2. Part 1, Chapter 1Sound Our world is filled with sounds Sounds can be pleasant or unpleasant Humans are able to focus on specific sounds and ignore sounds that do not interest us Sound Begins as result of a vibrations transmitted through a medium – air Impulses sent to brain for processing Music: organization of sounds in time
4. Pitch: Highness or Lowness of A Sound Determined by frequency of vibration Fast vibration=high pitch; slow vibration=low pitch Generally, smaller vibrating objects=higher pitches In music, definite pitch is a tone Tones have specific frequencies e.g., 440 cycles (vibrations) per second = A Irregular vibrations create sounds of indefinite pitch (“thunk”) Interval: distance between 2 tones Non-western music uses different intervals than Western music Range: distance between voice or instrument’s highest & lowest possible tones
5. Dynamics: Loudness or softness of a Sound Related to amplitude of vibration producing sound Changes in dynamics may be sudden or gradual Accent: tone played louder than tones near it Italian terms and symbols used to indicate dynamic level and changes in dynamics
6. Tone Color: QualityOf a Sound Also known as Timbre–Quality that distinguishes tones Can be bright, dark, mellow, etc. Changes in tone color create variety and contrast Tone colors add a sense of continuity Specific melodies with specific tone colors Unlimited variety of tone colors Composers frequently blend sounds of instruments to create new tone colors Modern electronic techniques create new tone colors
7. Listening Outlines, Vocal Music Guides, and the Properties of Sound Helps focus attention on musical events as they occur Preceded by description of the music’s main features Listening Outline - points out notable musical sounds Vocal Music Guide – helps the listener follow the thought, story, or drama Suggestion: while listening to one passage, look ahead to what is next.
8. Listening The Firebird, Scene 2 (1910) by Igor Stravinsky Listening Outline: p. 7 Note: Tone colors through instrumentation Dynamic contrasts
9. Listening C-Jam Blues (1942) by Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra Listening Outline: p. 8 Note: Tone colors Repeated note melody Improvised solos Muted brass instruments
