Music theory

Music theory ABSTRACT MUSIC THEORY:- Music theory is the field of study that deals with how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It identifies patterns that govern composers techniques. In a grand sense, music theory distills and analyzes the parameters or elements of music – rhythm, harmony (harmonic function), melody, structure, form, and texture. Broadly, music theory may include any statement, belief, or conception of or about music. People who study these properties are known as music theorists. Some have applied acoustics, human physiology, and psychology to the explanation of how and why music is perceived. The Four elements of music:- Melody Harmony Rhythm Dynamics AESTHETICS:- Aesthetics (also spelled esthetics or esthetics) is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, and with the creation and appreciation of beauty. It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste. More broadly, scholars in the field define aesthetics as critical reflection on art, culture and nature. Aesthetics is a subdiscipline of axiology, a branch of philosophy, and is closely associated with the philosophy of art. Aesthetics studies new ways of seeing and of perceiving the world. AESTHETICS OF MUSIC:- Traditionally, the aesthetics of music or musical aesthetics concentrated on the quality and study of the beauty and enjoyment (plaisir and jouissance) of music. Aesthetics is a sub-discipline of philosophy. However, many musicians, music critics, and other non-philosophers have contributed to the aesthetics of music. In recent decades philosophers have tended to emphasize issues besides beauty and enjoyment. It is often thought that music has the ability to affect our emotions, intellect, and psychology; lyrics can assuage our loneliness or incite our passions. For this reason, the philosopher Plato proposed that music is a dangerous entertainment that should be closely regulated by the state. It is commonly believed that human responses to music are culturally influenced. For example, musical passages in Beethoven that sounded highly dissonant to his contemporaries do not sound dissonant to listeners today. As such, musics aesthetic appeal seems highly dependent upon the culture in which it is practiced. However, there is a physical background which defines sound being proper or improper. Proper sound is perceived as gentle sound while improper sound is more or less considered nice sounding depending on what the listener is used to listen to. Harry Partch and some other musicologists like for instance Kyle Gann therefore have studied and tried to popularize microtonal music and the usage of alternate musical scales. Also many modern composers like Lamonte Young, Rhys Chatham and Glenn Branca paid much attention to a scale called just intonation. Some of the aesthetic elements expressed in music include lyricism, harmony, hypnotism, emotiveness, temporal dynamics, resonance, playfulness, and color (see also musical development). However, there has been a strong tendency in the aesthetics of music to emphasize musical structure as the most important (or even only) aesthetic element that is important in the experience of music. RHYTHM:- Rhythm is the heartbeat of music. As music passes in time, it is divided into perceptible sections, and each section subdivided further. Rhythm is the arrangement of sounds and silences in time. Meter animates time in regular pulse groupings, called measures or bars. The time signature or meter signature specifies how many beats are in a measure, and which value of written note is counted and felt as a single beat. Through increased stress and attack (and subtle variations in duration), particular tones may be accented. There are conventions in most musical traditions for a regular and hierarchical accentuation of beats to reinforce the meter. Syncopated rhythms are rhythms that accent unexpected parts of the beat. Playing simultaneous rhythms in more than one time signature is called polymeter. See also polyrhythm. Rhythm is, by its simplest definition, musical time. The origin of the word is Greek, meaning flow. Rhythm is indeed the embodiment of timely flow. As meter regulates and pulsates a poem, rhythm organizes music in much the same way. The regular pulsations of the music are called the beat. Stronger beats are referred to as accented beats. Measures of music divide a piece into time-counted segments. Strong beats occur in patterns. For instance, in 4/4 time, the conductor would beat a strong beat on the first beat of every measure and another accented beat although not as strong on the third count of the measure. Because the conductors arms move downward on strong beats, especially those that begin a measure, accented beats are also referred to as downbeats. In