Listening Terminology Application Assignment: Harmony

Assignment Learning Outcomes:

• Identify and describe the various fundamentals concepts of music and music notation symbols by applying traditional terminology.
• Discuss and compare the various functions, uses, and contexts of music.

Assignment Purpose & Instructions

• LTAAs are designed to prepare you for writing the Concert Report.
• In this assignment, I want you to pay close attention to the type of sentences I have you create, and the order in which they come. This is the form I’d like for you to follow in the Concert Report.
• Provided examples are to give you general guidance on how to construct sentences only. You are NOT to copy them directly, as that constitutes a Code of Conduct violation for plagiarism. Change the words, structure, phrasing enough so that you write your original thoughts, not mine. I am not considering the copying of major term definitions word-for-word plagiarism for these assignments/the Concert Report.

Paragraph Creation

1. ITEM ONE: Subjective Opinion and Term Identification
   1. Say whether or not you enjoyed the song due to the harmonies. Include the title/artist!
      1. Ex.) I found Hesperion XXI’s performance of Johann Pachelbel’s “Canon in D” enchanting, especially because of its consistent tonal harmonies.
2. ITEM TWO: Term Definitions
   1. Define harmony using the definition from the book/PowerPoint (just define the term, avoid phrases like “The PowerPoint/Dr. Neal/the book defines harmony as…”)
      1. Ex.) Harmony is defined the combination of two or more pitches.
3. ITEM THREE: Harmony Identification
   1. Introduce the harmonic attributes you will discuss. You should be able to address: consonance/dissonance, chord qualities, and chord progressions.
      1. Ex.) Throughout the work there were interesting examples of consonance, dissonance, varying chord qualities, and a consistent chord progression.
4. ITEM FOUR: Harmony Attributes (this will take more than one sentence)
   1. Identify the attribute, including its definition. Make your observation with justification.
      1. For consonance/dissonance, you can generally describe if the piece is mostly consonant, dissonant, or a combination of the two. Then you need to go into specifics, referencing instrumentation and sections of the work.
         1. Ex.) Overall the work sounded mostly consonant, because the instruments seemed to harmonize well together. There were brief moments of dissonance between the three violins, but usually it resolved quickly. I noticed it especially once the third violin entered for the first time.
      1. For chord qualities, say whether the piece contains mostly major or minor harmonies, or some combination thereof. If different sections contain different types, identify those. Go further and link them to your opinion/the lyrics/or the mood.
         1. The piece seemed to contain mostly major harmonies, fitting its happy, uplifting mood. Since the chord progression did not change, these harmonies repeated throughout the work.
      1. For chord progressions, start by saying if the piece contains simple/complex, long/short chord progressions. Then go into more detail by section, comparing/contrasting as necessary. Go further by linking these to the musical/emotional effect you think they have.
         1. Ex.) This composition contains a fairly long, yet simple and highly consistent chord progression. There are eight chords that repeat continuously throughout the work, played by a cello and organ while the violins play overlapping melodies. The consistency of this chord progression makes the piece predictable, but in a reassuring way that supports the increasing complexity of the violin melodies.
5. ITEM FIVE: Summary
   1. Wrap it all up, referencing the attributes you addressed, and linking back to your initial opinion.
      1. In summary, the multitude of consonant major harmonies combined with a consistent simple chord progression made Pachelbel’s “Canon in D” very enjoyable for me.

Paragraph on Harmony

• An “ideal” response would thus look something like this:

I found Hesperion XXI’s performance of Johann Pachelbel’s “Canon in D” enchanting, especially because of its consistent tonal harmonies. Harmony is defined the combination of two or more pitches. Throughout the work there were interesting examples of consonance, dissonance, varying chord qualities, and a consistent chord progression. Overall the work sounded mostly consonant, because the instruments seemed to harmonize well together. There were brief moments of dissonance between the three violins, but usually it resolved quickly. I noticed it especially once the third violin entered for the first time. The piece seemed to contain mostly major harmonies, fitting its happy, uplifting mood. Since the chord progression did not change, these harmonies repeated throughout the work. This composition contains a fairly long, yet simple and highly consistent chord progression. There are eight chords that repeat continuously throughout the work, played by a cello and organ while the violins play overlapping melodies. The consistency of this chord progression makes the piece predictable, but in a reassuring way that supports the increasing complexity of the violin melodies. In summary, the multitude of consonant major harmonies combined with a consistent simple chord progression made Pachelbel’s “Canon in D” very enjoyable for me.

Specified Listening

• For the LTAA assessment, you will be working with two new pieces linked below. Excerpts are automatically included for appropriate questions, but if you would like to hear the pieces in their entirety, please use these links:
  • Prelude in E minor, op. 28, no. 4 (opens in a new window) by Frederic Chopin at                                                    < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiwPzHJ-Pic>
    • Performed by Francois-Rene Duchable
  • “With or Without You” (opens in a new window) by U2 at                                                                                           < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujNeHIo7oTE >