FUNDAMENTAL OF

MUSIC AND INSTRUMENTS

JIMMY M. PERILLO
Author

MR. DEXTER L. REYES MR. FOR-IAN V. SANDOVAL

Module Consultant Module Adviser
 COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

VISION

The University shall be known as premier University in

CALABARZON offering academic programs and related services
designed to respond to the requirements / need of the Philippines and the
global economy particularly Asian Countries.

MISSION

The University shall primarily provide advanced Education,

professional, technological and vocational instruction in agriculture,
fisheries, forestry, science, engineering, industrial technologies, teaching
education, medicine, law, art and science, information technology and
other related fields. It shall also undertake research and extension services,
and provide progressive leadership in its areas of specialization.

GOALS OF THE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

In pursuit of the University mission / vision, the College of

Education is committed to develop the full potentials of the individuals
and equip them with knowledge, skills and attitudes in Teacher Education
and allied fields to effectively respond to the increasingly demands
changes and opportunities of changing times for global competitiveness.

OBJECTIVE
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The researcher would like to express her gratitude to the intelligent

and kind hearted person who sacrificed their precious time and for giving
their supports to help in this preparation of this study.

To his family for loving, moral and financial support.

To Mr. Dexter L. Reyes (module consultant), for the sharing of

ideas thoughts and suggestions.

To the Dean of College of Education, Mrs. Lydia R. Chavez, for

her supervision and guidance for this work.

To Mr. For-Ian V. Sandoval (module adviser) for the advices,

supports and efforts for the success of this project.

To all classmates and friends for giving some ideas and for helping
me to make this work possible.

And to the Lord Almighty.

The Author
 FOREWORD

This Teacher’s Instructional Presentation hand-out entitled

“Fundamental of Music and Instruments” is a part of the requirements in
Educational Technology 2 under the revised curriculum for Bachelor in
Secondary Education based on CHED Memorandum Order (CMO) – 30,
series of 2004. Educational Technology 2 is a three (3) unit course
designed to introduce both traditional and innovative technologies to
facilitate and faster meaningful and effective learning where the students
are expected to demonstrate a sound understanding of the nature and
production of the various type of educational technologies.

The students are provided with guidance and assistance of selected

faculty members of the college through the selection, production and
utilization of appropriate technology tools in developing technology based
teacher support materials. Through the role and function as of computers
especially the Internet, the student researchers and the advisers are able to
design and develop various types of alternative delivery systems. These
kinds of activities offer remarkable learning experience for the education
students as future mentors especially in the preparation of Instructional
Materials.

The output of the group’s effort serves as an educational research

of the institution in providing effective and quality education. The lessons
and evaluation presented in the workbook may also functions as
supplementary reference for elementary teachers and students.

FOR-IAN V. SANDOVAL
Module Adviser
Educational Technology 2

DEXTER L. REYES
Module Consultant
MAPEH Instructor

LYDIA R. CHAVEZ
Dean, College of Education
 INTRODUCTION

Some people think trying to read music is hard and difficult. The
following set of pages will try to introduce the most important topics in
music in a very easy to understand way. Don’t expect to fly through all the
lessons and understand. As with anything new, it will appear complicated
and complex but as you look at the examples and read the explanations it
will make sense, with that said, let’s go on and introduce the first lesson.

The music that the musical experience is essentially temporal

rather than spatial is immensely important and does much to explain the
unique nature of music. In other arts which deal with time, especially
drama and dance, space plays an important role. But music requires the
perceiver to develop the ability to listen to a sequence of events and to
relate them to one another.

Thus music can be defined as the organization of sound. The study

of music is concerned with the methods, composers, employ to relate
sounds to one another. Yet music is not meaningless; it organizes sounds
so that they assume meaning. This meaning results from the internal
relationship which the sounds acquire through their use in a musical
composition.

