THE MEDIUMS

OF
MUSIC
Music is an art that deals with sound. In literature,
however, all sounds are produced by the human voice. In
music, the human voice is but one number of possible
instruments.

A musical instrument is a mechanism that is able to

generate musical vibrations and launch them into the air.
These various musical instruments are the means in
which the composer communicates to the listener; they
are his mediums of expression.
 PROPERTIES OF MUSICAL SOUND

1. PITCH
The location of a tone in the musical scale in
relation to high or low. It is determined by the rate of
vibration which to a large extent depends on the length of
the vibrating body.
2. DURATION
This property of sound depends on the length
of time over which vibration is maintained.
3. VOLUME
The term refers to the force or percussive effects
as a result of which the tone strikes us as being loud or soft.
Forte means loud; piano means soft.
4. TIMBRE OF TONE COLOR

This is the individual quality of sound produced by other

instruments. This depends on how the instrument accentuates
the over tones within the sound waves.
RANGE

The range of an instrument has to do with the total

number of tones it can produce from highest to lowest, and
is determined largely by the size of the instrument. The
total pitch range is divided into four basic areas: soprano
(high female), alto (low female), tenor (high male), bass
(low male). Each range is divided into three registers;
high, middle, and low.
 TH
E
MU T W
SIC O M
ED
VOCAL MEDIUM IU MS
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS IN
 Vocal Medium
The oldest and still most popular of all instruments is
the human voice. It is the most personal and direct of
all instruments as it comes from within the body .
 PILITA CORALES
Entertainer of the Year and Asia’s Queen of Song
Vocal Register
Voices differ considerably in range and register.
The Six Classes of Vocal Register
1. Soprano - high register female voice
2. Mezzo-soprano - medium-register female voice
3. Alto or Contralto - low-register female voice
4. Tenor - high-register male voice
5. Baritone - medium-register male voice
6. Bass - low-register male voice
Vocal Qualities
Voices are also classified according to their timbre or quality of
sound . Thus, we distinguished lyric and dramatic.

1. Coloratura Soprano
Is the highest and lightest of all voices. The music written for
this is full of runs, thrills, and light ornaments.
2. Lyric Soprano
Voice is less high and flute-like and usually sings less
ornamental music. The voice is specially suited to sweet song-like
melodies in which beauty of tone is the predominant quality.
3. Dramatic Soprano
Voice is heavier and can convey intense emotions in dramatic
situations.
4. Mezzo-Soprano
Voice is between the soprano and contralto in quality and
range.
5. Contralto
Voice is low and rich in quality.
6. Tenor
The highest type in men’s voice.
7. Lyric Tenor
Has a voice specially suited to sweet
songlike melodies
8. Dramatic Tenor
Has a heavier voice and is capable of
conveying intense emotions in dramatic situations
9. Baritone
Voice has a range between tenor and bass.
10. Bass
Voice has the lowest and deepest quality.
Musical Instrument

