From the Top Elements of the Staff, Part A. bar line. key signature double bar

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1 From the Top Elements of the Staff, Part A bar lines. Vertical lines that divide the staff into measures beat. The pulse of music; a steady succession of units of rhythm double bar. Two vertical lines used to signify the end of a piece of music duration. A length of time measure. (Also called a bar.) A segment or unit of time defined by the space between two bar lines and containing a specified number of beats pitch. How high or low a sound is staff. Five lines and four spaces used for notating music treble clef time signature bar line measure key signature double bar The Language of Music Music is a universal language that is read, written, and spoken by people all over the world. It uses symbols, words, and numbers for its vocabulary. In order to learn the language of music, musicians and composers memorize musical symbols and ideas, practice playing and singing alone and in groups, and study different musical forms and structures. Music is read from left to right, just as you read sentences in English. The staff which consists of five lines and four spaces is used for notating music or for writing musical sentences. Pitch (the tone, high or low) and duration (how long a note lasts) can be determined according to where on the staff a note is placed and what type of note is used. (More on types of notes in the introduction to rhythm, Unit 3.) Pitch: Up and Down The staff consists of five horizontal lines with four spaces between. Lines indicate pitch, or how high or low a note is. Notes on the top line have a higher pitch than those on the bottom. Lines should be counted from bottom to top, one through five. Spaces are also counted from low to high, one through four. (We will study the lines and spaces of the treble clef in Unit 2.) Duration: Measuring the Beat The staff is also divided by vertical lines called bar lines. The space between two bar lines is called a measure, or bar, which is a unit of duration. Each measure contains a particular number of beats depending on the time signature. A double bar, or two vertical lines, signifies the end of a section or piece of music. Critic s Corner Have you studied music before? If so, what instrument did you play? What instrument would you pick if you had your choice? Have you ever written (or wanted to write) a song? Do you know how to read music already? Write short responses to each question and then discuss your responses as a class. 387

2 From the Top Elements of the Staff, Part B clef. A symbol indicating the range of pitch of a line of music key signature. Sharps or flats immediately to the right of the clef that indicate the tonal center musical alphabet. Name of the pitches used on the staff: A B C D E F G tempo marking. Words above the staff that indicate the speed and character of the piece time signature. Two numbers that indicate the number and duration of the beats in each measure tonal center. The home pitch or first scale degree of a key Signs and Symbols On the Staff The beginning of a piece of music contains most of the information that the musician needs to read the music correctly. Before playing or singing, the musician gathers information about the clef, key signature, time signature, and tempo marking. Clefs A clef is a symbol indicating the range of pitch of a line of music. Clefs are printed on each line of music. There are three kinds of clefs: the G, or treble clef; the F, or bass clef; and the C, or alto and tenor clefs. The lower swirl on the treble clef wraps around the second line on the staff, which is the G pitch. (More about clefs and pitch in Unit 2.) The lessons and activities presented in the units to follow will focus on the treble clef. Once you understand how music notation works in treble clef, you will be well on your way to reading all kinds of music! Treble CLEF BASS CLEF Alto and Tenor CLEFS Key Signature The key signature follows immediately to the clef s right. Key signatures usually use symbols called sharps or flats to alert the musician to the tonal center (the first scale degree of a key). The key signature is printed on each line of music. This is what musicians use to figure out exactly how the music is supposed to sound. (Key signature relationships will be discussed in Unit 6 and Unit 8.) Time Signature The time signature gives information about the beat, or pulse, of the music. The top number identifies the number of beats per measure. The bottom number indicates the duration of each beat. (More about time signatures in Unit 3.) Tempo Marking Some pieces of music offer tempo markings printed above the first line of the staff, which are traditionally written in Italian. The tempo marking tells the musician the speed at which to play the piece and what character or emotion the music should suggest. Examples of tempo markings include largo (slow), moderato (moderate), allegro (moderately fast), and presto (very fast). Musical Alphabet The musical alphabet containing the names of the pitches used on the staff ranges from A to G and repeats in the same sequence over and over: ABCDEFG ABCDEFG ABCDEFG. 388

3 Take It Away Elements of the Staff Musical Alphabet Soup The letters of the musical alphabet are all mixed up with the regular alphabet and other musical symbols. Circle the letters that belong in the musical alphabet or write your answers on a separate sheet of paper. Signature Staff 1) Around which line does the bottom swirl on the treble clef wrap and what pitch does this line represent? What is the other name for the treble clef? 2) Practice writing the treble clef on the blank staff below. Practice until you are able to make three good treble clefs in a row. Staff Sleuth Write the name of each staff element pictured on the staff below Staff Stylist Practice writing the following elements of the staff on the blank staff below or on a separate sheet of staff paper. Write each element in its proper place on the staff. Try to write the elements from memory first, and then check and correct your own work against illustrations and definitions in. 1) A treble clef 2) Four equally spaced measures 3) moderato (tempo marking) 4) One sharp on the top line (key signature) 5) Double bar 6) 4/4 (time signature) 389