The activities in the book can help parents lead their children in
understanding new information, in acquiring new skills and in coping with
the lessons faster.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgement
Foreword
Introduction
CHAPTER I
The Importance of Music in Teaching
Lesson 1 History of Music
Lesson 2 What is Music
Lesson 3 Value of Music
CHAPTER II
The Elements of Music
Lesson 4 Rhythm
Lesson 5 Melody
Lesson 6 Harmony
Lesson 7 Tempo
Lesson 8 Dynamics
Lesson 9 Timbre
CHAPTER III
Form in Music
Lesson 10 Song Form
Lesson 11 Sonata Form
Lesson 12 Free Forms
Lesson 13 Program Music
CHAPTER IV
Reading Musical Notes
Lesson 14 How to Read Musical Notes
Lesson 15 Sharps, Flats and Naturals
Lesson 16 Musical Sheets
CHAPTER V
The Principal Musical Instruments
Lesson 17 Strings
Lesson 18 Woodwinds
Lesson 19 Brasses
Lesson 20 percussion Instruments
Lesson 21 Keyboard Instruments
References
Author’s page
 CHAPTER I
The Importance of Music in Teaching

After studying this chapter, you are expected to:

 develop the students appreciation of art in music as a very useful tool
for teaching.
 equip the students’ knowledge on the values of music and how they
are used.
 enhance the skills of students in doing the processes involved in
different music activities.

Music Education is a very relevant field of study. In almost all

subjects, its usefulness cannot be denied. It is the teacher’s greatest tool in
achieving his desire to have effective teaching. Music Education maintains
the teachers desire to teach and the students desire to learn. A mentor who
is skillful in art of music is most the times inspired by the music activities
in the preparation of teaching aids and lessons in the different fields. This
is encourages the learners to react positively, thus creating a wholesome
atmosphere contributory to better learning.

Various other skills in music also enhance the teacher’s

personality. Greatest part of the teacher’s job demands his talents and
skills. Form administrative to classroom tasks and even up to personal
dealings with students learned in music education is very relevant.
Lesson 1: History of Music

Objectives:
 discuss the origin of music
 studies of the relationship between words and music.
 knowing the methods of music history

Overview of musical analysis to further these goals in often a part

of music history, though pure analysis or the development of new tools of
music analysis is more likely to be seen in the field of music theory. (For
more detailed discussion of the method see the section “Research in Music
History” below).
Discussion:

HISTORY OF MUSIC
The field of music history, sometimes called historical musicology, is
the highly diverse subfield of the broader discipline of musicology that
studies the composition, performance, reception, and criticism of music
over time. Historical studies of music are for example concerned with a
composer's life and works, the developments of styles and genres (such as
baroque concertos), the social function of music for a particular group of
people (such as music at the court), or the modes of performance at a
particular place and time (such as the performance forces of Johann
Sebastian Bach's choir in Leipzig). In theory, "music history" could refer
to the study of the history of any type or genre of music (e.g., the history
of Indian music or the history of rock). In practice, these research topics
are nearly always categorized as part of ethnomusicology or cultural
studies, whether or not they are ethnographically based.

The methods of music history include source studies (esp. manuscript

studies), paleography, philology (especially textual criticism), style
criticism, historiography (the choice of historical method), musical
analysis, and iconography. The application of musical analysis to further
these goals is often a part of music history, though pure analysis or the
development of new tools of music analysis is more likely to be seen in
the field of music theory. (For a more detailed discussion of the methods
see the section on "Research in Music History" below) Some of the
intellectual products of music historians include editions of musical works,
biography of composers and other musicians, studies of the relationship
between words and music, and the reflections upon the place of music in
society.

