to create a great harmony.There were many repetitions in the measures of he piece, sometimes with parallel rhythms in different keys. And the fast and cherry tempo created a light and grateful feeling, which was in sync with the theme of spring in this piece. It employed duple meter throughout the Allegro piece and formed a steady but light sense. The dynamics changes of the piece were very drastic, ranging from piano to forte, creating clear images to the listeners. The cherry tone of the music was my favorite part of the concerto and the great contrast between the first and second violins or violins and basses has drawn me into the theme the music provided.However, the abrupt start of the piece was one of my least favorite parts of the piece because it seemed too sudden and strong to be the introduction of the whole concerto. Symphony No. 41 in C major, K. 551 Allegro vice by Wolfgang Mozart The 41st Symphony in C major, K. 551 was the last of a set of three Mozart composed in rapid succession during the summer of 1788. It was his last symphony and it was also known as the Jupiter Symphony. There were many instrumental elements involved in the piece, including piano, first violins, second violins, oboes, flutes, trumpets, and trombones.The general mood for the piece was glorious with The first movement of the symphony, which was the Allegro vice, was a good example for a C major trumpet-symphony tradition. It took the form of a militaristic march with a distinctive duple meter of 4/4. The opening was very loud and strong, setting the tone for the rest of the piece. Also, the brass emphasized the tonic of C followed by the first violins. The dynamics changes were drastic throughout the piece Ninth numerous contrasting motifs. Then, the contrasting motifs expanded and developed, which led to the stormy theme in C minor.Secondly, the purpose of the music has changed greatly throughout the years. In the early medieval period, the majority of music was written for the purpose of religious needs. For example, many chants are written to praise God or the Virgin Mary. However, the purpose of music widen as the evolution continued. It gradually expanded to praising humanity and nature in the mid sass, then, exponentially developed into any themes that the composers liked to express. In addition, the dynamics of the piece became more drastic while the performances were required to be more precise.In the early ages, most European hanta were performed freely by the singers and the dynamics were mainly kept smooth with numerous breaks between stanzas. However, as the music written notations matured, the composers were able to express its work in a more precise manner, which required performers to strictly follow the written notations. In short, the music has become more complex and rich in numerous areas, such as forms, rhythms, dynamics, themes, and written notations. Although the earlier music was not as popular as the contemporary pieces, it was still crucial to the history of music because it captured the evolution of the music. Music Theory free essay sample Beth Deniers is an associate professor in the Composition Department at Berkeley College of Music. Her music has been performed throughout the U. S. And in Canada, Mexico, Greece, Ukraine, Russia, China, and Thailand, and recorded by Justas, Albany, and Interval record labels. Consider music from the Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and multiple melodic lines to create effective music. This is counterpoint. The term counterpoint refers to two or more independent melodic lines working together to create music.In contrapuntal music-? music created using counterpoint-?each of the oldies works independently as well as together. Together these melodies create a texture called polyphony. Polyphony and counterpoint have been around for about 1,000 years and are at the root of melody and harmony in Western music. You may already be thinking about how good it sounds in contemporary popular music when the bass and lead lines complement each other Just right. This happens when 1) each line stands independently as an effective melodic line and 2) both lines stand together, keeping their independence, but also creating a great sound when heard together. We will write a custom essay sample on Music Theory or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This is counterpoint. The term texture is used to describe the relative thickness or thinness of musical sound. Musical textures, like the texture of fabric, can be rough or smooth, simple or complex, dense or sparse. Here are three basic musical textures, only one of which defines counterpoint: Monophonic-?A solo melody, Just one line of music. This is the simplest musical texture. (From the Greek: mono-?one; and phony-?sound or voice. ) Common monophonic performances include a solo singer or performer on a monophonic instrument like a flute or trumpet. 2.Homophony-?A melody with chords, like a song; a harmonize 3 melody. The chords (harmonies) do not stand on their own as independent melodies but are heard as sound shapes supporting or harmonize the single melody, often in the same rhythm as the melody. (From the A portion of the Winchester Trooper Counterpoint has been evolving in Western music for about 1,000 years. One of the earliest examples is found in the Winchester Trooper from the 1 lath century, and contrapuntal continues writing today, as in the music of Estonian Greek: homo-?same; and phony-?sound or voice. Homophony is the dominant by a lead vocalist over a choral background provided by the band. Composer Rave Part. Today, counterpoint is everywhere, even in popular music. Its influence can be heard in pop music such as the Beetles Paperback Writer, progressive rock artists like Emerson, Lake Palmer and King Crimson, and even in the mosque concrete aspects of hip-hop. Taking a contrapuntal perspective on music means that you are looking at it horizontally-?via melody-?but are also taking into consideration the vertical (harmonic) sounds or implications of this simultaneous melodic motion.Still, the texture of counterpoint remains: Two or more melodic layers maintain their independence while creating desirable harmonies. Find a piece of music you like and think of at least two of the topics that generally describe the sound of your selection. For example, you might say the music is homophobic and consonant, as in a pretty song with melody and simple chords. Or you may say the heavy metal guitar solo is dissonant and polyphonic with the bass guitar. 3. Polyphony-?More than one melody happening at the same time.When the late Jazz guitar legend Tall Barlow explained his motivation to randomize standard tunes, he replied with this twist on an old adage: If it into broke, fix it anyway. And so it goes. In the world of artists of all mediums and disciplines, the musician is most audacious when it comes to altering anothers creation. Imagine an artist taking a palette of paints and a brush to the Museum of Fine Arts and painting an extra nose on a Picasso masterpiece? Or someone putting a hat on Rodings implies bronze and marble sculpture The Thinker?Scandalous, to say the least And possibly resulting in some Jail time! However, the history of Jazz performance and arranging, as well as European classical tradition, as exemplified by Rhapsody on There are instances in which the randomized song is considered so superior to the original chord changes that the new version becomes the standard harmonic form-? which, in turn, becomes subjected to further variation. The Victor Young classic Stella By Starlight and the Burke/Van Houses standard Like Someone In Love are excellent examples of new standards.Can you imagine what a cocktail pianist, who has been on the same five-night-a-week gig for ten years, would have to endure if some kind of harmonic liberty was not taken with the repertoire? Maybe Romanization contrib utes to good mental health for the performer. No matter how you frame it, Romanization has a long-standing tradition in the world of Jazz and material from the standard repertoire where Theme of Paginating by Rachmaninoff, is filled with players and writers whose creative intention could be distilled down to Talls response. 6 Romanization can place the ordinary into an extraordinary setting.There may also be situations in which the melody and chords may not be in vertical agreement -?a change in the harmony may be called for. For the improvising player, Romanization is regarded as improvising harmonies to a fixed melody line-?the opposite of melodic improvisation. For the improviser who is soloing melodically within the standard framework of the chord changes of a tune, the various substitution and approach and techniques learned in this course superimposed against the rhythm section accompaniment can be applied to great effect.For a Romanization to be acceptable to the listener, there are two relatively absolute conditions: 1. 2. The melody must be recognizable. The harmony must be logical and familiar. This means that little or no melodic embellishment is used and the harmony is resourced from common practice chord patterns of standard popular repertoire. There will always be exceptions to these conditions, but until further notice, these will be absolutes. Depending on his or her listening experiences, the average non- musician has a catalog of common, internalized harmonic progressions that may be more limited than those of the professional musician.