4 Blast from the Past Chamber Music chamber music. A style of music for small musical groups conductor. A musician who leads a large ensemble such as an orchestra duet, trio, quartet, quintet. Ensembles containing two, three, four, and five members, respectively Franz Joseph Haydn. Considered the father of the string quartet. Prolific Austrian composer of the Classical period and close friend and mentor to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. (See Unit 9.) Chamber music is a kind of music that has evolved since the Baroque period. It takes its name from the French word for room, chambre, and began during the 1600s when groups consisting of two, three, or four musicians performed in small rooms, or chambers, for nobles (rich and powerful landowners) rather than on a stage in a concert hall. Chamber music has evolved into a specific type of music, which really has nothing to do with the size of the room in which it is played. Today, professional chamber groups such as string quartets, woodwind quintets, and brass quintets perform on concert stages, and chamber music is often played at weddings and other special functions. Amateur musicians also rehearse and perform this special kind of music together regularly. Franz Joseph Haydn ( ), the father of the modern string quartet, was the first composer to suggest the use of formal chamber groups and to write music specifically for use by such groups. Rather than writing a solo voice with three voices playing the accompaniment, Haydn gave each member of a quartet an important voice. A chamber group functions in a democratic way, and it is for this reason that musicians of all skill levels enjoy and benefit from playing chamber music. There is no conductor in a chamber group, so people take turns leading and following one another. Everyone works together to make the music sound its best. One musician offers an opinion about how to make the group sound better and the group tries that idea. The group members can discuss the idea and provide constructive feedback to one another. Sometimes, the group will vote to decide how to play a particular section of the music. Critic s Corner 1) Have you ever attended a bat or bar mitzvah, wedding, graduation, or other ceremony with live music? What kinds of instruments did you see? Was the group a chamber group, a band, or an orchestra? How did music enhance that event? Was the music joyful, contemplative, quiet, or loud? 2) You will be working closely with your own chamber group in music class as you study, write, and perform music. What do you think an individual in a chamber group needs to do in order to prepare for a rehearsal? What should the group do to prepare for a performance? How can you contribute to your group to help make sure that everyone plays well together? 390

5 From Let s Hear the Top It! Lesson Dynamics Title Here Here Here crescendo. A gradual increase in loudness or intensity represented by this symbol: diminuendo. A gradual decrease in loudness or intensity respresented by this symbol: dynamics. The range from soft to loud in music forte. The Italian word for loud, represented by the symbol piano. The Italian word for soft, represented by the symbol The Recorder: Getting Started You are about to play a very old instrument! Though the earliest recorders appeared in medieval Europe, your recorder resembles those played during the Baroque period. Use your left hand to cover the top three holes and thumb hole and your right hand to cover the bottom three holes. (Refer to illustration at left.) The technique you should use to play the recorder is similar to the way you say du, as in the dug. Practice saying du a few times and then hold your recorder, left hand over right, and cover every hole. Take a breath and say du as you gently blow into the mouthpiece. Using this technique, the sound should be crisp, clear, and easier to control in terms of pitch and duration than it would be if you simply blew with all of your might. Refer to the recorder fingering chart at right. The first three notes of the song Mary Had a Little Lamb are B, A, and G, respectively. These are the only three notes you need to know in order to play this famous song! (You or your teacher will be familiar with this song, so you should be able to figure out the proper duration of each note and the basic rhythm. More on types of notes and their duration in Units 2 and 3.) B A G Theory Challenge After you have practiced this song a few times, make it more interesting. The terms forte ( ) and piano ( )are the basic indicators of music dynamics, which refer to the volume or loudness of music. The symbols for these terms are usually written below the staff at the beginning of a song or a new section. The terms crescendo (<) and diminuendo (>) are used to indicate a gradual change in volume. These can appear wherever the composer wishes there to be a gradual increase or decrease in volume and are usually used to alter an audience s emotional response to the music. Copy the notes for Mary Had a Little Lamb onto a separate sheet of staff paper. Decide whether you want the song to be played in piano or forte and then add at least one crescendo or diminuendo somewhere in the song. Practice the piece again. Do you like the choices you made? 391