CC BY, Elliot Jones Santa Ana College

1. THE ELEMENTS OF
MUSIC

2. The Elements of Music
Melody
Rhythm
Harmony
Texture
Form

3. MELODY

4. Melody
A coherent succession of single pitches
Melodies are linear (“a line of music”)
Pitches, or tones, are heard in relation to
each other
Distances between pitches called intervals
Melody is affected by cultural origins

5. Melodic Structure
Melodies can be divided into phrases
Phrases are independent units within the
larger melodic structure
The end of a phrase is called a cadence

6. RHYTHM

7. Rhythm
Rhythm deals with musical movement
through time
The basic rhythmic pulse of music is the
beat
Beats can be accented or made stronger
than other beats
Beats can be grouped into patterns called
meters

8. Metrical Patterns
Most music is in two, three, or four beat patterns
Duple meter
Triple meter
Quadruple meter
In written music these grouped patterns are called
measures
The first beat in each measure, the downbeat, is
the strongest (most accented)

9. HARMONY

10. Harmony
Harmony refers to the simultaneous
sounding of pitches or tones
Harmony is vertical (“a stack of pitches”)
Three or more tones sounding together
makes a chord
Most common chord in Western music is
the triad
Triads are based on major and minor scales

11. Scales
A scale is a collection of pitches arranged in
ascending or descending order
Major and minor scales divide the octave
into seven pitches in a recognizable pattern
An octave is created by two pitches with a 2:1
frequency ratio
Triads are built using alternating scale
degrees (1-3-5, 2-4-6, 3-5-7, etc.)

12. More Harmonic Terms
The first degree (or pitch) of a scale is the tonic
and is more important than the others
The principle of organizing music around the tonic
is called tonality (tonal music)
Melodies & harmonies that are limited to the tones
of a particular scale are diatonic
Melodies & harmonies that are not limited to the
tones of a particular scale are chromatic

13. More Harmonic Terms
Harmonic progressions built on principle of
tension and resolution
Dissonance, combinations of tones that
sound discordant or unstable, provides
tension
Consonance, combination of tones that
sound agreeable or stable, provides
resolution

14. TEXTURE

15. Texture
Texture refers to the way in which the
melodic and harmonic elements of music
are woven together
We will deal primarily with four textures:
Monophony
Polyphony
Homorhythm
Homophony

16. Monophony
Literally means “one voice”
Refers to music with one part or one line
This is the simplest musical texture

17. Polyphony
Literally means “many voices”
Refers to music with multiple parts or lines
Each line is an independent melody
Counterpoint is the system by which these
independent lines fit together

18. Homorhythm
Literally means “same rhythm”
Refers to music with multiple parts or lines
that are rhythmically connected
Each line moves in the same rhythm – note
to note

19. Homophony
Literally means “same voice,” though
“compatible voice” is better for our purpose
Refers to music with a single melodic line
to which the rest of the parts are
subordinate
While polyphonic textures are built on
counterpoint, homophonic texture is built
on harmony

20. Counterpoint
Music based on counterpoint is called
contrapuntal from Latin “punctus contra
punctus” (point against point)
Imitation is a contrapuntal technique that
gives unity to a composition
In imitation, a melodic idea is presented in
one voice and then restated in the other(s)
Very strict imitation is called canon

21. FORM

22. Form
Form is the structure or design of music
Three principles of form
Repetition
Contrast
Variation

23. Three Principles of Form
Repetition is the return of musical ideas that
we have already heard in a piece of music
Contrast is the introduction of new musical
ideas into a piece of music
The interaction of the familiar and the new
stimulates our interest in the music
Variation is a kind of repetition in which
familiar music returns but with changes

24. Basic Formal Structures
To analyze form we divide a piece of music
into sections labeled with a letter
Binary form (A-B) features two sections
that are different (contrast, no repetition)
Ternary form (A-B-A) features three
sections, the last being same as the first
(contrast and repetition)

25. Building Blocks of Form
A melodic idea that serves as a foundation
for a piece of music is a theme
Thematic development is the manipulation,
expansion, and exploration of a theme
A melodic idea restated several times at
different pitch levels forms a sequence
The short melodic/rhythmic fragments that
make up a theme are called motives

26. Other Formal Elements
Call and response music features a soloist
who is imitated by a chorus
Call and response music is also known as
responsorial
A short musical pattern that is repeated
continually is called an ostinato
Separate sections of a larger work are called
movements – comparable to chapters