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LECTURE IDEAS
LISTENING TECHNIQUES
There are numerous ways to begin a course in music appreciation, from asking provocative questions about the nature or types of music to summarizing the nature and content of the course. Since the pedagogical goal of this text is to cultivate intelligent listening to music, a brief discussion about “listening” may be a helpful way to introduce course expectations. Many students frequently equate hearing music with listening. While both are pleasurable activities, they are not synonymous. Aaron Copland sought to explain the difference between the two in his book What to Listen for in Music.[1] He described three layers of listening (Copland, 9-19). The most basic he called “sensual.” In this type of listening our senses perceive and enjoy music, but without conscious consideration or intellectual involvement. It serves as background music, nothing more. To explore this style of listening ask questions such as the following:
· How do you perceive music while shopping, studying, sitting in a restaurant, or having a dentist work on your teeth?
· What effect does music have on the ambiance of these situations? How does it affect our mood? (Students might be surprised to know that writers as ancient as Plato, Aristotle, and, later, St. Augustine observed this phenomenon as well.)
· Do you need to take a college level course to be able to hear music in this manner?
Copland called the second level “expressive” listening. This mode of listening engages our mind and requires our active attention. We attempt to apply some sort of meaning to the music or to understand it through extra-musical associations, such as the work’s biographical relevance to the composer, its musical “story,” or our own personal associations (e.g., “that was our song.”).
· How do you react to music such as the “Love theme” from Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet or when you hear the soundtrack from a favorite movie?
· How does the movie Fantasia encourage us to perceive music? Were the interpretations presented by the Disney studio the same or different from the original intent of Tchaikovsky (Nutcracker), Stravinsky (The Rite of Spring), or Beethoven (Symphony No. 6)?
· Is one perception correct and the other wrong? (In other words, is the only correct intent the composer’s intent? Is our listening or enjoyment faulty if it is different from what the composer designed?)
· Again, does one need to take a college level course to perceive music in this manner?
Copland labeled the third level as “musical” listening. Perceiving music on this level implies that we focus our attention on the music itself, observing and enjoying the interrelationship between melody, harmony, timbre, form, etc. We can liken the pleasure derived from this type of listening to the gratification a mathematician derives from solving a complicated problem: a host of intricately related elements are uniquely combined to solve the equation. So too our knowledge of such musical elements as melody, rhythm, timbre, and form enables us to consider such questions as why a melody sounds so poignant, a rhythm so rollicking, or why a cadence is so satisfying.
There is a further value to listening on the “musical” level. The cellist Yo-Yo Ma described it this way: “Imagine having Einstein talk to you, or Gandhi. In a concert, Mozart and Bach are talking to you. It’s the best of them communicating with you through time and space. You’re listening to the crystallization of great minds.”[2] Learning musical terminology and exercising the brain to recognize musical relationships enables us to understand the language of the conversation. It allows us to open our minds to some of the noblest and most enduring achievements of the human spirit.
It is the purpose of this text to open our minds to great musical thoughts. There is nothing wrong with listening on the sensuous or expressive levels; in fact, Copland states that we can perceive music on all three levels simultaneously. One may question if more intense examination ruins a pleasurable experience. The adage “familiarity breeds contempt” may be true when the object does not hold up under intense scrutiny. Certainly, we are all familiar with a song that, while initially pleasant, soon became cloying. However, classical music has endured because it not only withstands such attention, but actually improves with thorough and rigorous listening. We cannot underestimate the importance of listening repeatedly to a composition. The more we listen to a work, it not only becomes more familiar but we perceive subtle musical relationships within the composition. Emphasize that part of their homework commitment is devoting adequate time to concentrated listening, not simply playing the CDs as they drift off to sleep at night—or morning, whichever the case may be.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What is the difference between hearing music and listening to it? Why might knowledge increase our enjoyment of the music we listen to? What would you suggest to an individual who knew nothing about your favorite music, but wanted to learn? How might that advice be applicable to students taking this course?
2. Why is memory essential when listening to music? Sing a few old commercial jingles or the theme song from an old sitcom to test your musical memory. Is it possible to remember melodies even if you have not heard them for years? Were these melodies retained in your memory after a single hearing or were they heard many times? Does that suggest a necessary activity in order to perceive complex musical forms?
3. Describe what is meant by the term “classical” music. How does “popular” music differ from “art” or “serious” music? In what way can listening to popular music develop good listening skills? How are the listening skills required for popular music different from classical music?
