In the beginning of the twentieth century, the tonal system was already falling apart due to the extreme use of chromaticism and post-tonal is a term that is used for music that doesn’t follow the traditional conventions of tonal harmony.… Read More »Post-Tonal Harmony
The chromaticism of the nineteenth century diluted the tonal system in such a way that it was only natural that the system would eventually be abandoned altogether. This new music without a tonal center, that was weakened or lost, eventually… Read More »Atonality
In tonal music, a key center is the pitch or chord around which the music revolves, like a home base where you want to return to. It is important to distinguish that being in the key of C major doesn’t… Read More »Key Centers
Also known as Dodecaphony, the twelve-tone technique is a method of musical composition devised by Austrian composer Arnold Schoenberg, as an aftermath of “free atonality”, as a way to replace the structural differentiations present in the tonal system. The core… Read More »Twelve-Tone Music
Simply put, tonality is a system of musical organization using the same set of notes and chords in which there are perceived relationships with the pitches or chords from within the same group of notes – stabilities, attractions and… Read More »Tonality
To lower-level organizational structures I call them Microform and these decisions are related to materials inside a given section or how to prepare to go to the next section. At this point, I am referring to rhythmic parts, melodies, harmony… Read More »Microform as a Low Level Organizational Structure
A commonly accepted definition is that music is organized sound and to do so, we use the musical elements. Any of the presented materials, thus far, would not make much sense if they were not combined and organized in such… Read More »Form – Common Structures and Macroform
It can be related to how many instruments are playing at a given time and it can be thick or dense (lots of instruments); light or sparse (fewer instruments). But it is also related to other elements of music, such… Read More »Texture
Dynamics refers to how loud or soft a musician needs to play a particular musical passage. Being one the expressive elements of music, using dynamics in a piece of music may help sustain the interest, avoid boredom by adding variety… Read More »Dynamics
In music, an interval is the relative distance between two notes that can be measured in tones or steps and, in the equal temperament system that uses twelve notes, the smallest measurable unit is a half-step or a half-tone. The… Read More »Intervals
