THE MEDIUMS OF MUSIC

Music is an art that deals with sound. In literature, however, all sounds are produced by the human voice. In music, the human voice is but one number of possible instruments.
A musical instrument is a mechanism that is able to generate musical vibrations and launch them into the air. These various musical instruments are the means in which the composer communicates to the listener; they are his mediums of expression.

PROPERTIES OF MUSICAL SOUND

1. PITCH
The location of a tone in the musical scale in relation to high or low. It is determined by the rate of vibration which to a large extent depends on the length of the vibrating body. Other conditions being equal, the shorter a string or column of air, the more rapidly it vibrates and the higher the pitch the longer the string or column of air, the fewer the vibrations per second and the lower the pitch. The width, thickness, density, and tension of the vibrating body also affect the outcome.

2. DURATION This property of sound depends on the length of time over which vibration is maintained. Tones are not only high or low but also short and long. 3. VOLUME The term refers to the force or percussive effects as a result of which the tone strikes us as being loud or soft. Forte means loud; piano means soft.

4. TIMBRE OF TONE COLOR

This is the individual quality of sound produced by other instruments. This depends on how the instrument accentuates the over tones within the sound waves. It is influenced by a number of factors such as the size, shape, and the proportions of the instrument, the material which it is made, and the manner in which the vibration is set up.

RANGE
The range of an instrument has to do with the total number of tones it can produce from highest to lowest, and is determined largely by the size of the instrument. The total pitch range is divided into four basic areas: soprano (high female), alto (low female), tenor (high male), bass (low male). Each range is divided into three registers; high, middle, and low.

VOCAL MEDIUM MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

Vocal Medium
The oldest and still most popular of all instruments is the human voice. It is the most personal and direct of all instruments as it comes

from within the body . The song projected by the

human voice is the most natural form of music.

PILITA CORALES
Entertainer of the Year and Asias Queen of Song

Vocal Register
Voices differ considerably in range and register. The Six Classes of Vocal Register 1. Soprano - high register female voice 2. Mezzo-soprano voice 3. Alto or Contralto - low-register female voice medium-register female

4. Tenor - high-register male voice

5. Baritone - medium-register male voice 6. Bass - low-register male voice

Vocal Qualities
Voices are also classified according to their timbre or quality of sound . Thus, we distinguished lyric and dramatic. 1. Coloratura Soprano Is the highest and lightest of all voices. The music written for this is full of runs, thrills, and light ornaments. 2. Lyric Soprano Voice is less high and flute-like and usually sings less ornamental music. The voice is specially suited to sweet songlike melodies in which beauty of tone is the predominant quality. 3. Dramatic Soprano Voice is heavier and can convey intense emotions in dramatic situations. 4. Mezzo-Soprano Voice is between the soprano and contralto in quality and range.

5. Contralto Voice is low and rich in quality. 6. Tenor The highest type in mens voice. 7. Lyric Tenor Has a voice specially suited to sweet songlike melodies 8. Dramatic Tenor Has a heavier voice and is capable of conveying intense emotions in dramatic situations 9. Baritone Voice has a range between tenor and bass. 10. Bass Voice has the lowest and deepest quality.

Musical Instrument
Musical instrument are of three main types: the instrument which are bowed, instrument which are blown, the instruments which are struck. These in turn are divided into four groupings. The instrument which are bowed are the strings. Those which are blown fall into two groups: the brasses, so called because they are usually made of brass and the woodwinds, so named because they were originally made of wood. The fourth group is made up of instruments which are struck. They are called percussion instruments.

String instruments
String instruments, also called stringed

instruments, provide the basic orchestral sounds.

They produce toned by means of vibration of a stretched string. Two types of string instrument: 1. Bowed strings 2. Plucked strings

Bowed Strings
These instruments produce tone by means of bow or horse hair drawn across the strings, which include the violin, viola, violoncello and double

bass are the mediums of music that

can express the most poignant feeling and can continue playing infinitely without fatigue. These have four strings which are made to vibrate by drawing a

Violin
The violin is the highest member of the string section of the orchestra. It is universally admired for its voice-like quality. Preeminent in lyric melody, it is also capable of brilliance and

dramatic effect. It has a wide range of tones which

can be sustained indefinitely. It can be played very quietly or loudly, very slowly or extremely fast.

