ELEMENTS OF MUSIC

(Form)
Is the structure of a particular piece, how its parts are put
together to make the whole. Repetition, contrast, and variation are
essential techniques in short tunes as well as in compositions lasting
much longer. Repetition creates a sense of unity; contrast provides
variety; and variation, in keeping some elements of a musical thought
while changing others, gives a work unity and variety at the same
time.

Repetition
Musical repetition appeals to the pleasure we get in recognizing
and remembering something. In a play, a scene or act is rarely
repeated, but in music the repetition of melodies or extended sections
is a technique widely used for binding a composition together.
Through repetition, a melody is engraved in the memory.
The passage of time in music, as in life, influences the way we
react to events. When a musical idea returns during a piece, the effect
produced is not duplication but balance and symmetry.
Contrast
Forward motion, conflict, and change of mood all come from
contrast. Oppositionof loud and soft, strings and woodwinds, fast
and slow, major and minorpropels and develops musical ideas.
Sometimes the opposing ideas will have a common element that
establishes a sense of continuity. At other times the contrast will be
complete. (The contrast between black and white is different from the
contrast between black and gray.) The separate identities of
contrasting ideas are heightened if they are placed near each other. A
composer can emphasize the power and excitement of one musical
idea by contrasting it with another idea that is calm and lyrical, much
as a photographer can show the height of a building by including a
human figure in the photograph.
Variation
In the variation of a musical idea, some of its features will be
retained while others are changed. For example, the melody might be
restated with a different accompaniment. Or the pitches of a melody
might stay the same while its rhythmic pattern is changed. A whole
composition can be created from a series of variations on a single
musical idea.

Types of Musical Form

Composers have used certain forms or patterns to organize their
musical ideas. As listeners, we can respond more fully to music when
we appreciate its form. Well look now at the basic types of musical
form:
Strophic form: a composition based on just one theme form
(AAAA...)
Binary form: a composition subdivided into two large sections
is in two-part form (A B). Two-part form gives a sense of
statement (A) and counterstatement (B). A composition in A B
form might be represented by A A B or A B B or A A B B if
either or both of its large sections are immediately repeated
Differences between A and B may be of any kind, and the two
sections may be equal or unequal in length. The B section
almost always returns to the home key and gives a sense of
finality.
Ternary form: or three-part form (A B A) having three parts
(ABA). This form can be represented as statement (A), contrast
or departure (B), return (A). When the return of A is varied, the
form is outlined A B A. Again, The contrast between A and B
can be of any kind; A and B can be of equal or unequal length;
and the way A returns after B differs from piece to pieceA may
come back unexpectedly, or it may be clearly signaled, or there
may be a transition smoothly linking the two.
Rondo form: has a recurring theme alternating with different
(usually contrasting) sections called episodes the famous order
for rondo form is (ABACADA..)

Finally its important to lean on memory when you listen to music.

Spotting musical ideas when they occur is fine, but its only the
beginning. The goal is to put the related ideas together by recognizing
and remembering them and by finding the relationships between
them. Through alert, repeated listening their overall shape will be
made clear, and your response to music will be more satisfying.

Important terms:
A Theme is a melodic idea used as a building block in a large-
scale work and can be broken into small component fragments known
as motives.
A sequence results when a motive is repeated at a different
pitch.
An Ostinato is the repetition of a short musical melodic,
rhythmic, or harmonic pattern.
 The main Genres in western music :
The Symphony:
An extended work for orchestra, traditionally regarded as the
central form of orchestral composition. This composition consisted of
four movements1the first, a fast movement; the second, a slow
movement; the third, a dance, in "simple triple" meter, and the fourth,
a fast finale.
Listening examples:
1. Joseph Hayden : 2nd movement from the surprise symphony
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLjwkamp3lI
2. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: 1st movement of the 40th symphony for orchestra.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZD9nt_wsY0&feature=PlayList&p=22900E8AB3A11FF
D&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=34
3. Johann Brahms: 3rd movement of the 3rd Symphony for orchestra
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViLfcmIAxRo&feature=related

The Concerto:
A composition for an orchestra and one or more solo
instruments. It consists of three movements, with fast tempos in the
first and third movements, and a slow central movement. It has
generally been intended to display the soloist's virtuosity especially in
a section called Cadenza which played by the solo instrument.
Listening examples:
1.Tchaikovsky: 1st movement from concerto no1 for piano and orchestra
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CMo_mLNz38&feature=related
2. Mendelssohn: 1st movement from the concerto for violin and orchestra

The Sonata:
A musical composition for one or two instruments, one of which
is usually a piano. It is usually in three or four movements: the first
and fourth had a fast tempo, the second had a slow tempo, and the
third was mostly in dance form with a triple meter. The fourth is a fast
finale.
Listening examples
1.Beethoven: Moonlight sonata for piano movement I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E10K73GvCKU

1
Large-scale compositions, such as symphonies and sonatas, are divided
into sections, or movements.