QUIZ DIFFERENTIATING POP AND CLASSICAL MUSIC
The next ten questions ask you to differentiate between the characteristics of classical and popular music
1. / It has an immediate impact and its lyrics often embrace issues of contemporary life.a. classical
b. popular
ANSWER: b
2. / It usually makes use of a text or “lyric” to convey its meaning.
a. classical
b. popular
ANSWER: b
3. / It relies on preset musical notation and is to a certain extent a “fixed entity,” meaning that does not change significantly between different performances.
a. classical
b. popular
ANSWER: a
4. / Compositions in this style are relatively short, averaging from three to four minutes in length, and possess a single mood from beginning to end.
a. classical
b. popular
ANSWER: b
5. / The rhythmic “beat” often rests beneath the surface of this kind of music.
a. classical
b. popular
ANSWER: a
6. / It relies on acoustic instruments for performance.
a. classical
b. popular
ANSWER: a
7. / It relies mostly on oral and aural transmission, and the work can change greatly from one performance to the next
a. classical
b. popular
ANSWER: b
8. / It is primarily instrumental music in which meaning is communicated through a language of musical sounds and gestures.
a. classical
b. popular
ANSWER: a
9. / Musical pieces can be lengthy and involve a variety of moods, requiring the listener to concentrate over a long period of time.
a. classical
b. popular
ANSWER: b
10. / It relies greatly on an immediately audible, recurrent beat.
a. classical
b. popular
ANSWER: b
COMPOSERS AND COMPOSITIONS
BEETHOVEN, SYMPHONY NO. 5
See Chapter 18 for information regarding the historical background of this work and a discussion of the initial motive. Even students who never listen to classical music will be familiar with the opening of this symphony. Ask them to answer the following questions:
· The author has described the opening as “the musical equivalent of a punch in the nose.” What gives the music its pugnacious quality? (Another way to consider the question is to compare a punch in the nose with a backrub. How does the music resemble the former sensory experience?)
· How does Beethoven shape the introductory motive into a theme? Does he emphasize it by repeating it over and over (with various permutations) or reduce its importance by combining it with other musical gestures?
· Pause the CD after the statement of the French horn solo (Intro CD/1 0:42). Is there anything about this French horn solo that resembles the opening motive? What character does the French horn lend to the motive that might be lost if it were played by a flute or the violin section?
· Before resuming the CD, ask students to see if they can hear the introductory motive in the next passage (second theme). How is the motive treated differently from the opening theme?
STRAUSS, ALSO SPRACH ZARATHUSTRA
The most iconic use of the opening of Also Sprach Zarathustra during the late twentieth century is certainly the opening sequence of Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey. He used this music to accompany two momentous moments in evolution: the dawn of life, represented by a dramatic sunrise (approximately 3:00-4:00 into the film) and when an ape begins to use rational thought and takes the first step toward becoming human (approximately 15:00-16:00). This use bears some parallels with Nietzsche’s existential book as well as the tone poem. At first, Kubrick’s use of this music was a temporary measure while the composer Alex North worked on writing a film score. In the end, Kubrick chose not to use the North’s music and made his temporary tracks permanent (Hughes, The Complete Kubrick, 142). More recently, Mel Brookes spoofed this passage in the opening of History of the World Part I, and in the Pixar hit Toy Story II Buzz Lightyear hops from one floating disk to another, one note of Zarathustra sounding as he lands on each disk. This score has provided entrance music for such disparate entities as the University of South Carolina football team, pro wrestlers, and even Elvis Presley.
· Describe the mood Strauss evoked with this Sunrise music. Does it convey associations with a literal dawn, such as the chirping of birds?
· How is this introduction different in style from the opening of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony? For example, does the motive culminate in a theme or does the motive move directly to cadence, bypassing a theme entirely?
· What is it about this music that has made it so evocative of outer space?
· Why might this music, originally associated with Nietzsche’s “Superman,” be applicable to the entrance of various sports heroes?
TEST BANK
INDENTIFICATION
Select the term that fits the description. Terms may be used more than once.
acoustic instrument / orchestraclassical music / popular music
encore / sound waves
genre / style
lyrics / symphony
motive / symphony orchestra
movement / tone poem
music
1. ______/ Slight differences in air pressure producing vibrations that result in the perception of pitch and volume.
ANSWER: sound waves
2. ______/ A short, distinctive melodic figure that stands by itself.
ANSWER: motive
3. ______/ The repetition of a composition demanded by an appreciative audience or an extra piece added at the end on a concert.
ANSWER: encore
4. ______/ A genre of instrumental music for orchestra consisting of several movements.
ANSWER: symphony
5. ______/ The rational organization of sounds and silences as they pass through time
ANSWER: music
6. ______/ The term for music that has a timeless quality of expression, proportion, and balance.
ANSWER: classical music
7. ______/ What is the term for the text of a song?
ANSWER: lyrics
8. ______/ A large, independent section of a major instrumental work, such as a sonata, dance suite, symphony, quartet, or concerto.
ANSWER: movement
9. ______/ An instrument that produce sounds naturally when strings are bowed or plucked, a tube has air passed through it, or percussion instruments are struck.
ANSWER: acoustic instrument
10. ______/ A broad category of music designed to please a large section of the general public.
