Ong, Karen May C. Perocho, Denise Angela C. Punzalan, Ma. Paula C.

ELEMENTS OF MUSIC

3CSB Art App

1. RHYTHM - is the flow of music through time. It has several interrelated aspects: beat, meter, accent and syncopation, and tempo. a. Beat: is a regular, recurrent pulsation that divides music into equal units of time. When you clap your hands or tap your foot to music, you are responding to its beat. b. Meter: Is the organization of beats into regular groups. A group containing a fixed number of beats is called a measure. There are several types of meter, which are based on the number of beats in a measure. duple meter , downbeat , triple meter , quadruple meter , upbeat, sextuple meter , quintuple meter, septuple meter. c. Accent and Syncopation: An important aspect of rhythm is the way individual notes are stressed how they get special emphasis. A note is emphasized most obviously by being played louder than the notes around it that is, by receiving a dynamic accent. When an accented note comes where we normally would not expect one, the effect is known as syncopation. d. Tempo: is the speed of the beat , the basic pace of the music. A fast tempo is associated with a feeling of energy, drive, and excitement. A slow tempo often contributes to a solemn, lyrical, or calm mood. largo very slow, broad grave very slow, solemn adagio slow andante moderately slow, a walking pace moderato moderate allegretto moderately fast allegro fast vivace lively presto very fast prestissimo as fast as possible 2. MELODY is a series of single tones which add up to a recognizable whole. A melody begins, moves, and ends; it has direction, shape, and continuity. The up-and-down movement of its pitches conveys tension and release, expectation and arrival. This is the melodic curve, or line. 3. HARMONY refers to the way chords are constructed and how they follow each other. A chord is a combination of three or more tones sounded at once. 4. KEY involves not only a central tone but also a central scale and chord. A piece in the key of C has a basic scale, do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do, with C as its do, or tonic. Key, then, refers to the presence of a central note, scale, and chord within a piece. Another term for key is tonality.

5. TEXTURE is homophonic, polyphonic, monophonic. a. Polyphonic Texture: simultaneous performance of two or more melodic lines of relatively equal interest. b. Homophonic Texture: when we hear one main melody accompanied by chords, the texture is homophonic. c. Monophonic Texture: when we hear one main melody without accompaniment, the texture is monophonic. 6. FORM in music is the organization of musical elements in time. In a musical composition, pitch, tone color, dynamics, rhythm, melody, and texture interact to produce a sense of shape and structure. The Instruments of the Orchestra: 1. The String Family: violin, viola, cello, double bass 2. The Woodwind Family: flute and piccolo, clarinet and bass clarinet, oboe and English horn, bassoon and contrabassoon 3. The Brass family: trumpet and cornet, French horn and baritone horn, trombone, tuba 4. The Percussion Family Definite Pitch: timpani (Kettledrums), glockenspiel, xylophone, celesta, chimes Indefinite Pitch: snare drum, bass drum, tambourine, triangle, cymbals, gong (tam-tam) ELEMENTS OF THE PARTICULAR TEXT Defining the Nationalist Tradition in Philippine Music By Antonio C. Hila Romantic Movement Occurred in the 19th century (1825-1900). Period wherein the people were engaged in a struggle for liberation. Was an age when the people sought freedom in self-expression through artistic pursuits. Nationalism as a tradition in the Western context refers to that great romantic movement In terms of style, it is noted for its individuality and intensity of expression Nationalism in music was an ideal, involving the use of folk and traditional elements. In some European nation, the birth of nationalism was seen as a reaction to the dominance of German music.

 The nationalist movement in Europe brought about a consciousness that music can have a permanent value and meaning to the people only if it expresses their aspirations and feelings. (Eliseo Pajaro) Borrowed music, however significant and meaningful it may be to its country of origin, would be an artificial means of expressing aspirations and feeling. At a time when the Romantic Movement has already become pass in Europe with the 20 th century, the idea of nationalism in music was just starting to appear in the Philippines. The revolution against Spain was the highest expression of the indigenous ideal for national liberation. Unfortunately, our struggle for political emancipation was interrupted with the coming of a more powerful colonial power, the United States. Our quest for eventual national liberations manifest itself even more in varied artistic pursuits during the American period in which music served as the vehicle of the expression of nationalist sentiments. Philippine music (1931) A period when nationalism was at feverish pitch, as the people were then intensely advocating complete, absolute, and immediate independence. The success of any composition was judged by the perfect blending of the modern melody and old air. (Francisco Santiago) It should not be our aim to return to primitive music; music is reflected by the environment, and progress in civilization reflects the progress of music. (Santiago) Was an era when the kundiman had already been transformed from the level of folksong to an art song. Kundiman - is a lyrical song which dates back to the Spanish period. Composed in the Mexican-Spanish tradition, the music is characterized by a minor key at the beginning and shifts to a major key in the second half. Its lyrics depict a romantic theme, usually portraying love, passion, or sadness. Almost all traditional Philippine love songs in this genre are portrayed with poetic emotion. Its era is placed between 1800 and 1930. We also witness this transformation (folksong to art song) through the lyrics, which by this time were being written by the noted poets of the period. Anak Dalita its lyrics written by Deogracias A. Rosario, and the Spanish text by Jesus Balmori. It is well-liked for its soaring melody and its deep emotive content. The radical change in the musical aspects is also reflected in the text for the art song is text painting, which means that the meaning of the text is vividly conveyed through the music.

 According to Teodoro A. Agoncillos observation, folk poetry is unimaginative and bereft of color. Folk music, as it belongs to the national domain, does not belong to anybody but to all. As such, it can never be plagiarized. In 1939, Santiago was accused of plagiarism by his fellow composer Jose Estella. Estella alleged that Santiago copied the melody of his song Campanadas de Gloria which the latter used in his song Ano Kaya ang Kapalaran? Santiago defended himself, saying that the melody of his song was not original but based on the San Roque version of the folk song Leron Leron Sinta and was arrived at after applying the fundamental principles of the theory of musical composition The lower court that tried the case ruled in favor of Santiago who was not found guilty of Estellas charge of plagiarism.

Conclusion The birth of the nationalist tradition in Philippine music was a much welcome development. At a time when the cultural fabric of the Filipino was facing the threat of oblivion, the shaping of such a tradition was a heroic, relevant response to the cultural as well as political circumstances that were brought about by the colonial experience. This tradition has afforded meaning to the collective cultural life of the people, providing them a strong sense of belonging and national pride that triumphed over the threatening dominance of a meaningless, foreign musical culture. Today, this tradition is still very much with us, forming an active part of our contemporary national cultural life.