recent years, rhythm and meter have become an important area of research among music scholars. Recent work in these areas includes books by Bengt-Olov Palmqvist, Fred Lerdahl and Ray Jackendoff, Jonathan Kramer, Christopher Hasty, William Rothstein, and Joel Lester. Rhythm either means tempo literally, or its percussion within tempo. Like instead of just 1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4. you might Get a groove like: 1-+-+-2-+-+-3-+-+-4-+-+-1-+-2-+-. Rhythm is the variation of the length and accentuation of a series of sounds or other events. RHYTHM IN LINGUISTICS:- The study of rhythm, stress, and pitch in speech is called prosody; it is a topic in linguistics. Narmour (1980, p.147–53) describes three categories of prosodic rules which create rhythmic successions which are additive (same duration repeated), cumulative (short-long), or countercumulative (long-short). Cumulation is associated with closure or relaxation, countercumulation with openness or tension, while additive rhythms are open-ended and repetitive. Richard Middleton points out this method cannot account for syncopation and suggests the concept of transformation. A rhythmic unit is a durational pattern which occupies a period of time equivalent to a pulse or pulses on an underlying metric level, as opposed to a rhythmic gesture which does not (DeLone et al. (Eds.), 1975 ORIGINS OF HUMAN APPERCIATION OF RHYTHM:- In his series How Music Works, Howard Goodall presents theories that rhythm recalls how we walk and the heartbeat we heard in the womb. More likely is that a simple pulse or di-dah beat recalls the footsteps of another person. Our sympathetic urge to dance is designed to boost our energy levels in order to cope with someone, or some animal chasing us – a fight or flight response. From a less darwinist perspective, perceiving rhythm is the ability to master the otherwise invisible dimension, time. Rhythm is possibly also rooted in courtship ritual. Neurologist Oliver Sacks posits that human affinity for rhythm is fundamental, so much that a persons sense of rhythm cannot be lost in the way that music and language can (e.g. by stroke). In addition, he states that chimpanzees and other animals show no similar appreciation for rhythm. RYHTM NOTATION AND THE ORAL TRADITION:- Worldwide there are many different approaches to passing on rhythmic phrases and patterns, as they exist in traditional music, from generation to generation. African music In the Griot tradition of Africa everything related to music has been passed on orally. Babatunde Olatunji (1927–2003), a Nigerian drummer who lived and worked in the United States, developed a simple series of spoken sounds for teaching the rhythms of the hand drum. He used six vocal sounds: Goon Doon Go Do Pa Ta. There are three basic sounds on the drum, but each can be played with either the left or the right hand. This simple system is now used worldwide, particularly by Djembe players. Indian music Indian music has also been passed on orally. Tabla players would learn to speak complex rhythm patterns and phrases before attempting to play them. Sheila Chandra, an English pop singer of Indian descent, made performances based around her singing these patterns. In Indian Classical music, the Tala of a composition is the rhythmic pattern over which the whole piece is structured. Western music Standard music notation contains all rhythmic information and is adapted specifically for drums and percussion instruments. The drums are generally used to keep other instruments in time. They do this by supplying beats/strikes in time at a certain pace, i.e. 70 beats per minute (bpm). In Rock music, a drum beat is used to keep a bass/guitar line in time. TYPES In Western music, rhythms are usually arranged with respect to a time signature, partially signifying a meter. The speed of the underlying pulse is sometimes called the beat. The tempo is a measure of how quickly the pulse repeats. The tempo is usually measured in beats per minute (bpm); 60 bpm means a speed of one beat per second. The length of the meter, or metric unit (usually corresponding with measure length), is usually grouped into either two or three beats, being called duple meter and triple meter, respectively. If each beat is divided by two or four, it is simple meter, if by three (or six) compound meter. According to Pierre Boulez, beat structures beyond four are simply not natural. His reference is to western European music. Syncopated rhythms are rhythms that accent parts of the beat not already stressed by counting. Playing simultaneous rhythms in more than one time signature is called polymeter. See also polyrhythm. In recent years, rhythm and meter have become an important area of research among music scholars. Recent work in these areas