FUNDAMENTALS O

F MUSIC
1. What is music ?
2. Why do we study music?
3. Brief history of music
4. Significance of Music Education
5. Objectives of Music Education
6. BEATITUDES OF MUSIC
TEACHERS by Loraine Edwards
What is music?
Music – comes from the greek word, mousike,
which means “ the art of muse”. Muse is one of the
nine sister of goddesses of song and poetry and of
the arts and sciences. She is the Spirit that gives
the poet or composer his ideas and inspiration.
music is the finest of arts and sciences. To the
scientist, music is the system OF VIBRATIONS
WHICH MUST BE REGUlar and systematic
because, without organization, music becomes
mere noise. To the musician, music is the
relationship between the ear and the instrument or
voice. It is the organization of sound towards beauty;
it is the manipulation of three individuals: the
composer, the instrument maker, and the
interpretative musician. It is also the ideal
communicative medium for the artist.
basically, music is the union of pitch, force,
quality and duration arranged according to the laws
of melody and harmony. It is the combination and
succession of tones following the recognized laws
of musical composition.
Why do we study music?
1. music brings joy and
satisfaction.
2. music is a vitalizing factor for
the other subjects in the school
curriculum.
3. Music supplies man’s
potential power and energy for
creative growth.
4. music enhances and
improve human relationships and
character building.
5. music makes every picture
and every sense of life appear
significant.
6 music is the panacea of all
woes.
 BRIEF HISTORY OF MUSIC
There is no recorded beginning of music.
Discoveries of archaeologists in the great cities of
early civilization like Egypt, Greece and Western
Asia brought about the existence of music through
pictorial and architectural representations found on
the walls of houses, buildings, pyramids, tombs,
temples and monuments.
Some educators and philosophers formulated
theories in music. Darwin, thought music was
developed to attract the opposite sex. Spencer,
thought music developed to express emotions just
as language to express ideas. Richard Wagner,
thought music unlike other arts, could exist quite
independent of the visible world and Gurney,
theorized that, “music creates audible form,
succession and combinations of tones which have
no prototype in nature and which do not exist
outside of music”.
Excavated tablets of clay gave a vivid idea of
the special and religious esteem of the Babylonians
for music. They used music to give signals to
armies and to break gatherings of people. The
Egyptians used string instruments such as lyre,
harp, guitar and percussive instruments such as
cymbals, drums and tambourines. Musicians
occupied positions of honor in the court of kings and
emperors.
The importance of music in one’s culture is
illustrated below:
1. The Hindus – their music was vested in the
priest who ruled the arts and sciences. Hindus and
Egyptians was interwoven with their religious
ceremonies and festivities. Their oldest string
instrument was vina.
2. The Hebrews – an intensely religious
people, considered music as a spiritual gift of God
because to them music was a matter of religion
than of art. Most favored instrument was the harp
which was used to accompany the chanting of the
prophets. They introduced the symphonia, a sort of
bagpipe. The three Assyrian instruments were the sy
mphonia, Sambuca and santir.
-continuation-
3. The Greeks – got their music from the Egyptians
brought by Cecrops. Music and myths combined which
gave us mythical gods and goddesses: Venus, Apollo,
Athena, Pan, Mercury and others as the patrons and
exemplars of music. Pythagoras (585-505 B.C.), the
Greek philosopher invented the octave scale. He was
also credited with the invention of the canon or monochore
d though he was more regarded as an acoustician than a
musician. To the Greeks, music meant the whole circle of
the sciences especially the astronomy and mathematics.
The lyre or the cithara was the standard instrument. The
two early Greek musicians were Pythagoras and Terpand
er. Philosophers with treatise on music were Aristotle,
Plato, Euclid and Aristoxenus.
The Greeks had boundless love and appreciation for
beautiful, elaborately organized music. They developed a
system of tone successions which was the most important
factor in the development of art music and the basis of
Christian music in the middle ages.
- Continuation of the history of
music-
4. Gregorian Chant – Gregory the Great
introduced the Gregorian chant which is still used in
religious ceremonies of the Roman Catholic Church.