ANSWER: popular music
11. ______/ Term used to describe a “type of music.”
ANSWER: genre
12. ______/ One of two terms for a large ensemble of acoustic instruments.
ANSWER: orchestra (or symphony orchestra)
13. ______/ Either of two terms that signifies a one-movement work for orchestra that gives musical expression to the emotions and events associated with a story, play, political occurrence, personal experience, or encounter with nature.
ANSWER: tone poem
14. ______/ A term sometimes used in contradistinction to more “serious” music.
ANSWER: popular music
15. ______/ A synonym for “orchestra.”
ANSWER: symphony orchestra
16. ______/ The general surface sound produced by the interaction of the elements of music.
ANSWER: style
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. / According to neuroscientists, when we listen to music it alters the ______in our brain, thereby affecting our mental state.a. electrical stimulation
b. chemical composition
c. weight
d. synapses
e. all of the above
ANSWER: b
2. / In a digital recording, all the components of musical sound, such as pitch, tone color, etc., are reduced to sequences of binary numbers and stored on compact discs.
a. true
b. false
ANSWER: a
3. / Identify the incorrect statement about popular music.
a. often uses electric enhancements to amplify and transform vocal and instrumental sounds
b. primarily vocal
c. has a strong beat that tends to dominate
d. works tend to be short and involve exact repetition
e. performed from a written score; musicians normally have music stands on stage to help them remember the tune
ANSWER: e
4. / Identify the incorrect statement about classical music.
a. programs distributed at concerts consist of lyrics that tell listeners what the music is about and what they are supposed to feel
b. works are typically long and repetitions are varied
c. typically uses acoustic instruments
d. primarily instrumental
e. melody and harmony typically more prominent than rhythm
ANSWER: a
5. / In musical terminology, ______means “type” of music.
a. motive
b. encore
c. sound waves
d. genre
e. syncopation
ANSWER: d
6. / Genre in music not only implies what and where you might hear music performed, but also how one might dress and act.
a. true
b. false
ANSWER: a
7. / What is meant by the term “encore”?
a. the gradual decrease in the volume of sound
b. an instrumental genre in which one or more soloists play with and against a larger orchestra
c. an extra piece added at the end of a concert by a performer to gratify an appreciative audience
d. music that has endured the test of time and requires a particular set of skills to perform or appreciate it
e. a short, distinctive melodic figure that stands by itself
ANSWER: c
8. / Identify the correct definition of “movement.”
a. the orchestral ensemble that plays symphonies
b. a large, independent section of a major instrumental work
c. the repeat of a piece demanded by an appreciative audience
d. a short, distinctive melodic figure that stands by itself
e. the process whereby a performer plucks the strings of an instrument rather than bowing them
ANSWER: b
9. / An orchestra is:
a. a small group of acoustic instruments, chiefly the clarinet, trumpet, and trombone, that are accompanied by a rhythm section
b. an ensemble that normally includes synthesizers and electrically amplified guitars
c. a large ensemble of acoustic instruments such as violins, trumpets, and flutes
d. a moderate size of acoustic instruments that primarily consist of a group of saxophones, trumpets, and trombones
e. a large group of wind instruments, such as the clarinets, trumpets, and saxophones, as well as a substantial battery of percussion
ANSWER: c
10. / A ______is a type of music for orchestra that is divided into several movements, each possessing its own tempo and mood.
a. tone poem
b. pizzicato
c. encore
d. concerto
e. symphony
ANSWER: e
11. / The ______is a large ensemble of acoustic instruments that plays symphonies, concertos, overture, and other genres of classical instrumental music.
a. chorus
b. concerto
c. big band
d. orchestra
e. crescendo
ANSWER: d
12. / A short, distinctive musical figure that can stand by itself, and often unifies entire compositions is a:
a. motive
b. crescendo
c. chord
d. pizzicato
e. movement
ANSWER: a
13. / Also Sprach Zarathustra (Thus Spoke Zarathustra) by Richard Strauss is an example of which musical genre?
a. concerto
b. dance suite
c. overture
d. tone poem
e. symphony
ANSWER: d
14. / Which genre of composition is a one-movement work for orchestra that tries to capture in music the emotions and events associated with a story, play, or personal experience?
a. symphony orchestra
b. classical music
c. tone poem
d. encore
e. concerto
ANSWER: c
15. / Which instruments are playing the melody in the listening example?
a. violins
b. trumpets
c. flutes
d. French horns
e. bassoons
ANSWER: b [Strauss, Also sprach Zarathustra, Intro CD/2, 0:14-0:43]
16. / Identify the term that best describes the listening example.
a. motive
b. diminuendo
c. melody
d. pizzicato
e. encore
ANSWER: a [Beethoven, Symphony 5, first movement; Intro CD/1: 0:00-0:02]
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