Elements of Music

Definition of Music
• art form whose medium is sound and silence.
Its common elements are pitch (which
governs melody and harmony), rhythm (and
its associated concepts tempo, meter, and
articulation), dynamics, and the sonic qualities
of timbre and texture. The word derives from
Greek μουσική (mousike; "art of the Muses").
ELEMENTS OF MUSIC
Rhythm:
• the variation of the accentuation of sounds
over time.
• The way music is organized in time
Aspects of Rhythm
• Pulse- Steady Recurring Beat
• Melodic Rhythm- The rhythm of the melody or
words
• Meter- Beats organized into
recognizable/recurring accent patterns.
Melody
• a series of tones sounding in succession.
• The way music is organized by pitch
• The linear/horizontal presentation of pitch
Elements of Melody
• Pitch- a subjective sensation, reflecting generally
the lowness (slower wave frequency) or highness
(faster wave frequency) of a sound
• Dynamics- refers to the volume of a sound or
note, but can also refer to every aspect of the
execution of a given piece, either stylistic
(staccato, legato etc.) or functional (velocity). The
term is also applied to the written or printed
musical notation used to indicate dynamics.
• Timbre- , also known as tone color,
( /ˈtæmbər/ TAM-bər or /ˈtɪmbər/;
̃ ʁ]) is the quality of a musical note
French: [tɛb
or sound or tone that distinguishes different
types of sound production, such as voices and
musical instruments.
,

Harmony
• The verticalization of pitch.
• The way melodies interact with one another
Texture
• Refers to the number of individual musical lines
and the relationship these lines have to one
another.
Kinds of Texture:
 Monophony- music with only one note or no
accompaniment
 Homophony- music with two or more notes
sounding at the same time or chordal
accompaniment.
 Polyphony- music with two or more notes
sounding at the same time or with counterpoint
melody.
Tempo
• the speed or pace of a given piece.
• a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can
affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.
Terms used in tempo:
Beats per Minute (BPM)- a unit typically used as a
measure of tempo in music.
Measures per Minute (MPM)- another way to
measure the speed of music: the number of measures
in one minute.
Form
• refers to the overall structure or plan of a
piece of music.
• it describes the layout of a composition as
divided into sections.
Types of Forms
• Binary- a musical form in two related sections,
both of which are usually repeated. It is
usually performed as A-A-B-B
• Ternary- a three-part musical form where the
first section (A) is repeated after the second
section (B) ends. It is usually schematized as
A–B–A.
• Strophic- the term applied to songs in which
all verses or stanzas of the text are sung to the
same music. is defined by its "unrelieved
repetition" (AAAA...).
• Rondo- has a recurring theme alternating
with different (usually contrasting) sections
called "episodes". It may be asymmetrical
(ABACADAEA) or symmetrical (ABACABA).
Thank You!!!!