Musical Composition - Wikipedia

Musical composition - Wikipedia
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_composition
Musical composition
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Musical composition can refer to an original piece of

music, either a song or an instrumental music piece, the
structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating or
writing a new song or piece of music. People who create
new compositions are called composers in classical music.
In popular music and traditional music, the creators of
new songs are usually called songwriters; with songs, the
person who writes new words for a song is the lyricist.
"Composition" is the act or practice of creating a song or
other piece of music. In many cultures, including Western
classical music, the act of composing typically includes
the creation of music notation, such as a sheet music
"score", which is then performed by the composer or by
other instrumental musicians or singers. In popular music
and traditional music, songwriting may involve the
creation of a basic outline of the song, called the lead
sheet, which sets out the melody, lyrics and chord
progression. In classical music, orchestration (choosing the
instruments of a large music ensemble such as an orchestra
which will play the different parts of music, such as the
melody, accompaniment, countermelody, bassline and so
on) is typically done by the composer, but in musical
theatre and in pop music, songwriters may hire an arranger
to do the orchestration. In some cases, a pop or traditional
songwriter may not use written notation at all, and instead
compose the song in her mind and then play, sing and/or
record it from memory. In jazz and popular music, notable
sound recordings by influential performers are given the
weight that written or printed scores play in classical music.
Scherzo in A flat by the Russian

Romantic era composer Alexander
Borodin (18331887) Play
Jazz, rock and pop songwriters

typically write out newly composed
songs in a lead sheet, which notates
the melody, the chord progression,
and the tempo or style of the song
(e.g., "slow blues").
Although a musical composition often uses musical notation and has a single author, this is not
always the case. A work of music can have multiple composers, which often occurs in popular
music when all of the members of a band collaborates to write a song, or in musical theatre, when
one person writes the melodies, a second person writes the lyrics, and a third person orchestrates
the songs. A piece of music can also be composed with words, images, or, since the 20th century,
with computer programs that explain or notate how the singer or musician should create musical
sounds. Examples range from 20th century avant-garde music that uses graphic notation, to text
compositions such as Karlheinz Stockhausen's Aus den sieben Tagen, to computer programs that
select sounds for musical pieces. Music that makes heavy use of randomness and chance is called
aleatoric music, and is associated with contemporary composers active in the 20th century, such as
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John Cage, Morton Feldman, and Witold Lutosawski. A

more commonly known example of chance-based music is
the sound of wind chimes jingling in a breeze. The study of
composition has traditionally been dominated by
examination of methods and practice of Western classical
music, but the definition of composition is broad enough
the creation of popular music and traditional music songs
and instrumental pieces and to include spontaneously
improvised works like those of free jazz performers and
African percussionists such as Ewe drummers.
Jazz and rock genre musicians may

memorize the melodies for a new
song, which means that they only
need to provide a chord chart to guide
improvising musicians. Play
Although in the 2000s, composition is considered to consist