Musical instrument are of three main types: the

instrument which are bowed, instrument which are
blown, the instruments which are struck. These in
turn are divided into four groupings. The instrument
which are bowed are the strings. Those which are
blown fall into two groups: the brasses, so called
because they are usually made of brass and the
woodwinds, so named because they were originally
made of wood. The fourth group is made up of
instruments which are struck. They are called
percussion instruments.
 String instruments
String instruments, also called stringed instruments,
provide the basic orchestral sounds. They produce toned
by means of vibration of a stretched string.
Two types of string instrument:
1. Bowed strings
2. Plucked strings
 Bowed Strings
These instruments produce tone by means
of bow or horse hair drawn across the
strings, which include the violin, viola,
violoncello and double bass are the
mediums of music that can express the
most poignant feeling and can continue
playing infinitely without fatigue.
 Violin
The violin is the highest member
of the string section of the
orchestra. It is universally admired
for its voice-like quality.
Preeminent in lyric melody, it is
also capable of brilliance and
dramatic effect.
VIOLA
The viola is slightly larger than the
violin. Its strings are longer, thicker,
and heavier; it is lower in range. It is
use more for harmony than melody.
Violoncello
The violoncello, properly known as
cello, is much longer than the viola.
It is lower in range than the viola and
the strings are thicker and heavier
than those of the viola. The bow is
shorter and heavier and the
instrument has to be held between the
knee of a seated performer. It is
notable for its rich and romantic tone.
Double Bass (Contrabass)
The double bass, known also as the
contrabass, is the largest member of
the strings family. It rest upon the
floor, and the performer stands to
play it . It is the lowest range of the
string group.
Plucked Strings
Although instruments of the bowed strings class can
produce tone by plucking the strings (pizzicato), the
plucked string produce tone solely by this means.
Guitar
The guitar family seems to be the most
popular stringed instrument today. It
varies considerably in shape, and in
the number of its strings, but basically,
it consist of a finger board with frets
(narrow metal across strips), attached
to light wooden body with flat top
back. It is seldom used in orchestra
but is nowadays a part of jazz bands.
The string instruments are pre-eminent in playing legato
( smooth and connected). They are capable too of the
opposite quality of tone, staccato ( short and detached). A
special effect, pizzicato (plucked), is executed by the
performer’s plucking the string with his finger instead of
using the bow.
The string section in the orchestra has come to be known
as “ The heart of orchestra”. The string figure prominently
as solo instruments and in chamber music; in duets, trios,
quartets, quintets, and the like.
Some special effects possible on each of the string
instrument s are:
Spiccato
Playing with short, crisp strokes of the bow.
Saltallato
Bouncing the bow on the strings to produce light,
detached tones.
Martellato
Hammering the bow quiver on the string making each
note separate and emphatic.
Tremolo
Making the bow quiver on the string to produce
shimmering effect.
Vibrato
Denotes the rich, throbbing tones achieved when the
player moves his finger slightly away from the back to the
required spot.
Glissando
The player moves a finger of his left hand rapidly along
the string, sounding all the pitches in the scale.
The Woodwind Instruments
The woodwind instruments consist of members of four
different families: flute and piccolo, oboe and English
horn, clarinet and bass clarinet, and bassoon and
contrabassoon. These instrument are blown by the player.
The player alters the pitch of the notes by shortening or
lengthening the column of air vibrating inside the
instrument. They are the most decorative instrument and
because they are so different in timbre, they contribute the
greatest variety in ensemble. Besides being prominent in
orchestra, the woodwinds possess a solo literature and are
widely used in chamber music.
Flute
The flute is a cylindrical tube made of
silver alloy or metal. It is the coloratura
soprano of the woodwind choir. Its
sound is silvery or liquid. It can play
rapid, brilliant scale passages. Its tone is
cool and velvety in the low register but
in its upper register, the sound is bright,
thin and stands out against the
orchestral mass.
Piccolo
The piccolo, which is the smaller
flute, produces the highest notes
in the orchestra. Tones produced
are piercing and shrill.
Oboe
The oboe is made of wood. The body is
tube which get wider at the end. The
double reed in the mouth piece consist
of two slips of cane so shaped as to
leave between them an extremely small
passages for air. Because of this
compression, the tone is focused and
intense in all registers. Oboe timbre is
generally described as plaintive, nasal.
And reedy. The instrument is associated
with pastoral effects and with nostalgic
melodies.
English Horn
The English horn is a large oboe. The
oboe and the English horn look very
much alike except that English horn is
wider and longer and ends with a pear
shaped bell, which accounts for its soft,
somewhat mournful timbre. Its range is
slightly lower than that of the oboe and
its sound is richer and more plaintive.
Clarinet
The clarinet is the instrument that
often takes the part of the violin in
band music. It has a single reed, a
small elastic piece of cane fastened
against its chisel-shaped mouth piece.
It has remarkably wide range--from
low to high and from soft to loud–
and produces three distinct tone
colors: (1) in its upper range, the
sound clear and powerful; (2) in its
middle register , the sound is smooth
or relaxed; (3) in its lower register,
the tones are rich and hollow.
Bassoon
The bassoon and contrabassoon
are the tenor and bass,
respectively, of the oboe family.
The bassoon is one of the most
flexible and useful of the bass
instrument. Its tone is weighty and
thick in the low register, dry and
sonorous in the middle, reedy and
intense in the upper.
It is capable of a hollow-sounding staccato and wide
leaps that create a humorous effect; it is at the same
time highly expansive instrument.
Contrabassoon
The contrabassoon, also known as
the double bassoon or double-
bassoon, is a larger version of the
bassoon, sounding an octave lower. Its
technique is similar to its smaller
cousin, with a few notable differences.
Saxophone
The saxophone. This wind instrument

