THE ELEMENTS OF MUSIC Western Michigan （西方密歇根音乐的元素）.pdf

THE ELEMENTS OF MUSIC Because music is a multi-dimensional, multimedia phenomenon, the design of a musical composition can be described on several levels. The “Elements of Music” described below offer you specific terms and concepts that will help you better understand and describe any kind/style of music —from Classical to Rock: ELEMENT Related Terms Rhythm: (beat, meter, tempo, syncopation, polyrhythm) Dynamics: (crescendo, decrescendo; forte, piano, etc.) Melody: (pitch, range, theme) Harmony: (chord, progression, key, tonality, consonance, dissonance) Tone color: (register, range) Texture: (monophonic, polyphonic, homophonic) Form: (binary, ternary, strophic, etc.) RHYTHM Rhythm is the element of TIME in music. When you tap your foot to the music, you are keeping the beat or following the structural rhythmic pulse of the music. There are several important aspects of rhythm: • D URA TION : how long a sound (or silence) lasts. • TEMPO: the speed of the BEAT, which can described by the number of beats/second (or in Classical music by standard Italian terms) Here is a comparative chart of tempos from several different rock and roll styles: ——————————SLOWER FASTER ————————— Italian terms: Adagio Andante Moderato Allegro (assai) Vivace Presto • • • • • • • Beats/minute 60 80 96 140 175 Blues Pop