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Module 1: The Elements of Why should we care about the elements of music?
Music
Pitch

Rhythm

It is composed of both the strong, accented pulses as well as the weaker, unaccented pulses.
The pattern of these pulses comprises rhythm. Some of the earliest music consisted almost entirely of rhythm,
in the form of drumming or clapping.
a. Beat - the basic time unit within a piece of music.
b.
c. In other words, syncopation involves disrupting or interrupting the expected or normal rhythm of music.
d.
It is one way that musicians and composers can help maintain a consistent pace in the music.
e.
1.
2. Adagio: Slow
3. Moderato: Moderate tempo
4. Allegro: Fast
5. Presto: Very fast
(These are general terms – they are dependent on how an individual decides to interpret them. A fast tempo
for one individual may be slightly faster or slower than a fast tempo for another, even with the same piece of
music.)
Rhythmic Notation
a.
b. Half note: a stem (vertical line) is added to the donut. The stem can go up or down – receives 2 beats in
4/4 time
c. Quarter note: the whole note is filled in to make it solid and the stem is kept – receives 1 beat in 4/4
time
d. Eighth note: a flag is added to the stem – receives ½ beat in 4/4 time
e. Sixteenth note: two flags are added to the stem – receives ¼ beat in 4/4 time
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Dynamics
a. Fortissimo (ff):
b. Forte (f): played loudly
c. Mezzo forte (mf): played moderately loud
d. Piano (p): played softly
e. Pianissimo (pp): played very softly
f. Subito forzando: (usually written as sforzando)
g. Crescendo (or cres.):
h. Decrescendo (or decres.): music that gradually decreases in volume or gets quieter
Timbre
(also sometimes referred to as color or tone quality.)
Human voices also differ from one another. You’ve probably noticed this as well in listening to singers. We can
separate some of the timber differences of humans into four different categories:
a. Soprano: a high female voice
b.
c. Tenor: a high male voice
d. Bass: a low male voice
Melody

a. Scale - a group of notes in ascending and descending pitch. (Do, Re, Me, Fa, So (or Sol), La, Ti, Do.)
b. Melodic phrases - groups or sets of notes that make sense together, express a musical idea, and, when
combined, create the melody.
c. Harmony - having more than one pitch within the music at the same time. We often think of harmony as
a complement to melody.
Form The framework that a composer uses to create a piece of music and is the combination of the other musical
elements, including pitch, tempo, and dynamics.
Notable types of form:
a. 12-bar blues – a chord progression that is common in many popular forms of music
b. common meter - consists of four lines of a particular number of beats that end in the rhyming pattern of
a-b-a-b
c. concerto -
Music of the World Semester 1 Name:
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Module 2: Pop Music
Popular Music
d. sonata - a musical composition for a solo instrument (often piano or other keyboard instrument).
e. symphony - a musical piece that has been scored for a full orchestra; it is often an extended
composition.
Any music since industrialization in the mid-1800s that is in line with the tastes and preferences of the middle
class.

Pop Music

Pop music often involves technological innovations, and it is typically oriented towards youth within the
culture.
a. The music appeals to a broad audience, rather than to a niche group or to a particular ideology.
b. The music tends to reflect trends in society rather than producing the trends.
c. Pop music is often intended to encourage dancing or movement.
d. In the past, more emphasis was placed on recording and producing the music than on live
performances.
Common forms in Pop Music:
a. Verse-chorus structure: alternates verses with a repeating chorus.
Some famous examples of this structure include:
Buddy Holly’s "That’ll Be the Day"
Ritchie Valens’ "La Bamba."
b. Thirty-two bar or AABA form: a series of verses is interrupted by a bridge.
Some famous examples of this structure include:

The Beach Boys’ "Surfer Girl"

Jerry Lee Lewis’ "Great Balls of Fire"
The Beatles’ "I Want to Hold Your Hand"
Technological a. Microphone technology –
Advancements b. Radio
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c. Mass-produced music in the form of 45 rpm records (and later with 8-track tapes, cassette tapes, and
CDs) also put more music into the hands of individuals.
d. Television and the advent of portable transistor radios were also influencing the development of pop
music –
e. Changes to instruments – electric guitar and new style of drumming
Rock and Roll

Others argue that the beginnings of rock and roll happened as white teenagers began to listen and dance to
rhythm and blues types of music, which had previously been popular among black teenagers.
a. Included artists like Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino and Roy Brown
b.
c. Origin of Music charts - during the 1940s and 1950s, individual songs (or singles) were tracked according
to their sales, the number of times they were played on the radio, and their jukebox plays. In November
1955, Billboard published "The Top 100" for the first time. This chart was later renamed "The Hot 100"
and it provided a way for not only the music industry, but also individuals to see what music was
popular each week.
1960’s a. Social protest music - many song lyrics during the 1960s reflected the social and political issues. Some
songs were explicit protest songs against war, racial discrimination, and political corruption.

b. British invasion - some of the British bands ( ) of the time were modeled on the
successful American bands, particularly in the areas of producing recordings and touring to promote the
recordings.
1970’s

Disco - mixing "soaring" vocals with a beat that encouraged dancing, became the dance music of the decade.
100 to 130 beats per minute (a relatively fast tempo)
The pulse of the rhythm was often emphasized.
Popular artists and groups include:
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1980’s Musical instruments such as the synthesizer and drum machines became more common.