has a single reed that combines the reed

mouthpiece of a clarinet with a curved

conical metal tube. It blends well with

either woodwind or brass.

The Brasses

The brasses are consist of the trumpet, horn trombone,

and tuba. They are indispensable for their ability to
play very loudly, for melody, for sustaining harmony,
for rhythmic accent, and for flame like sonority they
contribute to the climax. Thee instrument have cut-
shaped mouthpieces (except for the horn, whose
mouthpiece is shaped like funnel).
Trumpet
The trumpet posses a firm and brilliant
timbre that lends radiance to the
orchestral mass. Because of its
military history, it is often associated
with martial pomp and vigor or battle
calls.
Played softly, the instrument commands a lovely round
tone. The muted sound, which is made by inserting the
mute, a pear-shaped like device of metal or cardboard in
the bell, is much used.
Horn or French Horn
The horn, generally called the French
horn, normally has a smooth, mellow
tone, but can be made to sound very
brassy. The timbre of the horn blends
equally well with woodwinds, brass,
and strings, for which reason it serves
as the connecting link among them.
The horn has the ability to project
sounds across great distances.

The horn is versatile instrument; as a solo instrument, it

is very satisfactory because it has a wide range and can
be loud or soft, lyrical or dramatic.
Trombone
The trombone– the Italian word
means ” large instrument “ re of two
kinds: tenor and bass. The two are
alike in construction but the bass
trombone has a lower range. The
trombone’s tone is rich and mellow.