VIOLA
The viola is slightly larger than the violin. Its strings are longer, thicker, and heavier; it is lower in range. It is use more for harmony than melody. It, however, is an effective melody instrument,

particularly for themes of a

mournful or passionate nature

Violoncello
The violoncello, properly known as cello, is much longer than the viola. It is lower in range than the viola and the strings are thicker and heavier than those of the viola. The bow is shorter and heavier and the instrument has to be held between the knee of a seated performer. It is notable for its rich and romantic tone. If the violin is the soprano of the string section and the viola is the alto, the cello is the tenor. Together with the basses, the cellos supply the foundation for the harmony of the string choir.

Double Bass (Contrabass)

The double bass, known also as the contrabass, is the largest member of the strings family. It rest upon the floor, and the performer stands to play it . It is the lowest range of the string group. Its deep indistinct tones come into focus when they are duplicated on octave higher, usually by the cello. It is most often used as a support, supplying the bass tones for the

Plucked Strings
Although instruments of the bowed strings class can produce tone by plucking the strings (pizzicato), the plucked string produce tone solely

by this means. The player plucks the strings either

with his fingers or with a plectrum held in his hand.

Guitar
The guitar family seems to be the most popular stringed instrument today. It varies considerably in shape, and in the number of its strings, but basically, it consist of a finger board with frets (narrow metal across strips), attached to light wooden body with flat top back. It is seldom used in orchestra but is nowadays a part This instrument of jazz bands. associated mostly with dance band instrumentation and popularly used as an instrument to accompany the singing of folk songs as well as popular song.

The string instruments are pre-eminent in playing legato ( smooth and connected). They are capable too of the opposite quality of tone, staccato ( short

and detached). A special effect, pizzicato (plucked),

is executed by the performers plucking the string

with his finger instead of using the bow.

The string section in the orchestra has come to be known as The heart of orchestra. The string figure prominently as solo instruments and in chamber music; in duets, trios, quartets, quintets, and the like.

Some special effects possible on each of the string instrument s are: Spiccato Playing with short, crisp strokes of the bow.

Saltallato
Bouncing the bow on the strings to produce light, detached tones. Martellato Hammering the bow quiver on the string making each note separate and emphatic.

Tremolo Making the bow quiver on the string to produce shimmering effect. Vibrato

Denotes the rich, throbbing tones achieved when

the player moves his finger slightly away from the back to the required spot. Glissando The player moves a finger of his left hand rapidly along the string, sounding all the pitches in the scale.

The Woodwind Instruments

The woodwind instruments consist of members of four different families: flute and piccolo, oboe and English horn, clarinet and bass clarinet, and bassoon and contrabassoon. These instrument are blown by the player. The player alters the pitch of the notes by shortening or lengthening the column of air vibrating inside the instrument. They are the most decorative instrument and because they are so different in timbre, they contribute the greatest variety in ensemble. Besides being prominent in orchestra, the woodwinds possess a solo literature and are widely used in chamber music.

Flute
The flute is a cylindrical tube made of silver alloy or metal. It is the coloratura soprano of the woodwind

choir. Its sound is silvery or liquid. It

can play rapid, brilliant scale passages. Its tone is cool and velvety in the low register but in its upper register, the sound is bright, thin and stands out against the

Piccolo
The piccolo, which is the smaller flute, produces the highest notes in the orchestra. Tones produced are piercing and shrill.

Oboe
The oboe is made of wood. The body is tube which get wider at the end. The double reed in the mouth piece consist of two slips of cane so shaped as to leave between them an extremely small passages for air. Because of this compression, the tone is focused and intense in all registers. Oboe timbre is generally described as plaintive, nasal. And reedy. The instrument is associated with pastoral effects and with nostalgic melodies.

English Horn
The English horn is a large oboe. The oboe and the English horn look very much alike except that English horn is wider and longer and ends with a

pear shaped bell, which accounts for

its soft, somewhat mournful timbre. Its range is slightly lower than that of the oboe and its sound is richer and more plaintive.

Clarinet
The clarinet is the instrument that often takes the part of the violin in band music. It has a single reed, a small elastic piece of cane fastened against its chisel-shaped mouth piece. It has remarkably wide range--from low to high and from soft to loud and produces three distinct tone colors: (1) in its upper range, the sound clear and powerful; (2) in its middle register , the sound is smooth or relaxed; (3) in its lower register, the tones are rich and hollow.

Bassoon
The bassoon and contrabassoon are the tenor and bass, respectively, of the oboe family. The bassoon is one of the most flexible and useful of the bass instrument. Its tone is weighty and thick in the low register, dry and sonorous in the middle, reedy and capable in the upper. It is intense of a hollow-sounding staccato and wide leaps that create a humorous effect; it is at the same time highly expansive instrument.

Contrabassoon
The contrabassoon, also known as the double bassoon or double-bassoon, is a larger version of the bassoon, sounding an octave lower. Its technique is similar to its smaller cousin, with a

few notable differences.