1990’s and into the 21st

Century a. featured between three and six young adult males
b. typically sang, but did not play instruments.
c. were often created by record companies or talent agencies, and they often had a commercial
orientation.
The trend of pop ballads continued to be popular and the general themes of love, romance, broken hearts, and
relationships continued to dominate the music.
Intellectual Property Any idea, invention, or process created by the human mind.
a. Patent - a government permit issued to an inventor that excludes others from profiting from an
invention for a specific period of time.
b. Trademark - any word, name, or symbol that distinguishes one brand of products or services from
another brand.  Many musicians name is now considered advertising, which has led to the trademark of
their names or likenesses.
c. Copyright - protects the authorship of a creative work as well as legal ownership to reproduce,
distribute, and adapt the created music.  The copyright can protect and address the record producer
and the performers while preventing others from copying the recording.
d. Creative Commons - a licensing process in which a copyright holder designates a licensing structure that
allows others to use his or her work as long as they agree to conditions defined by Creative Commons.
e. Public Domain - materials that are copyright free so that anyone can use them without seeking
permission. Just about anything produced by a government agency with taxpayer money is in the public
domain.
Module 3: Ancient Music
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Prehistoric music a. Also known as music.

b. Includes all music created in and the first types of music ever created or played.
c. We know much less about the early music produced than we do about later music and there was not a
written record
d.
Archaeomusicology  - the use of archaeological techniques in the study of music
a. uncovers and analyzes evidence related to music.
b. try to trace early forms of music to see how they have influenced later forms of music.
Pech Merle  - a French cave that has red dots on the ceiling and walls to note these special acoustic spots in the
cave.
a.
b. It may be that prehistoric people used their voices or other items in these spots to fill the cave with
sound. 
Divje Babe flute -
a. found in Slovenia
b. appears to date to about 50,000 years ago.
Ancient Music Music produced by early societies.
a. ancient music belongs to those societies that lived at or after 4000 BCE (when written language was
developed)
b.
c. as prehistoric music evolved to ancient music, music became more standardized.
d. featured deliberate patterns as well as the repetition of these patterns within a piece of music. 
Egypt Ancient Egyptians, like many other societies at that time, believed that music was a gift to humans from the
gods.
a. Music was often played in the temples as part of religious life. 
b.
c. Lutes and string harps were played as early as 4000 BCE.
d. Later developed lyres, clarinets, tambourines, trumpets, and guitars.
e.
Mesopotamia Evidence found of music scales and different musical instruments.
Several excavations in different parts of Mesopotamia lend credence to the idea that the ancient world had a
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form of music notation or the ability to write a song or musical piece down so that it could be played again in
the same way
Hurrian songs -a set of fragmentary relics as well as a nearly complete example of notated music from around
1400 BCE.
a. songs or hymns (the most complete example is identified as a hymn)
b. written in cuneiform writing on clay tablets.
India Archaeologists have found evidence of both music and instruments.
a. Excavations from the Indus Valley civilizations have produced both stringed instruments and seven-
holed flutes.
b. Samaveda:
c. Natya Shastra is a written discourse on the performing arts, including music, dance, stage performances
and is believed to have been written sometime between 200 BCE and 200 CE. It gives detailed
information on the types of instruments that were used at the time and the forms of music that were
popular. 
Ancient Greece Just as classical art has its foundations in ancient Greece, so too do the foundations of classical music rest in
ancient Greece.
a. Greeks believed that music came from the gods, particularly the god Apollo.
b. They also believed that music could influence the thoughts and behaviors of humans.
c. Had a strong interest in studying and explaining the world around them.
d.
e.
f.
g. The music was monophonic, or having a single melody with no accompaniment (using one voice).
h. Researchers have also found about thirty different melodies from the ancient Greeks.
i. Lyric poetry included poems that were accompanied by instrumental music, often from a lyre.
j. Around 30 different melodies from Ancient Greece have been uncovered.
Medieval Music Music that was produced in medieval Europe.
a. This period of time is thought to begin with the fall of the Roman Empire and ended with the rise of the
Renaissance period in Europe.
b.
c. Early medieval music was often connected with spiritual and religious activities and beliefs.
Music of the World Semester 1 Name:
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Chants - are a type of monophonic sacred music

a.
b. Had a strong influence in the chants or singing of songs in both the Jewish and early Christian traditions.
c. Were commonly sung by monks during religious services, and the melodies were simple 
Gregorian chants  -
a. Like the music in previous time periods, medieval music was often based on modes.
b.  