includes books by Maury Yeston, Fred Lerdahl and Ray Jackendoff, Jonathan Kramer, Christopher Hasty, William Rothstein, and Joel Lester. Syncopated rhythms are rhythms that accent parts of the beat not already stressed by counting. Playing simultaneous rhythms in more than one time signature is called polymeter. See also polyrhythm. In recent years, rhythm and meter have become an important area of research among music scholars. Recent work in these areas includes books by Maury Yeston, Fred Lerdahl and Ray Jackendoff, Jonathan Kramer, Christopher Hasty, William Rothstein, and Joel Lester. Some genres of music make different use of rhythm than others. Most Western music is based on subdivision, while non-Western music uses more additive rhythm. African music makes heavy use of polyrhythms, and Indian music uses complex cycles such as 7 and 13, while Balinese music often uses complex interlocking rhythms. By comparison, a lot of Western classical music is fairly rhythmically (or metrically) simple; it stays in a simple meter such as 4/4 or 3/4 and makes little use of syncopation. Clave is a common underlying rhythm in African, Cuban music, and Brazilian music. In the 20th century, composers like Igor Stravinsky, Bela Bartok, Philip Glass, and Steve Reich wrote more rhythmically complex music using odd meters, and techniques such as phasing and additive rhythm. At the same time, modernists such as Olivier Messiaen and his pupils used increased complexity to disrupt the sense of a regular beat, leading eventually to the widespread use of irrational rhythms in New Complexity. This use may be explained by a comment of John Cages where he notes that regular rhythms cause sounds to be heard as a group rather than individually; the irregular rhythms highlight the rapidly changing pitch relationships that would otherwise be subsumed into irrelevant rhythmic groupings (Sandow 2004, p.257). LaMonte Young also wrote music in which the sense of a regular beat is absent because the music consists only of long sustained tones (drones). In the 1930s, Henry Cowell wrote music involving multiple simultaneous periodic rhythms and collaborated with Là ©on T hà ©rà ©min to invent the Rhythmicon, the first electronic rhythm machine, in order to perform them. Similarly, Conlon Nancarrow wrote for the player piano.

Don Quixote de La Mancha

In Miguel de Cervantes' classic novel Don Quixote de la Mancha, a necessary counterpart to Don Quixote's character is found in Sancho Panza. Sancho is Don Quixote's so-called squire and companion through his adventures. The vital contrast between these two characters contributes to the literary success of Cervantes' novel. It is only through the eyes of Sancho that we witness Don Quixote's madness and only through the latter's madness that we evidence Sancho's sanity. Without the presence of these complementary characters, the story of Don Quixote would not exist as it does.Cervantes' masterpiece is known for the eccentric character of Don Quixote and his insane adventures and travels through Spain. The first part of the novel was published in 1605 and the second in 1615. The novel became widely popular and is today considered one of the greatest literary achievements of all time. In Cervantes' novel, Don Quixote becomes entranced with the romances of chivalry by reading books. He se ts out on his own quest for the woman of his affection: Dulcinea. With the help of Sancho Panza, his sidekick, he has many imaginary adventures in which he draws others into his fantasies.Sancho attempts to reveal Quixote's eccentricity and Quixote, in turn reveals Sancho's inability to imagine. A prime example of this contrast in perception is evident from the moment Sancho and Don Quixote meet. Sancho is but a peasant when Don Quixote enlists his help. â€Å"[Don Quixote] used so many arguments, an made so many promises, that the poor fellow resolved to sally out with him and serve him in the capacity of a squire† (Cervantes, 32). Don Quixote convinces Sancho of his nobility and Sancho, initially realizing the insanity of Quixote's claims, lays doubt to his proclamations.Sancho is â€Å"shallow-brained† but still must be persuaded by Don Quixote before leaving with him (32). In Sebastian Juan Arbo's biographical study of Cervantes, he provides insight into this contr ast: â€Å"Each defends the other, but Sancho defends the reality of life, and Don Quixote the reality for his dreams without which he cannot live† (250). The sharp distinction becomes clear in adventures that the two partake in. In one episode, Don Quixote decides to free galley-slaves who are being held against their will. Sancho dictates very clearly to Quixote that they are erving a punishment mandated by the king himself, but Quixote will hear nothing of it. He decides he will