Before 1800
The first studies of Western musical history date back to the middle of the
18th century. G.B. Martini published a three volume history titled Storia
della musica (History of Music) between 1757 and 1781. Martin Gerbert
published a two volume history of sacred music titled De cantu de musica
sacra in 1774. Gerbert followed this work with a three volume work
Scriptores ecclesiastici de musica sacra containing significant writings on
sacred music from the third century AD onwards in 1784.
1800-1950

Ludwig van Beethoven's manuscript sketch for Piano Sonata No. 28,
Movement IV, Geschwind, doch nicht zu sehr und mit Entschlossenheit
(Allegro), in his own handwriting. The piece was completed in 1816. In
the twentieth century, the work of Johannes Wolf and others developed
studies in Medieval music and early Renaissance music. Wolf's writings
on the history of musical notation are considered to be particularly notable
by musicologists. Historical musicology has played a critical role in
renewed interest in Baroque music as well as medieval and Renaissance
music. In particular, the authentic performance movement owes much to
historical musicological scholarship. Towards the middle of the twentieth
century, musicology (and its largest subfield of historical musicology)
expanded significantly as a field of study. Concurrently the number of
musicological and music journals increased to create further outlets for the
publication of research. The domination of German language scholarship
ebbed as significant journals sprang up throughout the West, especially
America.
Activity:

Arranged the sequences according to the chronological order. Write on the

space provided.

_____1. Historical musicology has played a critical role in renewed

interest in Baroque music as well as medieval and Renaissance
music.
_____2. The denomination of German language scholarship ebbed as
significant journals sprang up throughout the West, especially
America.
_____3. Gerbert followed this work with a three volume work Scripto
ecclesiastic de musica sacra containing significant writings on
sacred music from the third century AD onwards in 1784.
_____4. Wolf’s writings on the history of musical notation are
considered to be particularly notable by musicologists.
_____5. G.B. martini published a three volume history titled Storia della
Musica between 1757 and 1781.
_____6. Ludwig Van Beethoven’s manuscript sketch for Piano Sonata
No. 28, Movement IV, Geschwind, doch. Nicht zu sehr und mit
Enstschlossenheit (allegro), in his own handwriting.
_____7. Martin Gerbert published a two volume history of sacred music
titled De Cantu de Musica Sacra in 1774.
_____8. The piece was completed in 1816. In the twentieth century, the
work of Johannes Wolf and others developed studies in
Medieval music and early Renaissance music.
_____9. The first studies of Western musical history date back to the
middle of 18th century.
_____10. In particular, the authentic performance movement owes much
to historical musicological scholarship.
Lesson 1: What is Music?

Objectives:
 define music
 explain the importance of music education
 determine the advantages and disadvantages of music.

Overview:
Music appreciation is not so hard to learn. The beauty of music can
always fascinate a person to experience music himself. Therefore it needs
to be developed for some and it needs to be learned by those who have
less desire for it.
Discussion:
What is Music?
Different individuals define music in different ways as follows:
Music adds pleasure to life
Music is an expression of one’s feelings.
Music is an inevitable part of live, necessary to make it enjoyable.
Music is organization of ideas expressed by the individual in
different forms.
Music is expressed through skills and talents.
Music is something that is appreciated.
Music is therapeutic
Music is the exercise of god given gifts.
Music is an expression of one’s individual
Music is an experience.

Various other definitions of music can be given depending on what

we feel or think about music, whatever they are all of these proves that
music is really a part of our individuality, therefore it needs to be
developed for some and it needs to be learned by those who have less
desire for it.
Activity:

Physical
Construct your own concept definition of Music Education.

Give as many relevant ideas possible in terms of the characteristics

of the students, knowledge or skill developed, and the factors.

Music Education

Students
Students

1. 1. 1.
2. 2. 2.
3. 3. 3.
4. 4. 4.
Social

5. 5. 5.
6. 6. 6.
Lesson 1: Values of Music

Objectives:
 describe values of music
 develop students patience and skillfulness to learn music
 identify the factors which determine the development of music.