of the manipulation of each aspect of music (harmony,
melody, form, rhythm, and timbre), according to Jean-Benjamin de Laborde (1780, 2:12):
Composition consists in two things only. The first is the ordering and disposing of
several sounds...in such a manner that their succession pleases the ear. This is what the
Ancients called melody. The second is the rendering audible of two or more
simultaneous sounds in such a manner that their combination is pleasant. This is what
we call harmony, and it alone merits the name of composition.[1]
Contents
1 Terminology
1.1 Improvisation
1.2 Piece
2 As a musical form
2.1 Indian tradition
3 Methods
3.1 Chord progression
3.2 Melody
3.3 Free playing
3.4 Computer methods
3.5 Structure
4 Compositional instrumentation
5 Arranging
6 Interpretation
7 Copyright and legal status
7.1 In the U.S.
7.2 In the UK
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7.3 In India
8 See also
9 References
10 Sources
11 Further reading
12 External links
Terminology
In classical music, a piece of music (a concerto, dance movement,
song, etc.) exists in the form of a composition in musical notation
or as a single "live" acoustic event (a live performance in recital).
Since the invention of sound recording, a classical piece or popular
song may also exist as a recording. If music is composed before
being performed, music can be performed from memory (the norm
for instrumental soloists in concerto performances and singers in
opera shows and art song recitals), by reading written musical
notation (the norm in large ensembles, such as orchestras, concert
bands and choirs), or through a combination of both methods. For
example, the principal cello player in an orchestra may read most
of the accompaniment parts in a symphony, where she is playing
tutti parts, but then memorize an exposed solo, in order to be able
to watch the conductor. Compositions comprise a huge variety of
musical elements, which vary widely from between genres and
A page from the score for a
cultures. Popular music genres after about 1960 make extensive
string quartet for two violins,
use of electric and electronic instruments, such as electric guitar
viola and cello.
and electric bass. Electric and electronic instruments are used in
contemporary classical music compositions and concerts, albeit to
a lesser degree than in popular music. Music from the Baroque music era (16001750), for
example, used only acoustic and mechanical instruments such as strings, brass, woodwinds, timpani
and keyboard instruments such as harpsichord and pipe organ. A 2000s-era pop band may use
electric guitar played with electronic effects through a guitar amplifier, a digital synthesizer
keyboard and electronic drums.
Improvisation
See Tfd
Different musical styles permit singers or performers to use various amounts of musical
improvisation during the performance of a composed song or piece. In free jazz, the performers
may play without any sheet music, form or plan. Improvisation is the act of composing musical
elements spontaneously during the performance, as opposed to having a composer write down the
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music beforehand. Improvisation was an important skill during the Baroque music era
(16001750); instrumentalists and singers were expected to be able to improvise ornaments and
add them to a simple melody. As well, chord-playing instrumentalists, such as harpsichord players
or pipe organists were expected to be able to improvise chords from a figured bass part, which used
numbers and markings made near the written-out bassline to indicate which harmonies should be
played. During the classical period (17601820), solo instrumentalists were expected to be able to
improvise virtuostic cadenzas during a concerto. During the Romantic music era (18201910),
composers began writing out ornaments and cadenzas, and so classical musicians were not
expected to improvise as much. In contemporary classical music (19452016), some composers
began writing pieces which indicate that the performer should improvise during certain sections.
In Western popular music styles such as rock music and traditional music styles such as blues, jazz
and bluegrass music, improvisation is an expected skill for all performers, including rhythm section
members playing accompaniment parts and soloists (e.g., a guitarist playing a guitar solo). In most
popular and traditional music, the rhythm section musicians improvise accompaniment parts, often
based on a chord progression that is known to the performers (e.g., the twelve bar blues) or which
is notated on sheet music using chord symbols (e.g., D minor, G7, C Major), Roman numerals (e.g.,
ii-V7-I), or, in country music, using the Nashville number system. Lead instrument players in rock
and traditional music are expected to be able to improvise a solo (e.g., the guitar solo, which is a
key section of rock, metal and blues songs).
Piece
Piece is a "general, non-technical term [that began to be] applied mainly to instrumental
compositions from the 17th century onwards....other than when they are taken individually 'piece'
and its equivalents are rarely used of movements in sonatas or symphonies....composers have used
all these terms [in their different languages] frequently in compound forms [e.g. Klavierstck]....In
vocal music...the term is most frequently used for operatic ensembles..."[2]
As a musical form
In discussing the composition of a musical work, the structure (or organization) of that work is
generally called its musical form. These techniques draw parallels from visual art's formal
elements. Sometimes, the entire form of a piece is through-composed, meaning that each part is
different, with no repetition of sections; other forms include strophic, rondo, verse-chorus, and
others. Some pieces are composed around a set scale, where the compositional technique might be
considered the usage of a particular scale. Others are composed during performance (see
improvisation), where a variety of techniques are also sometimes used. Some are used from
particular songs which are familiar.
The scale for the notes used, including the mode and tonic note, is important in tonal musical
composition. In music using twelve-tone technique, the tone row is even more comprehensive a
factor than a scale. Similarly, music of the Middle East employs compositions that are rigidly based
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on a specific mode (maqam) often within improvisational contexts, as does Indian classical music
in both the Hindustani and the Carnatic system.
Indian tradition
In the music tradition of India there are many forms of musical composition. To some degree this is
on account of there being many musical styles prevalent in different regions of the country, such as
Hindustani music, Carnatic music, Bengali music, and so forth. Another important influence in
composition is its link with folk music, both indigenous and also from musical culture of Arabia,
Persia, and Bengal.[3]
In the Hindustani musical tradition, Drupad (originally in Sanskrit and later adaptations in Hindi
and Braj Bhasha) is among one of the ancient compositions and had formed the base for other
forms in this music tradition such as khyal, thumri and raga. In the Karnatak music tradition the
compositions are in the form of Kriti, varanam and padam.[3]
Methods
Chord progression
See Tfd
One method of composing music is starting by using a chord