oppose â€Å"force† and â€Å"defeat violence† as though he is running a campaign of self-promotion. Ignoring Sancho's warnings is something Don Quixote consistently fulfills. Aubrey F. G. Bell in her biography Cervantes, tells us likewise, Sancho is, despite his â€Å"skeptical credulity and his hesitation in action, his character is as consistent as that of his master† (199). In the end, Sancho must watch the slaves escape to present themselves to the Lady Dulcinea per Don Qu ixote's request.In this particular case, Quixote's fantasy wins out over reality, but such is not always the case. The adventure of the windmills is the most prominently featured example of Don Quixote's episodic adventures. In this particular event, Don Quixote claims that windmills are giants that are on the plains. A very honest Sancho tells his master that they are not giants but windmills. After Quixote is knocked down by a windmill sail, Sancho says: â€Å"did not I warn you to have care of what you did, for that they were nothing but windmills? (Cervantes, 36) Quixote, now seeing the truth, claims that an evil sage has turned the giants into windmills to deprive the knight of his glory. Though Sancho warns Don Quixote from the beginning, it is almost inevitable that he is caught up in the imagination of his master (Mack, 1526). Another example of reason triumphing over fantasy is when Don Quixote wishes to battle the lions. When they by chance come across the carriage transp orting the lions, Don Quixote wishes to battle them for nothing more than the sake of proving himself.Sancho begs with his master to allow the lions to remain in the cages, but Don Quixote is persistent, claiming he has strength over the beasts (266). Quixote will defeat anything that threatens his love Dulcinea, even at the cost of his own life. Sancho, on the other hand, fully understands the danger of the situation and when the doors to the cages are opened, he flees. This is the way the two characters work together. In Edward Honig's essay, On the Interludes of Cervantes, the counterparts come alive in contrast to the other. Don Quixote and Sancho Panza are dramatic: their voices engage each other and depend on each other; they come alive through the irritation of their complementariness, by the mere fact that they are thrown together and must reckon with each other† (154). This is true even to the point that they are nothing without each other. When Don Quixote is on his deathbed, Sancho begs him not to die, but to continue in the adventure and quest that they had joined one another in. Sancho is afraid of what might happen if his master is gone.By the end of Cervantes' novel, the lives of the two characters have become so intertwined it is painful to separate. W. H. Auden is a critic of Cervantes and best expresses the importance of this pairing. Take away Don Quixote, and Sancho Panza is so nearly pure flesh, immediacy of feeling, so nearly without will [†¦ ] Take away Sancho Panza, on the other hand, and Don Quixote is so nearly pure spirit [†¦ ] who rejects matter and feeling and is nothing but an egotistic will (80, 81).In the end, Don Quixote dies a sane man, and Sancho is left with the memories of adventure and nothing more. The character of Sanson, who was also involved in Don Quixote's endeavors, is the first person to legitimately recognize Sancho's stance when he claims â€Å"honest Sancho is very much in the right† (Cerv antes, 443). Quixote, too is satisfied with his ending, proclaiming â€Å"I was mad, I am now sane† on his death bed (443). Quixote ends his life as a sane man, but if he had lived it sane, there would be no story to tell.Don Quixote and Sancho Panza are essential components to the attractive Cervantes novel. Without the two supplementing one another there would be and could be no story. The two characters are forever embedded in one another through literary history. Quixote and Sancho's characteristics never fail to impress, amuse and enlighten. These characters are the devices of Cervantes' literary technique, and the life force of Don Quixote de la Mancha. Works Cited Arbo, Sebastian Juan. Cervantes: The Man and His Time. New York: The Vanguard Press, 1955. Auden, W. H. The Ironic Hero: Some Reflections on Don Quixote. † Ed. Lowry Nelson, Jr. Cervantes. Englewood Cliffs, N. J. : Prentice-Hall, Inc. , 1969. Bell, Aubrey F. G. Cervantes. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1947. Honig, Edwin. â€Å"On the Interludes of Cervantes. † Ed. Lowry Nelson, Jr. Cervantes. Englewood Cliffs, N. J. : Prentice-Hall, Inc. , 1969. Mack, Maynard, ed. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. New York: W. W. Norton, 1997. Saavedra, Miguel de Cervantes. Don Quixote de la Mancha. Trans. Charles Jarvis. New York: Washington Square Press, Inc. , 1957.