Saxophone
The saxophone. This wind instrument has a single reed that combines the reed mouthpiece of a clarinet with a curved conical metal tube. It blends well with either woodwind or brass.

The Brasses
The brasses are consist of the trumpet, horn

trombone, and tuba. They are indispensable for

their ability to play very loudly, for melody, for sustaining harmony, for rhythmic accent, and for flame like sonority they contribute to the climax. Thee instrument have cut-shaped mouthpieces (except for the horn, whose mouthpiece is shaped like funnel).

Trumpet
The trumpet posses a firm and
brilliant timbre that lends radiance to the orchestral mass. Because of its military history, it is often associated with martial pomp and vigor or battle calls. Played softly, the instrument commands a lovely

round tone. The muted sound, which is made by

inserting the mute, a pear-shaped like device of metal or cardboard in the bell, is much used.

Horn or French Horn

The horn, generally called the French horn, normally has a smooth, mellow tone, but can be made to sound very brassy. The timbre of the horn blends equally well with woodwinds, brass, and strings, for which reason it serves as the connecting link among them. The horn has the ability to project sounds across great distances. The horn is versatile instrument; as a solo instrument, it is very satisfactory because it has a wide range and can be loud or soft, lyrical or dramatic.

Trombone
The trombone the Italian word means large instrument re of

two kinds: tenor and bass. The

two are alike in construction but the bass trombone has a lower range. The trombones tone is rich and mellow. It can play softly, but it is more often achieved effect of nobility and grandeur.

Tuba
The tuba is the bass of the brass choir. Like the

strings bass and

contrabassoon, it furnishes

the foundation for the

harmonic fabric. Its sound is rather like the bass trombone, but fuller, richer, and more powerful.

Cornet
The cornet is a brass-wind musical
instrument of the trumpet family, consisting of a long looped tube, 9 feet long. It is used in orchestras, bands, and brass bands. This instrument is larger than the trumpet. It ha a shorter body and possesses

greater agility. The tone is rounder

but less brilliant then that of the

Percussion Instrument
The percussion section comprises a variety of instruments that are made to sound by hitting them with special sticks, or by striking or shaking their parts together. Some are made of metal or wood. In

others, such as drums, vibration is set up by striking

a stretched skin. The percussion instruments fall into two categories those of definite and those of indefinite pitch.

Definite Pitch

Kettledrums
Kettledrums or timpani are percussion instruments of definite pitch, which are used in sets of two or three. The kettledrum is hemisphere copper shell, across which is a stretched head of calfskin held in place by two metal ring. The instrument is played with two padded sticks, which may either be soft or hard. Its dynamic range extends from a mysterious rumble to a thunderous roll.

Glockenspiel
The glockenspiel(German for

a set of bells) consist of

series of horizontal tuned plates of various size, made of steel. The player strikes these with mallets, producing bright metallic sounds.

Xylophone
The xylophone consist of

tuned blocks of wood which

produce a dry, crisp timbre

when struck. Expert

xylophone players attain dazzling speed and accuracy.

Marimba
The marimba, a xylophone of African a and South American origin, is associated with dance music. It is simply a xylophone with a resonator.

Small tubes suspended

under the wooden bass

resonate the sound of the

Indefinite Pitch
Cymbals are a common percussion instrument. Cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys. The greater majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs sound a definite note. (Cymbals are used in many ensembles ranging from the orchestra, percussion ensembles, jazz bands, heavy metal bands, and marching groups. Drum kits usually incorporate a crash, ride or

Gongs
Gongs are broadly of three types. Suspended gongs are more or less flat, circular discs of metal suspended vertically by means of a cord passed through holes near to the top rim. Bossed or nipple gongs have a raised center boss and are often suspended and played horizontally. Bowl gongs are bowlshaped, and rest on cushions and belong more to bells than gongs. Gongs are made mainly from bronze or brass but there are many other alloys in use

Triangle
The triangle is an idiophone type of musical instrument in the percussion family. It is a bar of metal, usually steel but sometimes other metals like beryllium copper, bent into a triangle shape. The instrument is usually held by a loop of some form of thread or wire at the top curve. It was first made around the 16th century.

Chimes
The chimes consist of set of tuned of metal tubes various lengths attached to frame and struck with a hammer. They have a broad dynamic range, from a metallic tinkle to a sonorous clang, and are frequently called upon to simulate church bells.

