ELEMENTS OF MUSIC

By: Ramel T. Oate

Pitch
Rhythm
Melody
Timbre
Dynamics
Texture

Pitch

register
(high
or
low);Organization of pitches
with
a
pattern
ofintervalsbetween
them
createsscales;Words we might
use
to
describe
scales:
major/minor, chromatic, gapped,
pentatonic.

Rhythm

the time element of music.A specific

rhythm is a specific pattern in time; we

usually hear these in relation to a
steady pulse, and mentally organize this
pulse ortempointo meter(sometimes
called
a
"time
signature").Meter
organizes beats into groups, usually of
two or three; beats can be divided into
small units usually 2, 3 or 4 subdivisions

Melody , or musical line

is a combination of pitch and rhythm

(some say "duration").Sometimes a
melody is considered to be
thethemeof a composition. We might
characterize melody by
itscontour(rising or falling) and the
size of the intervals in it.A melody that
uses mostly small intervals (or scale
steps) and is smooth is said to be a

conjunct
melody.Not
surprisingly, a melody that
uses large intervals is called
adisjunct
melody.Amotif(or motive)
is either a very short melody
or a distinctive part of a
longer
melody.I
might
describe the opening four
notes of Beethoven's Fifth

Timbre

sound quality or tone color;

timbre is the characteristic that
allows us to distinguish between
one instrument and another, and
the difference between vowel
sounds (for example, long "a" or
"ee").Terms we might use to
describe timbre:bright, dark,
brassy, reedy, harsh, noisy, thin,

timbre in emotional terms

(excited, angry, happy, sad,
etc.); that is not the sound
quality, it is its effect or
interpretation.Rather than
describe the timbre of an
instrument in other terms, it
is often more clear just to
describe the timbre by
naming the instrument, once

Dynamics

loud

or soft.A composition that

has extremely soft passages as
well as extremely loud passages
is said to have a large or
widedynamic range.Dynamics
can change suddenly or gradually
(crescendo,
getting
louder,
ordecrescendo, getting softer.)

Texture
monophonic (one voice or
line),
polyphonic(many
voices,
usually
similar,
as
in
Renaissance
or
Baroque
counterpoint),
homophonic
(1. a melody
with
simple

heterophony mixed or
multiple similar versions of
a
melody
performed
simultaneously (rare in
European music; possibly
used in Ancient Greece)
collage juxtaposition &
superimposition
of
extremely
different

Beat and Meter

Beats = give music its
regular rhythmic pattern.
Beats are grouped together
in a measure; the notes and
rests corresponds to a
certain number of beats.

Meter

refers to rhythmic patterns

produced
by
grouping
together strong and weak
beats. Meter may be in
duple (2 beats in a
measure), triple (3 beats in
a measure), quadruple (4

Hudhud chants of the Ifugao

The Hudhud consists of narrative

chants traditionally performed by
the Ifugao community, which is
well known for its rice terraces
extending over the highlands of
the
northern
island
of
the
Philippine
archipelago.
It
is
practised during the rice sowing
season, at harvest

time and at funeral wakes

and rituals. Thought to
have originated before
the seventh century, the
Hudhud comprises more
than 200 chants, each
divided into 40 episodes.
A complete recitation may
last several days.

Since
the
Ifugaos
culture is matrilineal,
the
wife
generally
takes the main part in
the chants, and her
brother occupies a
higher position than
her
husband.
The

expressions
and
repetitions
and
employs
metonymy,
metaphor
and
onomatopoeia,
rendering
transcription
very
difficult. Thus, there
are very few written

customary law, religious

beliefs and traditional
practices, and reflects the
importance of rice
cultivation. The narrators,
mainly elderly women, hold
a key position in the
community, both as
historians and preachers.
The Hudhud epic is