China 八年级（初二） Arts: Music

1. Sem.1 U1 Secrets of melody

How melody expresses; melodic structure; varying a melody

• Melody: How a Tune Is Built – A melody (tune) is a line of single notes heard one after another. It has two parts: pitch (how high or low each note is) and rhythm (how long each note lasts). The shape a melody makes as it goes up and down is its contour. Moving to the next-door note is a step; jumping further is a leap. The distance between two notes is an interval; the set of notes a melody uses is its scale. Melodies are cut into phrases, like sentences. A question phrase stops unfinished; an answer phrase ends on the home note (tonic). Question + answer make a period. Composers vary a melody by repeating it, moving it higher or lower (sequence), changing its rhythm, flipping it upside down (inversion), or decorating it. Melody expresses feeling: rising lines feel hopeful, falling lines feel calm or sad, leaps feel bold, steps feel smooth.

2. Sem.1 U2 Power of harmony

Root-position chords and inversions; broken chords; arranging for class band

• Harmony: How Notes Sound Together – Melody is notes one after another. Harmony is notes sounding together. The basic chord is a triad: a root, a third and a fifth, stacked by skipping one letter (C–E–G). A major triad has gaps of 4 then 3 semitones (bright); a minor triad has 3 then 4 (darker). In a key, each chord has a job: I is home (tonic), IV moves away (subdominant), V pulls back home (dominant). A chord progression is a chain of chords. A cadence is a musical full stop: perfect (V–I), plagal (IV–I), imperfect (ends on V) and interrupted (V–vi). To harmonise a tune, pick chords that contain its main notes and move voices by small steps. Counterpoint is two or more independent tunes at once; a canon is one tune that chases itself. Harmony grew from modes, through major/minor functional harmony, to richer chromatic and jazz chords.

3. Sem.1 U3 Wisdom of polyphony

Types of polyphony; fugue; creating simple polyphony

• Harmony: How Notes Sound Together – Melody is notes one after another. Harmony is notes sounding together. The basic chord is a triad: a root, a third and a fifth, stacked by skipping one letter (C–E–G). A major triad has gaps of 4 then 3 semitones (bright); a minor triad has 3 then 4 (darker). In a key, each chord has a job: I is home (tonic), IV moves away (subdominant), V pulls back home (dominant). A chord progression is a chain of chords. A cadence is a musical full stop: perfect (V–I), plagal (IV–I), imperfect (ends on V) and interrupted (V–vi). To harmonise a tune, pick chords that contain its main notes and move voices by small steps. Counterpoint is two or more independent tunes at once; a canon is one tune that chases itself. Harmony grew from modes, through major/minor functional harmony, to richer chromatic and jazz chords.

4. Sem.1 U4 Colours of orchestration

Timbre; instrument families; orchestration

• Musical Instruments – Every musical instrument makes something vibrate: a string, a column of air, a stretched skin, a solid body or an electronic circuit and speaker. We group instruments by what vibrates: strings (chordophones), wind (aerophones), drums with skins (membranophones), solid percussion (idiophones) and electronic (electrophones). Smaller, shorter or tighter vibrating parts give higher notes. Each instrument has its own timbre (tone colour) because it adds its own mix of harmonics. In an orchestra or band, instruments are combined to make rich colours.

5. Sem.2 U1 Beauty of structure

Unity, variety, balance; multi-section forms in Chinese music

• Musical Form: How a Piece of Music Is Planned – Form is the plan of a piece of music. Music is built from phrases (musical sentences) that end with cadences. Letters name the parts: same letter = same music. Binary is AB, ternary is ABA, rondo is ABACA, theme and variations is A A1 A2 A3. Sonata form has exposition, development and recapitulation. Songs use strophic, through-composed and verse-chorus forms. Dances and vocal genres each have their own typical forms.

6. Sem.2 U2 Symphony of voices

Choir; cantata and oratorio

• Choir, Part Singing, Cantata and Oratorio – A choir is a group of singers. When everyone sings the same note it is unison. In part singing, different groups sing different notes at the same time, which makes harmony. A typical four-part choir has soprano, alto, tenor and bass. A cantata is a shorter piece for choir, soloists and instruments, often with a sacred story. An oratorio is a much longer work of the same kind, performed in concert without costumes or scenery. Famous examples are Bach's cantatas and Handel's Messiah.

7. Sem.2 U3 Symphony of instruments

Narrative and lyrical music; symphony; concerto

• Music Appreciation: How to Listen and Understand Music – Music appreciation means listening with attention, noticing what is happening in the music, and being able to talk about it. Every piece is built from a few elements: pitch and melody, rhythm and tempo, dynamics (loud and soft), timbre (tone colour), texture (how many layers) and form (the plan of the piece). Knowing these words helps you compare music from any culture, from a symphony to a raga to a film song, and explain why you like it.

8. Sem.2 U4 Stage arts

Opera, dance drama, Chinese opera (xiqu)

Coming soon

9. Songs to remember

Set songs for singing (each semester)

Coming soon