Chapter 18. Music

Elements of music: pitch, rhythm, melody, harmony, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture and form [48][49].

Notation (Western). Music is written on a staff of five lines and four spaces with clefs (treble and bass). Note values: whole note (4 beats in 4/4), half (2), quarter (1), eighth (½). Time signatures such as 4/4 and 3/4 show beats per bar. Key signatures show sharps or flats [48].

Scales and chords. The major scale follows the pattern whole–whole–half–whole–whole–whole–half steps (for example, C major: C D E F G A B C). A triad has three notes: root, third and fifth. An interval is the distance between notes [48][49].

Western music history in outline. Medieval and Renaissance, Baroque (about 1600–1750; Bach, Handel), Classical (about 1750–1820; Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven), Romantic (19th century; Chopin, Tchaikovsky), and 20th-century and modern styles including jazz and popular music [49].

Indian classical music. Hindustani (north) and Carnatic (south) traditions are based on raga (melodic framework) and tala (rhythmic cycle). The notes of the scale are named sa, re, ga, ma, pa, dha, ni. Improvisation is central [50].

Music in Sri Lanka

Folk music: work songs, lullabies, ritual and village songs in Sinhala and Tamil.

Traditional drums and instruments: the Kandyan geta bera, yak bera, dawula, thammattama, rabana, the horanewa (a reed wind instrument) and flutes, and Tamil instruments such as the nadaswaram and thavil; the veena, violin and mridangam in Carnatic music [50].

Popular music: film songs, light classical songs and baila, a dance music style with Portuguese and African influences [50].

Ethnomusicology studies music in its cultural context [50].

Listening and appreciation. Identify instruments, texture, tempo, mood and structure (such as verse–chorus, rondo or theme and variations); describe how the elements create effect.

Performance. Regular practice, warm-ups, good posture and breathing for singers, and ensemble skills such as listening and keeping time.

Review: How many beats does a half note get in 4/4 time? (Answer: 2.)