Music and Mind

IV The Structure of Music

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www.mind-study.org

Mozart, sonata for 2 pianos 8:20

Where we are . .

I. The Appeal of Music March 23

II. The Sound of Music March 30

III. The Hearing of Music April 6

IV. The Structure of Music April 13

V. The Making of Music April 27

VI. The Power of Music May 4

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Topics for today

• Dimensions of musical structure• Chord sequences• Musical phrases• Larger sequences• Beginnings, middles, and endings• Ad hoc forms

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Dimensions of musical structure

• Vertical– Simultaneous tones—chords

• Horizontal– Sequences: melodies, themes, chord transitions, phrases, . . .

• Depth– Crescendo and decrescendo– Changes in tempo– Changes in instrumentation and tonality

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Topics for today

• Dimensions of musical structure• Chord sequences• Musical phrases and other short sequences• Larger sequences• Beginnings and endings• Ad hoc forms

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Chord sequences

• Some chord transitions flow smoothly—consonance– Typically, to neighbors in the circle of fifths

• Others grate on the mind—dissonance

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The circle of fifths

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Bach, Well-Tempered Clavier #1, first 4 bars

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Bach, Well-Tempered Clavier #1, next 4 bars

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Consonance and Dissonance

• Smooth transitions—consonance• Rough transitions—dissonance• Can we explain this phenomenon neurologically?

– Why do some transitions seem inevitable?– Why are others surprising or disagreeable?

• “There’s abundant laboratory evidence that we perceive near-key progressions more quickly and accurately than others. Harmony is easy to follow (and often banal) when chords move merely from one adjacent key to the next” (Jourdain 1997: 107)

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Creative Dissonance

• Good composers often use elements that would be considered dissonant according to standard rules

• “If a composer can find a new way of structuring chord progressions, one chord may resolve to another in what is blissful consonance for that system, although the same progression is deemed dissonant in traditional harmony”

—Jourdain 1997:104• Examples:

– Wagner– Dvořák– [Next time—Session V]

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More on chord sequences

• They commonly stay close to the main key– Natural, since common transitions are to neighbors in the

circle of fifths• More innovative composers make good use of departures and

move to different keys– Examples: • Dvořák• Wagner, Tannhäuser Overture (1845)• Mozart, Don Giovannni (1887)

– "The Best Opera Ever Written” —Richard Wagner

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http://wwwnicholashay-operahistorian.blogspot.com/

In Mozart’s "Don Giovanni" the use of keys is important in describing the dramatic situation in the plot, the personalities of the characters, and their emotions at particular moments in the opera. First of all the use of keys indicates the characters’ social classes. For example the key of F major is used for lower class characters such as Leporello, Masetto and Zerlina. The noble key of B flat major is Don Giovanni’s key because he is a nobleman, and also because he generates a lot of excitement.

—Nick Hay

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http://wwwnicholashay-operahistorian.blogspot.com/

The key of B flat major also indicates when the women in the opera are in distress. Donna Anna’s key is d minor because she is mourning her fathers death, and because she is a cold person. Donna Elvira’s key is E flat major which indicates her passion for Don Giovanni. Key changes occur in Don Giovanni to indicate that the emotions of the characters have changed.

—Nick Hay

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Topics for today

• Dimensions of musical structure• Chord sequences• Short Sequences

– Measures, phrases

• Larger sequences• Beginnings, middles, and endings• Ad hoc forms

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Measures and sequences of measures

• The power of two– 2 or 4 beats per measure

• But: Waltz, 3/4

– Phrases: 2 bars, 4 bars, 8 bars, 16 bars– Lines/Sequences of phrases: 2, 4, …

• Exception: Blues — 3

• Why?

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Musical phrases

• Compare phrases in language

• Examples– Example: Bach, Well-tempered clavier, #1– Example: Wagner’s Tannhäuser Overture– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTM7E4-DN0o

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Tannhäuser Overture

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4 measures

Musical phrases and linguistic phrases

• Compare phrases in language– Musical sequences and linguistic sequences• Narratives, expository discourse

– Musical phrases and conversation

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Topics for today

• Dimensions of musical structure• Chord sequences• Short Sequences

– Measures, phrases

• Larger sequences• Beginnings, middles, and endings• Ad hoc forms

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Larger structures

• The whole song• The movement (of a sonata, concerto, symphony)

– The sonata form • Exposition• Repeat exposition• Development• Recapitulation

– Other forms• Rondo • Theme and variations

– Optional additional devices within a movement• The cadenza• The coda

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Example: Mozart, piano sonata #16, 1st movement ♫

Example: Mozart, piano sonata #16, 1st movement

• Listen - - ♫ • Key change—C to G—near end of exposition:

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Example: Mozart, piano sonata #16, 1st movement

• Listen - - ♫ • N.B.: repeat sign at end of exposition:

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Still larger structures

• The concerto, the sonata, the string quartet, etc. – Typically, 3 movements

• 1st movement: allegro• 2nd movement: slow

– Example: Beethoven Pathetique Sonata ♫ 9:45• 3rd movement: (typically) allegro

• The symphony– Typically, 4 movements

• 3rd movement often a “Scherzo”

• The opera– Includes story, acting, costumes, sets– Usually two or three acts

• The ballet

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Topics for today

• Dimensions of musical structure• Chord sequences• Musical phrases and other short sequences• Larger sequences• Beginnings, middles, and endings• Ad hoc forms

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Beginnings and endings

• As with linguistic texts, there are standards to follow• Generally we start with clear identification of key– Example:

• Beethoven Pathetique Sonata ♫• Beethoven, 5th Symphony ♫

– Exception: Beethoven’s First Symphony, 1st movement ♫• The end: we’re back home—must reassert that key– Examples:

• Beethoven, 5th Symphony ♫– 30:30 Transition; 34:00 end

• Beethoven Pathetique Sonata ♫ – 19:40

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Middles

• As with linguistic texts, there are standards to follow• The middle: anything goes, but has to fit– Linguistic examples:

• And yet• On the other hand• Nevertheless• In that case,

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Musical sequences and narrative sequences

• Typical narrative structure• The “monomyth” —Joseph Campbell

– A.k.a. “the hero’s journey”, the “quest narrative”– A near universal theme of storytelling– Found in

• Religious myth• Greek epic• Hollywood film• Folk tale, fairy tale• Personal memoir

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The “Quest Narrative” or “Hero’s Journey”

“In this structure, a protagonist is shaken out of his normal way of life by some disturbance and—often reluctantly at first, but at the urging of some kind of mentor or wise figure—strikes out on a journey to an unfamiliar realm. There he faces tests, battles enemies, questions the loyalty of friends and allies, withstands a climactic ordeal, teeters on the brink of failure or death, and ultimately returns to where he began, victorious but in some way transformed.”From: http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2015/03/the-science-of-near-death-experiences/386231/

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Topics for today

• Dimensions of musical structure• Chord sequences• Musical phrases• Larger sequences• Beginnings, middles, and endings• Ad hoc forms

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Ad hoc forms

• Additional formal structure just for this piece• Examples:– Beethoven, 5th Symphony, 1st movement ♫– Bach, Well-Tempered Clavier, #1

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Bach, Well-Tempered Clavier, Prelude in C

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T h a t ‘ s i t f o r t o d a y !