Essay Susan Glaspell´s Trifles Women Unite - 979 Words

â€Å"Trifles† by Susan Glaspell revolves around Mrs. Wright’s strange actions after her husband’s murder. With this in mind, it leads to an investigation. Meanwhile, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale find incriminating evidence, but decide to hide it. Due to the actions of the women throughout the play, the main focus of â€Å"Trifles† is uniting women against their male counterparts. â€Å"Susan Glaspell, however; sought to represent the lives and hardships of the simple rural women residing in various regions in America and forgotten by society (Al-Khalil, 132). The first major theme of ‘Trifles† is female identity. During the play, the men make agreements in which females get their identity from their husbands, which is the dominating gender. To give an†¦show more content†¦Held for murder and worryin’ about their preserves. (Booth, 750). The other men say continue to say negative things about the women as well. Their statements in dicate that the women are frivolous and too small-minded to be concerned about the investigation. Additionally, the men criticize the state of their kitchen. The county attorney states, â€Å"No—it’s not cheerful. I shouldn’t say she has the homemaking instinct (Booth, 751). So by default, the men feel as though Mrs. Wright is unfavorable in her housewife abilities due to the fact that Mr. Wright was a good man and tried to protect his reputation. Since the men take Mr. Wright’s side, the women decide to take Mrs. Wright side. Overall, the women want to protect their own gender just as the men did. Furthermore, loneliness plays a crucial role in â€Å"Trifles† as well. Unfortunately, isolation is the main cause of the sadness in Mrs. Wrights’ marriage. Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale note that John Wright was not very compassionate and did not give his wife the attention she needed. Mrs. Hale even blames herself for not visiting Mrs. Wright. â₠¬Å"I dunno what it is, but it’s a lonesome place and always was. I wish I had come over to see Minnie Foster sometimes. I can see now† (Booth, 755). Both women assume Mrs. Wright’s canary was a substitute for the children and friends she did not have. Mrs. Peters then discusses the loneliness she experienced when her two year old son died while she was in Dakota â€Å"I know whatShow MoreRelatedWoman Have Historically Been Trapped In The Domestic Sphere1837 Words   |  8 Pagesfollow the demands of their husbands. While feminism began to spread rapidly in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, women still didn’t have right to vote or serve on a jury. As a result, many writers, especially woman, began to produce many pieces of literature that commented on the unfair treatment of woman. One of the highest praised feminist pieces of literature is the one act play, Trifles by Susan Glaspell written in 1916. Based loosely on a murder trial she c overed in 1901, she explores the lifeRead MoreEssay on Trifling Justice1540 Words   |  7 PagesMove a little closer together Susan Glaspell’s play, Trifles, was written in 1916, reflects the author’s concern with stereotypical concepts of gender and sex roles of that time period. As the title of the play implies, the concerns of women are often considered to be nothing more than unimportant issues that have little or no value to the true work of society, which is being performed by men. The men who are in charge of investigating the crime are unable to solve the mystery through their supposedRead More The Strength of Women in Trifles Essay1512 Words   |  7 PagesDuring the 1900’s women were viewed as nothing more than house wives. They were expected to cook, clean, and take care of their children and husbands. The lack of respect women received during this time is extremely evident in â€Å"Trifles† by Susan Glaspell. In this play women are depicted as incapable, and these ladies are very much aware of this. Mrs. Peters, the sheriff’s wife practically says throughout the play we cannot do this we are women, and she seems quite content with that; whereas Mrs.Read MoreLangston Hughes and Countee Cullen: Perspective on Religion4176 Words   |  17 PagesAmerican Literature II Authors: Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen: Perspective on Religion Susan Glaspell and Charlotte Gilman: Roles of Women W.E.B Du Bois and Booker T Washington: Political View In the 1920s, the somewhat genteel world of American poetry was shaken to its foundations when the Harlem Renaissance started. During those times, all over the United States, there

Types and Examples of DNA Mutations

