LESSON 4 - Elements of Music.pptx

1. Dynamics deals
with how loud or
soft the sound is
played.

Composers use
dynamics to
change the mood.

crescendo-getting
louder
decrescendo-
getting quieter

pianissimo- very quiet
piano-quiet
forte-loud
mezzo forte- moderately loud
fortissimo- very loud

2. melody: succession or
arrangement of sounds

The melody is usually the
most memorable aspect
of a song.

Melody is the horizontal
presentation of pitch
(the highness or lowness
of a musical sound).

3. harmony: the blending
of tones or sounds
played or sung
simultaneously

Transposing
(or transposition)
means changing the
key of a piece of music.

4. rhythm- the pattern of
sound, silence, and
emphasis in a song

Rhythm
Beat is the length of time
which each note is
played.

Rhythm
meter- the number of
beats in a bar

triple meter
(strong, weak, weak)

quadruple meter
(strong, weak,
medium, weak)

Rhythm
Tempo means the speed
at which a piece of music
should be played.

Tempo
adagio- slow
allegro-fast
presto-very fast

5. Texture describes how
layers of sound within a
piece of music interact.

monophonic texture
only one melody is heard
without harmonies

homophonictexture
(same sound)
one clear melody

polyphonic texture
many sounds; independent
melodies that weave together
while observing the rules of
harmony

A round is a short musical
piece in which multiple
voices sing the same
melody but start the song
at different times.

A fugue is a piece of music that
begins with a simple tune which
is then repeated by other voices
or instrumental parts with small
variations.

A canon is a piece of music
where a melody is
played and then imitated
(one or more times) after a
short delay.

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