Notes

Describe Beethoven’s Symphony No.5 using detailed musical terminology.
Investigate the different branches of musicology, including ethnomusicology and music theory.
Demonstrate what musical skills you already have.
Set personal goals for achieving your best.
Key Ideas
A motive is a short musical idea that is developed through variation techniques. A theme is slightly longer and generally more melodic than a motive.
There are four main sections of the symphony orchestra: strings, winds, brass, and percussion. The orchestration of a piece refers to how a composer uses these instrument colors in different combinations.
There are three main musical parameters to listen for in a piece of music: tempo, dynamics, and articulation.
Tempo indicates the speed of the beat in a piece; for example, allegro would mean the beat passes quickly.
Dynamics measure volume — for example, p or f.
Articulation measures how individual notes are played — for example, staccato or legato.
The four branches of musicology are ethnomusicology, music history, music theory, and systematic musicology.
Music history emphasizes the study of Western art music, while ethnomusicology stresses music study in many cultural contexts.
Music theorists analyze music from a historical perspective as well as develop new techniques for analyzing current trends in music composition.
Disciplines that approach music from a nonhistorical perspective, such as musical acoustics, fall under systematic musicology.
Tonality creates a hierarchy between notes in which one note is the center tone. In the early twentieth century, Arnold Schoenberg created the twelve-tone system, in which each note is given equal importance. This began the breakdown of tonality in modern music.
Program music tells a story, while absolute music has no descriptive purpose. Program music became very popular in the later part of the nineteenth century, as advocated by the composer Hector Berlioz.
Sample Questions
How do dynamics differ from articulation?
What are some common variation techniques for motives?
Describe the four main branches of musicology.