5. Southern Europe - Southern Europe had
the French Troubadoures, (singers from the nobility)
, trouveres (knightly singers), and the minnesingers
(love singers who were organized into a gild
composed of traders, engravers, physicians and
other gentlemen of leisure).One of the most
celebrated troubadores was Richard I of England.
Best known trouveres was Adam de la Hale and
Hans Sachs was the popular minnesinger.
6. Oriental music – Oriental music existed long
before the development of music in Europe.
Records showed that the Chinese wrote on the
science of music at about the time the Pharaohs of
Egypt were building the pyramids. Confucius (551 B.
C.) wrote books about music. The Chinese
theorized that there are only eight sound-giving
bodies; bamboo, clay, gourd, metal, silk, skin, stone
and wood.
The Japanese and the Chinese, used
pentatonic (5 notes) scale. Each of these notes
represented a person or a subject. The national
instrument of the Japanese was the Koto, while the
Chinese had the Sheng which was the most
important and indispensable instrument in their
temple rituals.
 Continuation of the history of
music
7. The Romans – after the fall of Greece as a
political center, Greek musicians moved over to
Rome. The Romans, whose organized life was
political and martial, swallowed Greek music, hook,
line and sinker.
Music then was crude and unsatisfactory.
There was no adequate notation. The earliest music
consisted of beating a piece of log to give rhythmic
effects for dancing. The clapping of the hands and
the stamping of the feet exemplified the first and
crudest attempts of man at rhythm and music.
Whistling with the human lips was a form of music.
The leaves of certain plants when applied to the lips
and blown with air produce a sound like that of a
clarinet. This was then followed by choral chants.
The earliest system of notation was attributed to
Boethius, a Roman philosopher who devised
notation by placing letters over the syllables. The
next attempt at notation was the placing of signs
(called neumes) over the words.
There was no such thing as melody up to
1000 A.D. All music had only one harmony. Both
instrument and voice sang the same pitch which
produced a rather monotonous effect. Melodies
were transmitted from voice to ears. During the time
of Chaucer, descanting was resorted to singing was
accompanied by a note four or five notes above.
 Continuation of the history of
music
The Italian - the art of singing came to perfection
with the development of the opera in Italy in the 17th
and 18th centuries due to the development of a
new vocal composition, “the art song”. Italians
wanted beautiful singing in their operas, Peri Jacobo
(1561 – 1633) an Italian composer wrote the first
opera known as music drama in 1600. Richard
Wagner, a German opera composer insisted that
opera was more of drama than song. The idea of
drama and art song brought about a great change
in modern operatic singing so that the present day
vocalist must produce beautiful melodies and at the
same time faithfully interpret the message of the
song. Viena was the musical center of Europe.
First of the keyboard instruments perfected was the
piano because its predecessors, the clavichord and
the harpsichord were incapable of varying the
softness and loudness of their tones. The
development of the string instrument, brass and
percussion, brought more interest in instrumental
music. With the development of design and
manufacture of the instruments, music received
further coloring in rhytm, melody and harmony.
 Continuation of the history of
music
9. The Filipinos – when the Spaniards came to
the Philippines, the Filipinos had already their
musical instruments. According to Pigafetta. It was
amazing to see Filipinos having a common thread
of identity, an established culture in the line of
music. They had their share of cross-cultural
heritage brought about by trade contacts with the
Chinese , Hindus, Japanese and Malaysians. They
introduced the pentatonic scale.
 SIGNIFICANCE OF MUSIC
EDUCATION
Music is an integral part of society. Robert Nye
believes that in a democracy, music education is a must
for all, not only because democratic heritage insists that
every child shall have education in music as art of his
rightful general education, but also because in a
democracy, education provides for the fullest possible
development of its people.
The great German composer George Handel said, “If my
music gave people only pleasure, that would not be
enough for me. I wish it would make people better and
kinder.” Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, a German poet,
dramatist and scientist; regarded music as a decisive
means to form man’s character, placing music as the
center of all educational endeavors. The increasing
importance of music education is reflected in the
passage of the Music Education Law (RA4723)- an act
giving importance to the teaching of music in the
curricular of elementary and secondary schools in 1066,
authored by Cong. Manuel Concordia. For this, he won
the “Music Patron of the Year” award.