progression. There are many "stock" chord progressions used in
music, such as ii-V7-I (in the key of C major, this is the chords
D minor, G7 and C major) and I-vi-ii-V7 (in the key of C major,
this would be the chords C major, A minor, D minor and G7). A
People composing music using
songwriter can use one of these "stock" progressions, or modify
synthesizers in 2013.
one to create a different effect. For example, secondary
dominant and dominant seventh chords could be added, which
could transform ii-V-I (in the key of C major, this would be the chords D minorG majorC major)
into V7/iiV7/V7I (in the key of C major, this would be the chords of A7D7G7C major).
The chords could also be selected to reflect the tone of the emotion being conveyed in a song. For
example, selecting a minor key, but with mostly major chords (i.e. III, VI, VII) might convey a
"hopeful" feeling. As well, to indicate a "darker" mood, a composer could use unusual chords such
as moving from I-II (in the key of C major, this would be the chords C major and D major; D is
not a note from the key of C major, so the use of this chord has a dramatic effect. Another way to
create dramatic effects with a chord progression is to introduce a modulation to a new key.
Modulation to a closely related key (e.g., for a song in the key of C major, modulating to the
dominant, G major). Modulating to a closely related key such as G major has been a common
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practice since at least the 1700s, so while this could heighten the drama of a piece, it would not
create a significant emotional effect. On the other hand, modulating to a key that is not related to
the tonic key, such as modulating from the key of C major (the tonic) to A major or G major.
Once the series of chords is selected, additional lines are added to the piece. The most important
part in many genres is a lead melody line. This melody may be supported by one or more harmony
lines. Songs often have a bassline which adds to the identify of the piece. Popular music is often
written this way (see: Song structure) where a selected series of chords forms the structure of each
of a particular section of the song (e.g., verse, chorus). The melody line is often dependent on the
writer's chosen lyrics and can vary somewhat from verse to verse.
Melody
Another way to compose music is to start by creating a melody, melodic theme, or group of
melodies. Once these melodies and themes have been created, the composer can then add suitable
chords which will support this melody. The same melody can be supported with many different
chord progressions. For example, if a songwriter has a song in the key of C major in which the
melody begins with a long "G", this melody note could be supported with a tonic chord (C major),
a dominant chord (G major) or a mediant chord (E minor). If the song is written in a jazz style, this
held "G" note could be supported with a secondary dominant chord (e.g., an A7 chord, in which the
"G" is the dominant seventh of the chord, which could then resolve to a D minor chord), or even by
treating the melody note as an "extension" to an existing chord (e.g., supporting the long "G" note
with an F Major chord, thus making the "G" note the added ninth of this chord).
Free playing
See Tfd
Another method involves free playing of an instrument. For example, a pianist might simply sit and
start playing chords, melodies, or notes that come to mind in order to find some inspiration, then
build on the discovered lines. Free playing is also used by guitar players, who explore different riffs
and licks on the instruments.
Computer methods
As technology has developed in the 20th and 21st century, new methods of music composition have
come about. One method involves using computer algorithms contained in samplers to directly
translate the phonetics of speech into digital sound. EEG headsets have also been used to create
music by interpreting the brainwaves of musicians.[4] This method has been used for Project
Mindtunes,[5] which involved collaborating disabled musicians with DJ Fresh, and also by artists
Lisa Park and Masaki Batoh.
Structure
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Compositional instrumentation
The task of adapting a composition for different musical ensembles is called arranging or
orchestration, may be undertaken by the composer or separately by an arranger based on the
composer's core composition. A composition may have multiple arrangements based on such
factors as intended audience type and breadth, musical genre or stylistic treatment, recorded or live
performance considerations, available musicians and instruments, commercial goals and economic
constraints. Based on such factors, composers, orchestrators and/or arrangers must decide upon the
instrumentation of the original work. In the 2010s, the contemporary composer can virtually write
for almost any combination of instruments, ranging from a string section, wind and brass sections
used in standard orchestras to electronic instruments such as synthesizers. Some common group
settings include music for full orchestra (consisting of strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion),
concert band (which consists of larger sections and greater diversity of woodwind, brass, and
percussion instruments than are usually found in the orchestra), or a chamber group (a small
number of instruments, but at least two). The composer may also choose to write for only one
instrument, in which case this is called a solo. Solos may be unaccompanied, as with works for solo
piano or solo cello, or solos may be accompanied by another instrument or by an ensemble.
Composers are not limited to writing only for instruments, they may also decide to write for voice
(including choral works, some symphonies (e.g., Beethoven's ninth symphony), operas, and
musicals). Composers can also write for percussion instruments or electronic instruments.
Alternatively, as is the case with musique concrte, the composer can work with many sounds often
not associated with the creation of music, such as typewriters, sirens, and so forth. In Elizabeth
Swados' Listening Out Loud, she explains how a composer must know the full capabilities of each
instrument and how they must complement each other, not compete. She gives an example of how
in an earlier composition of hers, she had the tuba playing with the piccolo. This would clearly
drown the piccolo out. Each instrument chosen to be in a piece must have a reason for being there
that adds to what the composer is trying to convey within the work.[6]
Arranging
Arranging is composition which employs prior material so as to comment upon it such as in
mash-ups and various contemporary classical works.[7] The process first requires analysis of
existing music, and then rewriting (and often transcription) for an instrumentation other than that
for which it was originally intended. It often (but not always) involves new supporting material
injected by the arranger. Different versions of a composed piece of music is referred to as an
arrangement.
Interpretation
Even when music is notated relatively precisely, as in Western classical music from the 1750s
onwards, there are many decisions that a performer and/or conductor has to make, because notation
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does not specify all of the elements of musical performance. The process of deciding how to
perform music that has been previously composed and notated is termed "interpretation". Different
performers' or conductor's interpretations of the same work of music can vary widely, in terms of
the tempos that are chosen and the playing or singing style or phrasing of the melodies. Composers
and songwriters who present their own music in a concert are interpreting their songs, just as much
as those who perform the music of others. The standard body of choices and techniques present at a
given time and a given place is referred to as performance practice, whereas interpretation is
generally used to mean the individual choices of a performer.
Copyright and legal status

