Transcript Listening to Music - MUS 231: Music in Western Civ

Chapter 1: The Power of Music
The Power of Music:
“To control the people, control the music”
-Plato
• Why do you listen to
music?
• What role does music
play in your life?
• How do you listen to
music?*
• Why is music so
universally appealing?
• How would YOU define
music?
• Why is music so
appealing?
• What is its attraction?
• Does it perpetuate the
human species?
What is Music?
• MUSIC: The rational organization of sounds
and silences passing through time
• Sound:
– Created by soundwaves – the vibrations that reflect
slight differences in air pressure
– Speed of the vibration determines whether pitches
are low or high
Music and Your Brain
• Our inner ear transforms soundwaves into electrical
signals that goes to various parts of the brain that
analyze particular components of the sound: pitch,
color, loudness, duration and how music makes us
feel
Listening to Music
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1870’s: Wax cylinders
1940’s: Vinyl records
1960’s: Cassette tape; Eight track
1990’s: CD’s
1990’s: MP3 and M4A files
Classical Music
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“High art” or
“learned” music
Timeless qualities
Emphasizes
instrumental music
Precise notation
Acoustic instruments
Lengthy and varied in
mood
Abstract sound
patterns
Popular Music
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Appeals to a large
population
Contemporary issues
of life
Emphasizes vocal
music
Electrically amplified
instruments
Short and conveys a
single mood
Emphasis on the beat
How does Classical Music Work?
Genres of Classical Music
Genre: A type of music
Opera Houses and
Theatres
• Opera
• Ballet
Concert Halls
• Symphony
• Concerto
• Oratorio
Chamber Halls
• Art Song
• String Quartet
• Piano Sonata
Styles of Classical Music
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476-1450: The Middle Ages
1450-1600: Renaissance
1600-1750: Baroque Era
1750-1820: Classical Era
1820-1900: Romantic Era
1880-1920: Impressionist Era
1900-1985: Modern Era
1945-present: Postmodern Era
Each musical era has its own
unique characteristics.
The Language of Music
• Music is a means of communication
• Music can covey any emotion
• Music has been a part of our live since infancy
• We really learn to appreciate music when we
learn why!
Where and How to Listen
• Where to listen:
– CD sets, Download Music Album for the text book
– Streaming Music from CourseMate and eBook
– Sites and applications like Spotify, Youtube and iTunes
– Live music
– Make music yourself
• Four Steps To Becoming A Good Listener
– Learn how music works
– Improve your musical memory
– Focus solely on the music
– Practice
Take the Classical Music Challenge!
• Listen to Taylor Swift sing "Love Story"
• Listen to Renee Fleming sing "O mio bambino caro”
• Whose artistry impresses you the most?
• Listen to Colplay perform "Viva La Vida"
• Listen to Richard Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries”
• Which gives you chills?
• Listen for similarities and differences!
Four Notes that Changed the World
• Listen to the opening of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony
• Listen for the ever-changing appearance of the
four-note motive
– Motive: a short, distinct musical figure
• Symphony: an instrumental genre for orchestra
• Movement: a large independent section of a major
instrumental work
If you thought Classical Music was for wimps,
think again!!
• Listen to "Also sprach Zarathustra" by Richard Strauss
• Listen for a gradual transition from the nothingness of
murky darkness, to shafts of light (trumpets), and finally
to the incandescent power of the full symphony
• Does this piece sound familiar to you?
• What does it make you think of?