With the enactment of the Music Education Law, music
was taught, with arts as a separate subject area, three
times a week in the elementary schools, both public and
private. In the secondary level, general or vocational
schools, public or private, music was allotted at least one
day a week.
John Dewey said, “Education is change.” Likewise music
changes. We cannot ignore the tremendous changes
around us.
 continuation
Music education will be the child’s limb to the
present global music. His understanding of the
rudiments and theories will justify today’s music
which is characterized by free and complex rhythm,
more of dissonant chord structure, new starting
tonal combinations and the use of a variety of
atonal and polytonal music.
Music then will serve as a medium through
which individuals will be acquainted with the
various aspects of life, being perspicuous
“reflections of humanity through the ages,” accdg.
to Robert Nye.
Through the singing of folk songs and our soul-
stirring kundiman, playing native instruments,
participating in bamboo ensembles and the rondalla
s and just listening as an aficionados, the child
demonstrates love of country, the primary aim of
Article XV of the constitution, Sec. s. No. 4.
 OBJECTIVES OF MUSIC
EDUCATION
1. Enrich life experiences through observation,
exploration, discovery, cooperation and participation.
2. Discover creative potentialities through
singing, listening, playing, moving, reading, and
creating.
3. Enhance visual and aural perception for
aesthetic and intellectual value judgement.
4. Utilize music as an outlet for one’s feelings.
5. Gain acquaintance with music of different
countries.
6. Develop fellowship for universal
communication and social cohesion.
7. Awaken interest in global culture.
8. Develop nationalistic spirit in adapting
Philippine music.
9. Gain familiarity with the different styles of
Philippine songs, dances, festivals, musical
instruments.
10. Involve community participation for a
harmonious school-community relationship.
 BEATITUDES OF MUSIC
TEACHERSBYLORAINE
EDWARDS
Blessed are the teachers of music who are humble
in spirit and do not ambitiously seek or barter for the
high places but who serve children and music, for
the kingdom of beauty and inspiration is theirs.
Blessed are the teachers of music who claim
nothing of praise when music is awakened in the
spirits of boys and girls, for their hearts are replete
with fulfillment.
Blessed are the teachers of music who hunger and
thirst to inspire a deep craving and urge for noble
music in the sensibilities and intellects of their
students, for the whole realm of music's grandeur
and magnificence will be theirs.
Blessed are the teachers who are kind,
understanding, gracious and encouraging alike to
those with stunted interest or ennui, to others with
much enthusiasm but with mediocre or little talent,
and to the gifted, for they shall see all of these
obtain some rewards of culture and artistic insight
through enlightened teaching.
Blessed are the music teachers who are sincere,
straightforward, and guileless, for their designs,
visions, and principles will be esteemed by those in
Olympian places in their systems and the
professions.
Blessed are the music teachers who seek the best
for all music educators and co-workers with
gentleness, equity, and benefit that leaders shall
come forth to work with genial and
ready concord and oneness of spirit, for they will be
ranked as chiefs among leaders.
Blessed are the music teachers who endure unfair
and biased censure for cherishing and upholding
the finest and most progressive concepts in
teaching, for musical advancement and attainment
among their co-artists and students are to be
exquisitely savored.
-continuation-
Blessed are the music teachers who are
inspired by dreams of the glowing joy and just
recompense of musical achievement, but who are
walking with earnest realism, for they are deeply
glad and full of happiness and contentment.
You are the salt of the humanities, but if the salt
becomes insipid and artless, who can revitalize the
salt again? You are unfit for your high calling.
You are the radiance that cannot be hidden. Man
does not light a flame and smother it with the cheap
and tawdry, but fixes it on high where all may be
inspired.
Let your artistry enhance the lives of all men that
they may be blessed and enlightened with the joys
you share, and you will glorify the art of music.