DNA mutations occur when there are changes in the nucleotide sequence that makes up a strand of DNA. These alterations can be caused by random mistakes in DNA replication or by environmental influences such as UV rays or chemicals. Changes at the nucleotide level go on to influence the transcription and translation from gene to protein expression. Changing even just one nitrogen base in a sequence can alter the amino acid that is expressed by that DNA codon which can lead to a completely different protein being expressed. These mutations can range from being completely harmless to potentially fatal. Point Mutations ALFRED PASIEKA/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty Images A point mutation—the change of a single nitrogen base in a DNA sequence—is usually the least harmful type of DNA mutations. Codons are a sequence of three nitrogen bases in a row that is read by messenger RNA during transcription. That messenger RNA codon is then translated into an amino acid that goes on to make a protein that will be expressed by the organism. Depending on the placement of a nitrogen base in the codon, a point mutation may have no effect on the protein. Since there are only 20 amino acids and a total of 64 possible combinations of codons, some amino acids are coded for by more than one codon. Often, if the third nitrogen base in the codon is changed, the amino acid wont be affected. This is called the wobble effect. If the point mutation occurs in the third nitrogen base in a codon, then it has no effect on the amino acid or subsequent protein and the mutation does not change the organism. At most, a point mutation will cause a single amino acid in a protein to change. While this usually is not a deadly mutation, it may cause issues with that proteins folding pattern and the tertiary and quaternary structures of the protein. One example of a point mutation that is not harmless is with the incurable blood disorder sickle cell anemia. This happens when a point mutation causes a single nitrogen base in a codon for one amino acid in the protein glutamic acid to code for the amino acid valine instead. This single small change causes a normally round red blood cell to instead be sickle-shaped. Frameshift Mutations Frameshift mutations are generally much more serious and often more deadly than point mutations. Even though only a single nitrogen base is affected, as with point mutations, in this instance, the single base is either completely deleted or an extra one is inserted into the middle of a DNA sequence. This change in sequence causes the reading frame to shift—hence the name frameshift mutation. A reading frame shift changes the three-letter codon sequence for messenger RNA to transcribe and translate. That not only changes the amino acid—all subsequent amino acids are changed as well. This significantly alters the protein and can cause severe problems, even possibly leading to death. Insertions One type of frameshift mutation is called an insertion. As the name implies, an insertion occurs when a single nitrogen base is accidentally added in the middle of a sequence. This throws off the reading frame of the DNA and the wrong amino acid is translated. It also pushes the entire sequence down by one letter, changing all codons that come after the insertion, completely altering the protein. Even though inserting a nitrogen base makes the overall sequence longer, that does not necessarily mean the amino acid chain length will increase. In fact, quite the opposite may be true. If the insertion causes a shift in the codons to create a stop signal, a protein may never be produced. If not, an incorrect protein will be made. If the altered protein is essential to sustain life, then most likely, the organism will die. Deletions Deletion is one last type of frameshift mutation and occurs when a nitrogen base is taken out of the sequence. Again, this causes the entire reading frame to change. It alters the codon and will also affect all amino acids that are coded for after the deletion. As with an insertion, nonsense and stop codons may also appear in the wrong places, DNA Mutation Analogy Much like reading text, the DNA sequence is read by messenger RNA to produce a story or an amino acid chain that will be used to make a protein. Since each codon is three letters long, lets see what happens when a mutation occurs in a sentence that uses only three-letter words. THE RED CAT ATE THE RAT. If there was a point mutation, the sentence would change to: THC RED CAT ATE THE RAT. The e in the word the mutated into the letter c. While the first word in the sentence is no longer the same, the rest of the words still make sense and remain what theyre supposed to be. If an insertion were to mutate the above sentence, then it might read: THE CRE DCA TAT ETH ERA T. The insertion of the letter c after the word the completely changes the rest of the sentence. The second word no longer makes sense, nor do any words that follow it. The entire sentence has changed into nonsense. A deletion would do something similar to the sentence: THE EDC ATA TET HER AT. In the example above, the r that should have come after the word the has been deleted. Again, it changes the entire sentence. While some of the subsequent words remain intelligible, the meaning of the sentence has completely changed. This demonstrates that even when codons are changed into something that isnt total nonsense, it still completely changes the protein into something that is no longer functionally viable.