Copyright is a government-granted monopoly which, for a limited time, gives a composition's
ownersuch as a composer or a composer's employer, in the case of work for hirea set of
exclusive rights to the composition, such as the exclusive right to publish sheet music describing
the composition and how it should be performed. Copyright requires anyone else wanting to use the
composition in the same ways to obtain a license (permission) from the owner. In some
jurisdictions, the composer can assign copyright, in part, to another party. Often, composers who
aren't doing business as publishing companies themselves will temporarily assign their copyright
interests to formal publishing companies, granting those companies a license to control both the
publication and the further licensing of the composer's work. Contract law, not copyright law,
governs these composerpublisher contracts, which ordinarily involve an agreement on how profits
from the publisher's activities related to the work will be shared with the composer in the form of
royalties.
The scope of copyright in general is defined by various international treaties and their
implementations, which take the form of national statutes, and in common law jurisdictions, case
law. These agreements and corresponding body of law distinguish between the rights applicable to
sound recordings and the rights applicable to compositions. For example, Beethoven's 9th
Symphony is in the public domain, but in most of the world, recordings of particular performances
of that composition usually are not. For copyright purposes, song lyrics and other performed words
are considered part of the composition, even though they may have different authors and copyright
owners than the non-lyrical elements. Many jurisdictions allow for compulsory licensing of certain
uses of compositions. For example, copyright law may allow a record company to pay a modest fee
to a copyright collective to which the composer or publisher belongs, in exchange for the right to
make and distribute CDs containing a cover band's performance of the composer or publisher's
compositions. The license is "compulsory" because the copyright owner cannot refuse or set terms
for the license. Copyright collectives also typically manage the licensing of public performances of
compositions, whether by live musicians or by transmitting sound recordings over radio or the
Internet.
In the U.S.
Even though the first US copyright laws did not include musical compositions, they were added as
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part of the Copyright Act of 1831. According to the circular issued by United States Copy Right
Office on Copy Right Registration of Musical Compositions and Sound Recordings, a musical
composition is defined as "A musical composition consists of music, including any accompanying
words, and is normally registered as a work of the performing arts. The author of a musical
composition is generally the composer, and the lyricists if any. A musical composition may be in
the form of a notated copy (for example sheet music) in the form of a...record (for example cassette
tape, LP, or CD). Sending a musical composition in the form of a phonorecord does not necessarily
mean that there is a claim to copy right in the sound recording."[8]
In the UK
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 defines a musical work to mean "a work consisting of
music, exclusive of any words or action intended to be sung, spoken or performed with the
music."[9]
In India
In India The Copy Right Act, 1957 prevailed for original literary, dramatic, musical and artistic
work till the Copyright (Amendment) Act, 1984 was introduced. Under the amended act, a new
definition has been provided for musical work which states "musical works means a work