Overview:
The value of music proves the real importance of music education to our
daily life activities. In as much as people of this kind are selective, music
can be a means to increase finances and earn through the use of music
skills.
Discussion:

Values of Music
For the teacher music is valuable. This is also true for the students
and everybody who have the real openness to appreciate music the
following states that music is really valuable for us:
1. Music is the best way to communicate ourselves to others. What we
do, what we express and what with we place in ourself, in our attire, in
our dealings with others, we always apply. Through this we tell others
who we are and what we are to them.
2. Music enables us to socialize with others. The skill we have
arrangements one makes encourages friendship with others. Music
expressions help restore broken relationship and build up new social
contacts.
3. Music is good tool in solving psychological problems. It’s therapeutic
value keeps emotionally and mentally disturbed individuals to clean up
pent up emotion that they have. Expression of oneself in music
relieves tension and anxiety.
4. Music is good visual tool in all areas of learning. It enhances learning
activities to become more interesting.
5. Music serves as a means to increase finances. The great demand for
excellence in outputs call for the utilization of highly skilled.
6. Music keeps a record of history.
7. Music helps the individual develop his visual imagination and stretch
his ability to explore and see things extensively.
8. Music develops creativity of individual which allows to acquire
several personality traits.

What a Teacher should know about music?

More specifically the role of music in teaching was emphasized. A
few things still follow in order to learn music.
A teacher leaner needs to consider the following:
1. Knowledge of the value of music for students for him as a teacher, and
for others he will be working with in the future.
2. A good idea of the different elements of beauty and their uses.
3. Knowledge of the principles of design and their uses.
4. The “know how” or skills and the processes involved in the different
activities.
Activity:

Synthesize the concepts about the value of music.

Summarize your ideas through a chart.

Values Skills Knowledge

Activity:

Make your own discussion regarding to the topic.

Based on your personal impression in this lesson.
Write Below.

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CHAPTER 2
The Elements of Music

After studying this chapter, you are expected to:

 develop music appreciation
 gain through experience the expression of any one element of music as
a center of interest.
 Identify the different elements of Music.

Music may be said to deal with sound solely for its own sake. Yet
music is not meaningless; it organized sounds so that they assume
meaning. This meaning results from the internal relationship which sounds
acquire through their use in musical composition. One tone is made to lead
next, with the results that the total effect seems to have meaning. This to
the organization distinguishes music from the random sounds that we hear
about us everyday. Thus music can be defined as the organization of
sound. The study of music is concerned with the methods composers
employ to relate sounds to one another.
Before turning to these methods, it will be helpful to consider the
general characteristics of sound itself. Perhaps the most important feature
of musical sound is that it is experienced temporally and not spatially.
When one tone to another, it does so only as time passes. The fact that the
musical experience is essentially temporal rather that spatial is immensely
important and does much to explain the unique nature of music. In other
arts which deal with time especially drama and dance, space plays an
important role. But music requires the perceiver to develop, space plays an
important roles. But music requires the perceiver to develop the ability to
listen to a sequence of events to relate them to one another.
Lesson 4: Rhythm

Objectives:
 define rhythm
 differentiate the types of rhythm
 discuss the main role or function of rhythm in music.

Overview:

In music rhythm is the order of movement which gives us the

duration of tones and the degree of accent. By tapping out the melody of
the song, we become aware of its rhythmic structure. Music concerns itself
with durations which have a clearly perceptible relationship to one
another. In Western music this relationships is usually based upon
multiples of either two or three. In a way, rhythm corresponds to visual
rhythm.

Discussion

Rhythm
The most basic of elements, is that which gives us a sense of
movements. Rhythm pervades all nature; we can sense it in the
movements of the tides in the ordered progression of the seasons, in the
beating of a heart. In these rhythms is more than repetition; we are
conscious of varying degrees of emphasis or accent, which evoke
expectation and tension.

Types of Rhythm
1. Meter – is a way of measuring rhythm. It is the arrangement of rhythm
in a fixed, regular pattern with a uniform number of beats in uniform
measures. Meter is confined to the basic underlying pulse; it is always
perfectly regular like the ticking of a clock. The pulse of meter
inevitably coincides with rhythmic beats but the number and
placement of beats added to the meter by the rhythm make music so
distinctive that we can often tell one piece from another merely by
hearing the added beats.

Example 1: Shows the rhythm and meter of “Deck the Halls”. When
then melody is played or sung, we hear the rhythm, whereas we fell
the metrical pulse.
Pulse

There are basically two kinds of meter: duple, as in the previous

example, in which the accent falls on every other beat (one, two, one to,
one, two, etc), and triple, as in “AMERICA”, in which the accent falls on
every third beat (ONE two three, ONE two three, MY Coun-try, ‘TIS of
thee, SWEET land of LIB-er-ty).

The written indication of meter is called the “time signature” and

appears at the beginning of every piece of music. The numerator tell us
how many basic beats there are in each measure, and the denominator tells
the basic duration value waltzes, we have three quarter notes or their
equivalent for each measure and quarter notes or their equivalent for each
measure and quarter noted or their equivalent to each measure.

Example 2 shows time signature;

Example 3 is table of duration values

Example 2 Time Signatures

Example 3:
 A dot placed after a note prolongs it by half again its lengths; . =
+ , or + + ; . = + + , or + . Every kind of note has a
corresponding kind of rest to indicate that nothing shall be sounded.
Whole rest Eight rest
Half rest Sixteenth rest
Quarter rest Thirty second rest

2. Free meter – indefinite or unmeasured meter is the chief characteristics

of Gregorian chant, also called “plain song”, Irregular meter here
arises naturally because the vocal melody was written to fit an existing
religious text. The plain song melody was intended to enhance the
sound as well as the sense of the words sung, as in Example 4 (from
the thirteenth century). Notice that the notes of longest duration fall on
the word ending a natural phrase.

Example 4: Plainsong

Variety of Rhythm
Variety of Rhythm is one of the most compelling features of
music.
There are four ways in which this variety is often shown:
1) by the addition of notes related to what has gone before.
2) by a change in meter, which automatically makes for a change in
rhythm
3) by evolving motives and phrases so that they seem to grow each time
they are heard, and
4) by the manipulation of accents so that they become syncopated.

Example 5
In Haydn’s second variation from the second movement of the
surprise symphony, a rhythmic change is made simply by doubling the
number of notes heard in the original theme, which gives a hurried playful
feeling (Example 5).

Non-metric Rhythm-much nonwestern music is mot metric in

organization: the accents do not group themselves into a single regular
pattern. The rhythmic organization of Aprican drum music, for example,
can be extremely complex and irregular. In recent Western music there has
also been a tendency on the part of some composers to move toward non-
metric rhythm. Not surprisingly, the earliest efforts in this direction
occurred about 1910, just at the time that the first atonal pieces appeared.
Example 9, part of the, “Sacrificial Dance” from Stravinsky’s Sacre du
Printemps, was composed in 1913. Although the sixteenth note functions
as a pulse, the larger groupings of the pulse are quite irregular, as can be
seen by the various time signatures, which frequently change from
measure to measure (3  2  3  3  2  2, etc.)

In recent years compositions have been written by John Cage and

Karlheinz stockhauser, among others, in which there is no longer a
grouping of the durations into basic pulses. An example is Stockhausen’s
Refrain, a piece for piano, celesta, and vibraphone written in 1960. There
is no sense of rhythmic pulse of all; the duration in the work seem to occur
almost at random, for example burst of notes at very high speeds may
suddenly be followed by very long, sustained tones, with no suggestion of
a common denominator to help the listener group them. Clearly this music
has a different rhythmic effect from that of traditional music.

5) Jazz Rhythm – a specific kind of rhythm is found in Jazz, which is

African in origin. Jazz is in duple meter and is characterized by a
subtle rhythmic pulsation sometimes called “swing”. Swing is what the
performer does with the rhythm, which is syncopation flexible that it
cannot be exactly notated. Jazz, then, is music which can be studied
only by direct listening. It is performer’s medium. Any sound which
can be made is legitimate, and use of centerpoint, variation,
ornamentation and syncopation is left to the performer. This is what
gives jazz its special spontaneous quality.

Activity:
A. Label the corresponding notes below.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

B. Draw the kind of rests according to the given names

1. Half-rest
2. Thirty second rest
3. Whole rest
4. Quarter rest
5. Sixteenth rest

Lesson 5: Melody
Objectives:
 define melody
 discuss the importance of melody in music
 knowing the different types of melody.

Overview:
Melody move be defined as a specific ordering in time of the
pitches of the scale used. Melody is any succession of single tones which
by virtue of being places sequentially, give a sense of continuity. Melody
is hard in terms of duration and pitch.

Discussion:
Because most melodies in Western music between 1700 and 1900
are tonal and metrical, the pitches and durations are organized so that all
the pitches relate to one central tonality and all the durations relate to a
basic metrical pattern.

Normally the notes will not appear on the scalar order, although
these are exceptions to this: the hymn “Joy to the world” Example 10
outlines a descending major scale.

If this melody compared with that in example, we can see that the pitches
occur in reverse order. Note the effect the different durations of the pitches
have upon the scale. If each pitch in the melody were sung for the same
length of time, it would sound like a scale, not like a melody.

In example 11: the melody begins with a ascending major scale,

then breaks off into longer intervals.

When certain patterns of intervals are repeated at a different pitch, we

have “sequence”. The sequence embodies melodies and and rhythmic
repetition. There is a sequence in “America” (Land were our fathers dies,
land of the Pilgrims pride”)

Example shows two sequences following the original interval pattern

without pause.

TYPES OF MELODY
1. TONALITY – When all the tones of melody have been sounded,
their total relationship establishes a tonality. Tonality is key
feeling. There is one central tone called the tonic, toward which all
other tomes in the melody seem to gravitate. Tonality is expressed
through the use of scale, which is a prescribed pattern giving the
number and relationship of tomes. A scale not only chooses which
tones will be used but also denies the use of other of tonality a
general idea, and of scale as specific facts to sustain the idea. A
piece written in D major, for example, is based the major scale and
its central tone is the note D. tonal music tends to begin and end
with the central tone, or tonic.

Scales
There are only a few scales on which most Western music
is based. They are 1) major, 2) minor, 3) pentatonic, 4) chromatic,
5) whole-tone 6) twelve tone. Each of these scales is found within
the compass of an octave and at most only twelve different tones
are possible. The chromatic and twelve tones scale are the only two
which make use of all twelve.

The major scale is used in a vast number of compositions

and is familiar to everyone. It is composed of eight tones (seven
different tones) the first and last of which are the tonic. The
 relationship at intervals for the major scale is as shown in
Example.

The minor scale also has eight tones, seven of which are different.
Its interval pattern is as shown in Example.

The pentatonic scale (Example 15) is of Oriental origin and very

ancient as its name implies, it has five tones.

The chromatic scale (Example 16) uses all the twelve tones,
always progressing by half steps. It is never used as the basis for an
entire composition because it seems to have no real beginning and
no real end. Rather, it is used in part to add interest to music based
on other scales largely the major and the minor. Music which uses
the chromatic scale is harmonically richer because of shifting
tonality.

The whole-tone scale (Example 17) is composed of seven tones

(six different tones), each whole tone from its nearest neighbor. It
has had rather limited use, and that mostly in the late nineteenth
and early twentieth centuries. This scale has an exotic, rather
noncommittal sound because the feeling of tonality has been
weakened, owing to the fact that each interval within the scale is
alike.

2. ATONALITY – The tendency toward increased chromaticism in

the nineteenth century led some composers to abandon the idea of
organizing music around the principal tone. They began to write
atonal (nontonal) music, a term which clearly indicates how
conditioned we are to tonality. The earliest atonal pieces date from
about 1910, such pieces use all twelve pitches with more or less
equal emphasis.

The twelve tone system

In 1920’s the composer Arnold Shoenberg devised a system of
pitch organization based on Chromatic scale, but designed to give that
scale a form which could relate the pitches of an atonal composition.
Schoenberg arrange the twelve chromatic pitches in a series, which he
called a “twelve-tone row” These series, or row, represents a specific
ordering of the twelve possible pitches. The particular arrangement of
pitches may vary from one composition to the next, but once a row has
been devised, it becomes the standard for that piece, and the entire
composition is then based upon that row.

The row maybe played forward (the original form) or backward (the
retrograde form); it may be inverted, by changing all ascending intervals
to equivalent descending ones, and vice versa (the inversion); and the
inversion may also be played backward (the retrograde inversion).

In this system there is no topic; or we say that every note is the tonic, in
which case there is no feeling of gravitation to one key or even one central
tone. For this reason the music is said to be atonal.

Examples 18 and 19 shows Schoenberg’s tone row and its use in

one of his compositions.

3. MODES – The modes were the prevailing scales of the Middles

Ages, There are seven modes, each corresponding to one of the
seven tones of the major scales. The Action mode has become the
modern minor scales, and the Ionian modes has become a major
scale. The names of the other modes are:

Kinds of modes
1. Aeolian mode
2. Ionian mode
3. Dorian mode
4. Phrygian mode
5. Lydian mode
6. Mixolydian mode
7. Locrian mode

The used of these modes, excepting the Locrian, was very common in
the religious music of the Middle Ages; therefore, they are often called the
“ecclesiastic” modes. They survive largely in Plainsong and in folk song,
as in example 20, in the Dorian mode. By playing these example in the
key of D major (that is by putting two sharps in the signature), we may
easily hear the Difference between the modal and tonal quality.
 4. COUNTERPOINT – Much folk is monophonic, as is much
medieval western music and the music of many other cultures.
Much Western concern music, however tends to have a more
complex texture. If two or more melodies are played
simultaneously, the texture is said to be “polyphonic”. A word
used interchangeably with polyphony is counter point. Point is an
old name for note,” Hence, counterpoint means “note against
note”. Counterpoint, then is the combination of two or more
melodies (e.g. in which one played against the other).

There are two ways to create counterpoint (polyphony). In

the first, counterpoint is created by the entrance and repetition of
the same melody after it has been introduced for the first time. A
piece which is constructed according to this technique is called a
“round”, a familiar example being “row, Row, Row your boat”.
The melody is complete in four measures all four parts of the
voices are one measures apart,. Thus, by the fourth measure all
four parts are going simultaneously, each one singing a different
measure of the melody,. The second way of producing
counterpoint is the use of separate melodies. Let us examine these
two methods in turn.

Imitation and Canon

When one voice repeats what has just been stated by another voice
this is called “imitation”. And when one voice continues to imitate another
exactly. It is said to be “in canon” (cannon means “strick rule”). A good
example of a canon is given in Example 21, a Frank Sonata for two
instruments.

All rounds in canon, each voice entering on the same pitch. Music in
canon, maybe written for any number of parts, but the norm is two, three,
or four.

Separate Melodies
The putting together of two separate melodies is found in both popular
and classical music. Examples 22 and 23 from Beethoven’s Symphony
No. 7 present an excellent illustration of the interweaving of two different
melodies. The first time of melody is heard, it is alone (example 22), the
second time it is heard (example 23) a new melody has been added to it, a
bit lower in range; it is more melodic in character and seems almost to
caress the original melody.

In music since the time of Bach, the tendency has been to put together
two melodies that are quite different, as has been done here by
Beethoven’s. in the great period of polyphonic music before Bach little
emphasis is found on the separate melodies as such. Instead one is
conscious only of the way the voices are woven together in a harmonic
whole.

NOTES ABOUT COUNTERPOINT

Not every