Principles of Music

by Lambert, Philip

• ISBN13: 9780199975563
• ISBN10: 0199975566
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2013-09-06
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Ideal for students with no prior experience with musical notation and music theory, Principles of Music presents a series of lessons that proceeds step by step through music fundamentals. Taking a keyboard-oriented approach, it focuses on the basics-musical notation of rhythm and pitch, major and minor scales, key signatures, intervals, triads, and seventh chords-providing the necessary background for more advanced study in music theory. In addition to lessons in pitch notation and tonal materials, the book also covers the basics of rhythm and meter through separate lessons and performance exercises that reinforce rhythm reading. While rooted in a repertory of Western art music-with excerpts from great works by composers ranging from Bach to Bernstein-the text also encourages students to explore other works, and other musical traditions, with lists of suggested further listening at the end of each lesson.

Distinctive Features
* "HELP" boxes provide information that is essential to understanding and completing the written exercises that appear at the end of each lesson
* "CREATE!" sections present suggestions for exploring central concepts in imaginative ways, including improvisation and model composition
* Marginal icons direct students to streaming audio recordings on the book's website (www.oup.com/us/lambert), underscoring how listening helps them understand musical concepts

Instructors: Help your students practice and master basic music theory skills with Oxford's online Music Theory Skill Builder. Specially priced packages are available for this text. Contact your Oxford University Press representative for more information.

Author Biography

Philip Lambert is Professor of Music at Baruch College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York. He is the author of Alec Wilder; To Broadway, To Life! The Musical Theater of Bock and Harnick; Inside the Music of Brian Wilson: The Songs, Sounds, and Influences of the Beach Boys' Founding Genius; and The Music of Charles Ives. He was editor of Theory & Practice volumes 19-21 (1994-1996), and Music Theory Spectrum volumes 20-22 (1998-2000).

Table of Contents

Preface
1. The Piano Keyboard
The C Key / Names of the White Keys / The Chromatic Scale
2. Accidentals
Names of the Black Keys / Summary of Names for White and Black Keys
3. Half and Whole Steps
Steps in Music / Spelling Conventions for Half- and Whole-Steps / The Whole-Tone Scale
4. Rhythm and Meter
Notation of Rhythm / Patterns and Groupings / Notation of Meter Beats and Beams/ Learning and Performing Rhythms / Tempo
5. Staffs and Clefs
Treble Clef / Bass Clef / The Grand Staff / Octave Designations / C Clefs
6. More Rhythm and Meter
Stress Patterns and Meter / Dotted Notes / The Anacrusis / Rests
7. The Notational System
Pitch Resources / Steps on the Staff
8. The Major Mode
Key and Tonic / The Diatonic Modes / Structure of the Major Scale / Scale Construction / The Major Scales / Scale Degree Names / Transposition / Transposition of the Diatonic Modes
9. Major Key Signatures
The Key Signature / Formatting Key Signatures / The Circle of Keys
10. Compound Meter
The Three-Part Division of the Beat / Counting Compound Meter / Fluctuating Beat Divisions
11. The Minor Mode
Structure of the Minor Scale / Scale Families / The Minor Scales / Minor Scale Construction / The Sound of Minor
12. Minor Key Signatures
Relative Key Signatures / All Minor Key Signatures / Circle of Keys for Major and Minor
13. More About Minor
Parallel Major and Minor / Harmonic Minor / Melodic Minor / Summary of the Forms of Minor
14. Unbalanced Meter
Measure Divisions / Notational Issues
15. Intervals I
Note Connections / Interval Distance / Quality / Size in Half Steps
16. Intervals II
Minor Intervals / Methodology I / Interval Inversion / Methodology II
17. Intervals III
Intervals Outside of the Key / Augmented and Diminished 1, 4, 5, and 8 / Augmented and Diminished 2, 3, 6, and 7 / Summaries of Interval Types / Methodology / Augmented and Diminished Intervals Under Inversion
18. Intervals IV
Intervals in Musical Practice / Scale-Degree Pairs / Compound Intervals / Summary
19. Irregularities of Rhythm and Meter
Free Rhythm / Irregular Meter
20. Triads
Three-Note Groupings / Triad Characteristics / Major and Minor Triads / Augmented and Diminished Triads / The Circle of Triads / Methodology
21. Triads in Practice
Expressing Triads / Some Examples / Methodology
22. Triads in Major Keys
Scale-Degree Combinations / Roman Numeral Notation / Chord Functions
23. Triads in Minor Keys
Triad Formations Using Minor Scales / Additional Considerations for Minor
24. Triad Inversion
The Principle of Chord Inversion / Forming and Recognizing Triad Inversions / Symbolizing Triad Inversions / Methodology / Choral Texture
25. Dominant 7th Chords
Enriching Triads / Principles of Construction / Inversion of 7th Chords / Five Types of 7th Chords
26. Music in Motion
Composers and Performers / Syncopation
Appendix A: Glossary
Appendix B: A Brief Guide to Common Musical Symbols and Markings
Appendix C: Mini-Dictionary of Score Indications
Appendix D: Fifteen Character Pieces
Index