Musical Notation
Module 4: Renaissance Music
Effects of Music in Society Invention and use of the printing press.
Modes - "a series of pitches in predefined order, with specific intervals between each pitch."
Seven different modes were used to compose and play music: Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian,
Aeolian, and Locrian.
a. Each of these modes starts on a different step of a major scale and continues on the associated major
scale. 
b. Dorian mode in C begins on , the second step of the C scale, and moves upward from there
c. Phrygian mode in C begins on E, the third step of the C scale, and moves up the major scale to also end
in E.
d. Polyphonic music uses two or more independent melodies. Gradually, musicians and singers began to
add harmonies to the chants. 
Organum: 
a. Hildegard von Bingen –
b. Ars Nova, a musical form that became popular in the late medieval period, featured multiple voices
with a complex rhythm
Religious music was important during the medieval time period, but secular music was also played.
a. As time passed, more secular music began to enter the Middle Ages and its culture. 
b. Troubadours were traveling poet-musicians who traveled from place to place, singing and performing
for the nobility.
Neumes - signs written above the chant words to indicate where the voices should rise and fall in tone.
The Renaissance period in general was considered:
a. Created the ability for individuals and companies to produce copies of music.
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b. could now produce multiple copies of music more easily instead of by hand.
c.
d. this allowed music to spread throughout a society and into others faster and more efficiently.
e. Also initiated the printing of music for commercial purposes.
f. Ottaviano Petrucci:
Canon –

Music came to occupy a greater position in society during the Renaissance period.  
a. A result of the growing number of people who had more time for leisure activities.
b. increased not only the time that people had to listen to music, but also the time that they could invest
in learning to play instruments and music. 
c.
d. many Renaissance individuals enjoyed dancing, and it was an important part of many social events. 
e. Another change in the role of music was the combining of music with written texts. 
Catholic Church's influence was lessened during the Renaissance.
a. The Church continued to influence music and composers continued to write music for use within
religious institutions.
b. More people began to look outside of the Catholic Church for inspiration and answers to life's
questions.
c. Protestant Reformation in 1517 created another outlet for religious music.
d. Some composers also embraced inspiration in the secular world, producing music for purposes outside
of religion or religious institutions.
The music of the early Renaissance was a reaction to the music of the late medieval period.
a. Musical forms like the ars nova were complex, early Renaissance music was often simpler and
smoother.
b. Change was a gradual one; as the transition occurred from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, music
began to shift as well. 
Instruments Another change was a growing recognition of the instruments used in music. 
a. consort -
b.
c. mouth harp (also known as Jew's harp, English trump, or guimbarde, among other names) developed
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long before the Renaissance, produces different tones depending on the vibration produced.
d. sagbut, a type of trombone, was used in churches with sacred music pieces.
e. Shawms - woodwinds that were about twelve inches long with seven finger holes and was perhaps the
most popular double reed instrument of the Renaissance.
f. Viols -
g. Hurdy-gurdy -
Genres of Renaissance Motets - "pieces of music in several parts with words" and they involve varied choral compositions. In Latin, the
Music term describes:
German Chorales –

a. are still used in protestant churches today.  

b. the printing press allowed for the publishing of hymnbooks which increased popularity of these chorales.
Madrigals - voice compositions that employ a number of voices (often from three to six) but are unaccompanied
by instruments. 
Madrigal Proper
a.
b. word-painting
The Ballet
a. lighter in style than the madrigal proper
b. was often danced to as well as sung.
c. Is strophic - has at least two verses set to the same music.
The Ayre
a. performed with or without accompaniment.
b. Accompaniment - the instrument used also varied, from lutes to viols to other instruments of the
period.
c. When printed, often placed on the two pages of an open book, with the music on the left and the lyrics
on the right page.
Important Composers of Guillaume Dufay
the Renaissance a. lived from 1397 to 1474.
b. Franco-Flemish, born in Brussels
c. prolific composer and one of the most influential of the fifteenth century.
d. wrote music in almost every musical form available at the time, including chants, motets, chorales, and
Music of the World Semester 1 Name:
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Masses. His music was printed and distributed across Europe, and about 150 pieces of his work survive
today.
e. also influenced many of the composers that came after him.
f.
Josquin des Prez 
a. had a great impact on the music of this time period.
b. born around 1450
c.
d. one of the first composers to use the imitation or repetition of melodies within his music.
e. wrote in many of the different musical forms of the time period.
f. much of his music was written for the courts of the nobility
g. lived and worked in not only in the court of King Rene of Anjou but also in the choirs of two different
popes.
h. greatest talent was in the creation of melodies, both simple and complex.
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina - his work had a large impact on sacred music and on polyphonic music.
a.
b. music often follows a few guidelines including a dynamic flow of music and a melody that has small
leaps between the notes.
c. produced hundreds of works, with much of the music being sacred music for use in religious services.
William Byrd -
composed over 470 pieces of music in a range of music forms, including motets and church songs.

many of his compositions were published in My Ladye Nevells Bookand Parenthia. 

consort compositions include a large scale piece, Browning, which is a collection of twenty variations on a
melody inspired by the ripening of nuts during the fall season.
Giovanni Gabrielli - one composer who worked during this time period and his work reflects these transitions.
composed in a variety of forms, but he preferred sacred and instrumental music.
Used antiphon: