Section 15.1 The Elements of Music
Creating contrast usually involves varying one or more of the “Elements of Music,” which are listed and explained below.
| Melody | We all know what melody is, but don’t confuse melody with ostinato! Melody lives and breathes and has variety.
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| Harmony | In this section, we will associate harmony with key and mode (major versus minor).
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| Rhythm | What the most common rhythmic value is in a section.
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| Timbre | The different tone colors of different instruments, and the different tone colors an individual instrument can produce.
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| Texture | Described in the previous chapter as existing in the vertical plane (the number of voices) and the horizontal plane (rhythmic activity of the various voices).
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| Articulation | Staccato versus legato, or short, clipped notes versus long, sustained or connected notes.
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| Dynamics | Loud versus soft.
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| Register | High versus middle versus low.
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In the next two sections we will look at how two different pieces exhibit contrast between various sections using the elements of music.