consisting of music and included any graphi notation of such work but does not included any words
or any action intended to be sung, spoken or performed with the music."[10]
See also
BCM Classification
Developing variation
Dickinson classification
MIDI composition
Music manuscript
Music publisher (popular music)
Rpertoire International des Sources Musicales (RISM)
References
1. Translation from Allen Forte, Tonal Harmony in Concept and Practice, third edition (New York: Holt,
Rinehart and Winston, 1979), p.1. ISBN 0-03-020756-8.
2. Tilmouth, Michael. 1980. "Piece". The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, first edition, 20
vols., edited by Stanley Sadie, Vol. 14: 735. London: Macmillan Publishers; New York: Grove's
Dictionaries. ISBN 1-56159-174-2.
3. Emmie Te Nijenhuis (1974). Indian Music: History and Structure. BRILL. p. 80. ISBN 90-04-03978-3.
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4. "Making Music With EEG Technology: Translate Brainwaves Into Sonic Soundscapes".
FAMEMAGAZINE. 19 May 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
5. DJ Fresh & Mindtunes: A track created only by the mind (Documentary), retrieved 5 June 2015
6. Swados, Elizabeth (1988). Listening Out Loud: Becoming a Composer (first ed.). New York: Harper &
Row. pp. 2526. ISBN 0-06-015992-8. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
7. BaileyShea, Matt (2007), "Filleted Mignon: A New Recipe for Analysis and Recomposition
(http://mto.societymusictheory.org/issues/mto.07.13.4/mto.07.13.4.baileyshea.html#FN3REF)", Music
Theory Online Volume 13, Number 4, December 2007.
8. "Copy Right Registration of Musical Compositions and Sound Recordings" (PDF). United States Copy
Right Office. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
9. Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/48/section/3), Her
Majesty's Stationery Office, 1988.
10. JATINDRA KUMAR DAS (1 May 2015). LAW OF COPYRIGHT. PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd. pp. 16364.
ISBN 978-81-203-5090-8.
Sources
Further reading
Laborde, Jean-Benjamin de. 1780. Essai sur la musique Ancienne et moderne, 4 vols. Paris:
Ph.D. Pierres & Eugne Onfroy.
External links
How to Compose Music (http://www.artofcomposing.com
/how-to-compose-music-101) artofcomposing.com
Composition Today (http://www.compositiontoday.com/)
news, competitions, interviews and other resources for
composers.
Internet Concert Project: Album for the Young Student
New Music (http://www.bsmny.org/icp/a4ty09) an online
performance and documentary feature from Bloomingdale
School of Music (http://www.bsmny.org/) (January 2010)
A Beginner's Guide to Composing (http://www.bsmny.org
/exploring-music/features/practical-guides/a-beginnersguide-to-composing/) an online feature from
Bloomingdale School of Music (http://www.bsmny.org/)
(February 2008)
Gems of compositional wisdom (http://www.cosmoedu.net
/DoctorFields/index.html)
A Practical Guide to Musical Composition
(http://alanbelkinmusic.com/bk/index.html)
Wikimedia Commons
has media related to
Compositions.
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ComposersNewPencil (http://www.composersnewpencil.com/) Information, articles and

music composition resources.
How to compose music (http://www.learn-piano.org/compose-music.html)
How to compose Music (Wikihow) (http://www.wikihow.com/Compose-Music)
Rpertoire International des Sources Musicales (http://www.rism.info/) online database to
locations of musical manuscripts from around the world
How to Compose for New Age Piano (http://www.quiescencemusic.com/composemusic.html)
Composing Music (http://www.uremusic.com/2015-01-23-04-39-27.html)
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Musical composition - Wikipedia

Musical composition can refer to an original piece of

Scherzo in A flat by the Russian

Jazz, rock and pop songwriters