It can play softly, but it is more often achieved

effect of nobility and grandeur.
Tuba
The tuba is the bass of the
brass choir. Like the strings
bass and contrabassoon, it
furnishes the foundation for
the harmonic fabric. Its sound
is rather like the bass
trombone, but fuller, richer,
and more powerful.
Cornet
The cornet is a brass-wind musical
instrument of the trumpet family,
consisting of a long looped tube, 9 feet
long. It is used in orchestras, bands, and
brass bands. This instrument is larger
than the trumpet. It ha a shorter body
and possesses greater agility. The tone is
rounder but less brilliant then that of the
trumpet.
Percussion Instrument
The percussion section comprises a variety of
instruments that are made to sound by hitting them with
special sticks, or by striking or shaking their parts
together. Some are made of metal or wood. In others,
such as drums, vibration is set up by striking a stretched
skin. The percussion instruments fall into two
categories– those of definite and those of indefinite pitch.
 Definite Pitch
Kettledrums
Kettledrums or timpani are
percussion instruments of definite
pitch, which are used in sets of two
or three. The kettledrum is
hemisphere copper shell, across
which is a stretched “head” of
calfskin held in place by two metal
ring. The instrument is played with
two padded sticks, which may either
be soft or hard. Its dynamic range
extends from a mysterious rumble to
a thunderous roll.
Glockenspiel
The glockenspiel(German for a
set of bells) consist of series of
horizontal tuned plates of
various size, made of steel. The
player strikes these with mallets,
producing bright metallic
sounds.
Xylophone
The xylophone consist of tuned
blocks of wood which produce
a dry, crisp timbre when struck.
Expert xylophone players attain
dazzling speed and accuracy.
Marimba
The marimba, a xylophone of
African a and South American
origin, is associated with dance
music. It is simply a xylophone
with a resonator. Small tubes
suspended under the wooden
bass resonate the sound of the
vibrating wood.
 Indefinite Pitch
Cymbals are a common percussion
instrument. Cymbals consist of thin,
normally round plates of various
alloys. The greater majority of
cymbals are of indefinite pitch,
although small disc-shaped cymbals
based on ancient designs sound a
definite note. (Cymbals are used in
many ensembles ranging from the
orchestra, percussion ensembles, jazz
bands, heavy metal bands, and
marching groups. Drum kits usually
incorporate a crash, ride or crash ride,
and a pair of hi-hat cymbals.
Gongs
Gongs are broadly of three types.
Suspended gongs are more or less flat,
circular discs of metal suspended
vertically by means of a cord passed
through holes near to the top rim.
Bossed or nipple gongs have a raised
center boss and are often suspended
and played horizontally. Bowl gongs
are bowl-shaped, and rest on cushions
and belong more to bells than gongs.
Gongs are made mainly from bronze or
brass but there are many other alloys in
use
Triangle
The triangle is an idiophone
type of musical instrument in
the percussion family. It is a
bar of metal, usually steel but
sometimes other metals like
beryllium copper, bent into a
triangle shape. The instrument
is usually held by a loop of
some form of thread or wire at
the top curve. It was first
made around the 16th century.
Chimes
The chimes consist of set of tuned
of metal tubes various lengths
attached to frame and struck with a
hammer. They have a broad
dynamic range, from a metallic
tinkle to a sonorous clang, and are
frequently called upon to simulate
church bells.
Harp
The harp is said to be one of the oldest
musical instruments. Its earliest form
appeared in the Babylonian inscriptions
several thousand years ago. This
instrument is almost extinct today. It
survives in the modern orchestra, as a
supporting instrument most of the time.
Its strings are played by plucking,
producing a crystalline tone that blends
well with the orchestral timbres. The
pedals are used to shorten the strings,
thereby rising the pitch. Chords on the
harp are frequently played in the broken
form; the tones are sounded one after
another instead of simultaneously.
Keyboard Instruments
These instruments are operated by means of a keyboard
which consist of a series of black and white keys. When
a performer depresses a key, a tone sounds. Keyboard
instrument produce tones in a variety of ways.
Although keyboard instruments are normally included
with the percussion group, they constitute special set
which maybe considered separately.
Piano
The piano is the most popular and
most widespread of all instrument.
It is widely use in home, in small
orchestras, and dance bands. It has
the ability to sound several tones
simultaneously and has the
capacity to present complex
musical textures by itself making it
an extremely useful instrument. It
is an indispensable instrument for
accompaniment.
Organ
The organ is a principal keyboard
instrument but it has a physical
property which make it a
woodwind instrument. Its sounds
are made by air forced by a
mechanical means through pipes.
The pipes are controlled by two or
more keyboard and a set of pedals.

An organ is capable of sustaining tones indefinitely.

