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| This notation
indicates differing pitch, dynamics,
articulation, and instrumentation. |
Elements
Music can be analysed by considering a variety of its
elements, or parts (aspects, characteristics, features),
individually or together. A commonly used list of the
main elements includes pitch, timbre, texture, volume,
duration and form. The elements of music may be compared
to the elements of art or design. |
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Selection of elements
According to Howard Gardner (1983, 104), there is little
dispute about the principal constituent elements of
music, though experts differ on their precise
definitions. Harold Owen bases his list on the qualities
of sound: pitch, timbre, intensity, and duration (Owen
2000, 6) while John Castellini excludes duration (Castellini
1962, 4). Most definitions of music include a reference
to sound (Google.com.au 2015; Dictionary.com 2015b;
Merriam-webster.com 2015; Anon. & 1991, 1994, 1998,
2000, 2003) and sound perception can be divided into six
cognitive processes. They are: pitch, duration,
loudness, timbre, sonic texture and spatial location
(Burton 2015, 22–28). |
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Definition of music
Does the definition of music determine its aspects, or
does the combination of certain aspects determine the
definition of music? For example, intensional
definitions list aspects or elements that make up their
subject.
Some definitions refer to music as a score, or a
composition (Dictionary.com 2015a; Merriam-webster.com
2015; Oxforddictionaries.com 2015): music can be read as
well as heard, and a piece of music written but never
played is a piece of music notwithstanding. According to
Edward E. Gordon the process of reading music, at least
for trained musicians, involves a process, called "inner
hearing" or "audiation", where the music is heard in the
mind as if it were being played (Gordon 1999). This
suggests that while sound is often considered a required
aspect of music, it might not be. |
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Universal aspect
There is disagreement about whether some aspects of
music are universal, as well as whether the concept of
music is universal. This debate often hinges on
definitions. For instance, the fairly common assertion
that "tonality" is a universal of all music may
necessarily require an expansive definition of tonality.
A pulse is sometimes taken as a universal, yet there
exist solo vocal and instrumental genres with free and
improvisational rhythms no regular pulse (Johnson 2002,
62), one example being the alap section of an Indian
classical music performance. Harwood questions whether a
"cross-cultural musical universal" may be found in the
music or in the making of music, including performance,
hearing, conception, and education (Harwood 1976, 522). |
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|
 Wikipedia: Elements of music |
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