In the use of music for health, it is not important to know the theory of music, so much as to be aware that there is an order of things. Yet, the true import of harmony is to further amplify musical ideas. Some may argue that harmony need be affable and rich. It may not be correct or dulcet, but it still has harmony. That is, if your friend misses the pitch when singing her intended note, there is still harmony.

Sing one note, have a friend sing another, and you have harmony. Simply stated, harmonies are the joining together of two or more pitches to create sound at the same time. Harmony adds new dimensions to the experience of a melody. Your health can be impacted by melodies in profound ways. A great melody will create new fears while holding your older fears at bay. A good melody is one which brings you new insights with every listening. Everyone can relate to a melody in his or her own way. Everyone has his or her own personal story. Our emotional reactions to a musical composition are often related to the structure of a melody. Since the composers of the Middle Ages and Renaissance did not think of their music in harmonic terms (major and minor keys, chords, chord progressions, etc.) we will wait until later to introduce this very significant musical element.Resource The Elements of Music Briefly Defined Speaking of elements that won’t be covered until later in the class, harmony as it is most commonly taught today, is a musical element that developed in the Baroque period (1600–1750) and evolved more and more complex constructions in the Classical and Romantic eras. However, since we are beginning with the music of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, we will stick to general concepts of form for now It wasn’t until later periods that composers placed greater emphasis on form, so we will study particular structures later in this class. Form, or structure, in music becomes much more specialized and standardized in later periods of music history. Form refers to the way in which sections of a musical piece are organized. Repetition, contrast, and variation are the the basic principles of form in music. This can be thought of as the beginning of an important component of rhythm: meter. To create that activity in the upper part, and to keep the two (or more) parts together, regular rhythmic patterns of short and long notes were used. This style involved holding out the notes of a Gregorian chant while a very active new melody was sung above it. This made a more regular beat or pulse ( rhythm) necessary.Īround the late twelfth century, a particular style of organum developed in the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris.

However, with the arrival of organum, it was necessary for the singers performing the two melodic lines to be able to stay together. This is certainly the way we most commonly hear chant performed today. This gives plainchant a flowing, freedom that can be loosely described as having no rhythm. RhythmĪs far as we can tell from the sparse historical record, Gregorian chant was sung without a regular beat. As you’ll soon learn, this practice was called organum, and it introduced a new texture, known as polyphony, to the sacred music of the Middle Ages that had been dominated by the monophonic texture of plainchant. One of the most significant musical developments was the medieval experiment of adding a new melodic line to an existing Gregorian chant melody. We will continue to let history guide our survey of musical elements by moving to texture next. Also known as plainsong or plainchant, Gregorian chant is a musical genre that emphasizes the element of melody, often to the exclusion of any other elements. Let’s begin our brief study of these elements with melody-not because it is more important than rhythm, but because the first music we will study in the Middle Ages will be Gregorian chant. It is a matter of pure speculation whether the first music involved a melody being sung or a rhythm being tapped, but it is easy to imagine that these two experiences were some of the earliest human musical creations.

They are not only the two most fundamental parts of music, but they are very probably the very first components of music experienced by human beings. Of these five elements, there are two that almost always come first: melody and rhythm. While it’s true that not every piece of music contains all of those elements, it is very likely that every piece of music you have listened to recently does. While there are many different approaches to describing the building blocks of music, we often break music down into five basic elements: melody, texture, rhythm, form, and harmony.

Elements of music