Nowadays, the electronic organ is commonly used.
Here, the sound is produced not by wind but by
electrical oscillators.
Celesta
the celesta which in appearance
resembles a miniature upright
piano, is a kind of glockenspiel
that is operated by a keyboard; the
steel plates are struck by a small
hammers producing bell-like
tones.
Piano Accordion
has a melody keyboard for the
right hand
Harmonium
The harmonium is a keyboard
instrument related to the organ
in that its a tone is produced by
air (bellows operated by feet)
which sets thin strips of metals
(reeds) vibrating.
Ensemble Mediums
When two or more performers are equally engaged
in playing or singing a piece of music, the medium is
called an ensemble (an sam’b’l) and the music is
called ensemble music.
Orchestra
It is the most spectacular of ensembles, composed of any
sizable group of instrumental performers usually under the
direction of a conductor. In the orchestral ensemble, several
instruments of the same kind usually play a given part. On
orchestra may vary in size from a relatively small groups to an
ensemble of a hundred or more players. The number of
instruments used in the orchestra varies according to the
demands of the music. The orchestra is constituted with a view
of securing the best balance of tone. The performers are
divided into the four sections we have described. In large
orchestras, approximately two thirds are string players and one
third are wind players. Three to five men take care of the
percussion.
Symphony Orchestra
The symphony orchestra is a large
ensemble which includes all the
principal instrumental types. The
modern symphony orchestra has
about 100 players, but this number
varies according to the kind of music
being played. It is composed of four
sections corresponding to the four
instrumental groupings; the string
section.
Each of these sections has at least one instrument
which falls into each of the four basic ranges:
soprano, alto, tenor, and bass.
Concerto
The concerto is a form
written for orchestra and
usually one solo instrument
(piano, violin, etc) is given a
prominent role in music.
Hailed as the “ King of the high Cs” is a world renowned
Italian Tenor; who had his concert on the night of March
21, 1994 at the PICC Hall, Manila.
Pavarotti was ably assisted in the two-and-a-half-hour
concert by the Philippine Symphony Orchestra under the
baton of Pavarotti’s own conductor Leone Magiera, and
Italian flutist Andrea Griminelli.
Band
A band is a instrumental ensemble,
large like the orchestra but
consisting mainly exclusively of
wind and percussion outdoor events
instruments. Although the band is
closely associated with outdoor
event (parades, funerals, football
games, etc.), it is also used as
concerto ensemble.
Chamber Ensembles
Chamber music is a medium which calls for calls for
only a few performer (from two to about eight or nine
instruments) with one player to each part. The most
common chamber music ensembles are listed below:

1.Solo Sonatas
Music written for instrument (violin, cello, flute, oboe,
horn, etc.), with an accompaniment by such
instruments as the piano or harpsichord, belongs to the
category of chamber music ensemble.
2.String Quartet
The most common medium of chamber music appears to
be the string quartet. It consist of two violins, a viola, and
a cello. When the piano replaces one of the four
instruments, the ensemble is piano quartet.

3.Duos, Trios, Quintets, and other.

Music in which two instruments have equal importance is
called a duo; music for three instrument s is a trio; for five,
a quintet; for six, a sextet; for seven, a septet; for eight, an
octet; for nine, nonet. These ensembles may consist of any
combination of instruments, including strings, woodwinds,
brass, keyboard, and percussion instrument.
Special Ensembles
As music evolves, composers search for new mediums
more congenial to their changing musical ideas. A
particularly significant trend in recent years has been
the development of electronic instrument, which many
contemporary composers feel are more versatile than
traditional instruments and are more suitable for
achieving the sounds they want for the music.
 Rondalla
This is the best-known instrumental
group in the Philippines today. It is a
band made up of stringed instruments:
the banduria, which assumes the lead
part and play the melody; the laud or
octavina, which carry the alto and
contrapuntal parts; the piccolo, tuned
above the banduria, which plays the
ornamental passages; and the guittara
and bajo, which give solidity to the
rhythm and support the harmony.

Some percussion instruments have found their way

into the rondalla to add color and varied tonal
rhythmic effects.
Mixed Ensembles
A considerable literature of music exist for large
mixed ensembles which include instruments and
voices. Such musical types as an opera, oratorio,
cantata, Mass, Requiem Mass, and even symphonies
may employ vocal soloist, chorus and orchestra.
Mixed chamber ensembles have made their
appearance in the twentieth century.
Chamber Orchestra
The term chamber orchestra is
applied to small instrumental
ensembles in which there are only a
few performers for a part. Chamber
orchestras are in category of
ensemble between a chamber
ensemble and the full orchestra.
Conductor
A conductor is someone who leads
and guides an orchestra or a group
of singers in order to perform a
piece to the best of their abilities.
Conductors work in theater or stage
plays, film or TV scores, lead
orchestras and choirs that are either
amateurs or pros.
SUBMITTED TO:

PROF. AILEEN BISNAR

SUBMITTED BY:

MICHAEL CAINE M. PASABING

REZIE FABE