Music Theory and History: Harmony, Instruments, and Forms
Understanding Harmony in Music
Harmony is the use of different sounds simultaneously, when notes are played together at the same time. Melodies are represented horizontally on the staff, placing one sound after another, and harmonies are represented vertically, placing some sounds above others.
Three or more notes sounded simultaneously form a chord. Most of our music is based on the three-sound chord that we call a triad. Triads are chords created with a root, third, and fifth.
Normally, we distinguish between consonant (relaxation) and dissonant (tension) chords.
The harmonic cadence is the point of rest. It is used to separate the different musical ideas or to indicate the end of a piece.
Electronic Musical Instruments
An electronic musical instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound using electronics. In the beginning, they were used most of all in rock and pop music, but nowadays they can appear in all types of music. The most well-known is the electric guitar.
Traditional and Folkloric Music
From the beginning of time, mankind has used music to accompany daily tasks. Traditional or folkloric music has a specific function. It is interpreted together with important events or activities of the community. These are anonymous creations or written by forgotten authors, performed by amateur musicians. Traditional music is identified with specific geographical regions and cultures and was transmitted orally.
Examples of Traditional Music
- Chinese music: It is usually ritualistic and uses pentatonic scales. The main instruments are the sheng and gong.
- Indian music: It uses a different system of scales called ragas. The main instruments are the sitar and tabla.
- Indonesian music: The music is bound to religion and dance. The instrumental group is named gamelan.
- South American and Caribbean music: These musical styles are rich in dances like cumbia, salsa, bachata, samba, etc., and in instruments like steel drums, berimbau, bandoneon, etc.
The Romantic Period in Music
The Romantic period covered practically the whole 19th century, and in this period, music is recognized as the most privileged language among the arts. Composers are no longer servants of their patrons and are recognized as geniuses. They can be teachers, interpreters, or conductors.
Instrumental Music in the Romantic Era
Instrumental music becomes the ideal vehicle for expressing sentiments that cannot be expressed by other arts.
Orchestral Forms
- Symphonies: Symphonies gained more richness of orchestral sound and more formal freedom.
- Symphonic poems: A symphonic poem is an orchestral composition based on the description of a program or plot, frequently cultivated by nationalist composers.
- Solo concertos: Audiences in the Romantic period appreciated virtuoso performers such as Liszt or Paganini, who surprised people with their spectacular concerts. Among the most important orchestral composers, we can mention Liszt, Berlioz, and Schubert.
Piano Forms
Short piano forms now come into fashion. The piano makes possible the individual performance and expression of feelings. Composers created small pieces composed upon simple or free structures. The names of these pieces are quite varied: nocturne, ballade, and prelude.
Romantic Opera
During Romanticism, opera becomes the leading vocal form. Big theaters were built around all of Europe, and singers became true stars. In Italy, the main composers were Verdi, Rossini, and Puccini. Some of Verdi’s operas are Aida and Rigoletto. In their operas, the choir has a relevant role.
In Germany, Richard Wagner created a new concept of opera as a complete work of art, a fusion of music, poetry, and painting with The Ring of the Nibelungs. Wagner introduced an orchestral element called the leitmotif, a short and recurring musical phrase related to characters, sentiments, or situations.