Harp
The harp is said to be one of the oldest musical instruments. Its earliest form appeared in the Babylonian inscriptions several thousand years ago. This instrument is almost extinct today. It survives in the modern orchestra, as a supporting instrument most of the time. Its strings are played by plucking, producing a crystalline tone that blends well with the orchestral timbres. The pedals are used to shorten the strings, thereby rising the pitch. Chords on the harp are frequently played in the broken form; the tones are sounded one after

Keyboard Instruments
These instruments are operated by means of a keyboard which consist of a series of black and white keys. When a performer depresses a key, a tone sounds. Keyboard instrument produce tones

in a variety of ways.
Although keyboard instruments are normally

included with the percussion group, they constitute

special set which maybe considered separately.

Piano
The piano is the most popular and most widespread of all instrument. It is widely use in home, in small orchestras, and dance bands. It has the ability to sound several tones simultaneously and has the capacity to present complex musical textures by itself making it an extremely useful instrument. It is an indispensable instrument for accompaniment.

Organ
The organ is a principal keyboard instrument but it has a physical property which make it a woodwind instrument. Its sounds are made by air forced by a mechanical means through pipes. The pipes are controlled by two or more keyboard and a set of pedals. An organ is capable of sustaining tones indefinitely. Nowadays, the electronic organ is commonly used. Here, the sound is produced not by wind but by electrical oscillators.

Celesta
the celesta which in appearance resembles a

miniature upright piano, is a

kind of glockenspiel that is operated by a keyboard; the steel plates are struck by a small hammers producing belllike tones.

Piano Accordion
has a melody keyboard for the right hand

Harmonium
The harmonium is a keyboard instrument related to the organ in that its a tone is produced by air (bellows operated by feet) which sets thin strips of metals (reeds) vibrating.

Ensemble Mediums
When two or more performers are equally engaged in playing or singing a piece of music, the medium is called an ensemble (an sambl)

and the music is called ensemble music.

Orchestra
It is the most spectacular of ensembles, composed of any sizable group of instrumental performers usually under the direction of a conductor. In the orchestral ensemble, several instruments of the same kind usually play a given part. On orchestra may vary in size from a relatively small groups to an ensemble of a hundred or more players. The number of instruments used in the orchestra varies according to the demands of the music. The orchestra is constituted with a view of securing the best balance of tone. The performers are divided into the four sections we have described. In large orchestras, approximately two thirds are string players and one third are wind players. Three to five men take care of the percussion.

Symphony Orchestra
The symphony orchestra is a large ensemble which includes all the principal instrumental types. The modern symphony orchestra has about 100 players, but this number varies according to the kind of music being played. It is composed of four sections corresponding to the four instrumental groupings; the string section. these sections has at least one Each of
instrument which falls into each of the four basic ranges: soprano, alto, tenor, and bass.

Concerto
The concerto is a form
written for orchestra and usually one solo instrument (piano, violin, etc) is given a prominent role in music.

Hailed as the King of the high Cs is a world renowned Italian Tenor; who had his concert on the night of March 21, 1994 at the PICC Hall, Manila. Pavarotti was ably assisted in the two-and-a-half-hour concert by the Philippine Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Pavarottis own conductor Leone Magiera, and Italian flutist Andrea Griminelli.

Band
A band is a instrumental
ensemble, large like the orchestra but consisting mainly exclusively of wind and percussion outdoor events instruments. Although the band is closely associated with

outdoor event (parades,

funerals, football games, etc.), it

Chamber Ensembles
Chamber music is a medium which calls for calls for only a few performer (from two to about eight or nine instruments) with one player to each part. The most common chamber music ensembles are listed below:

1.Solo Sonatas Music written for instrument (violin, cello, flute, oboe, horn, etc.), with an accompaniment by such instruments as the piano or harpsichord, belongs to the category of chamber music ensemble.

2.String Quartet The most common medium of chamber music appears to be the string quartet. It consist of two violins, a viola, and a cello. When the piano replaces one of the four instruments, the ensemble is piano quartet. 3.Duos, Trios, Quintets, and other. Music in which two instruments have equal importance is called a duo; music for three instrument s is a trio; for five, a quintet; for six, a sextet; for seven, a septet; for eight, an octet; for nine, nonet. These ensembles may consist of any combination of instruments, including strings, woodwinds, brass, keyboard, and percussion

Special Ensembles
As music evolves, composers search for new mediums more congenial to their changing musical ideas. A particularly significant trend in recent years has been the development of electronic instrument, which many contemporary composers feel are more versatile than traditional instruments

and are more suitable for achieving the sounds

they want for the music.

Rondalla
This is the best-known instrumental group in the Philippines today. It is a band made up of stringed instruments: the banduria, which assumes the lead part and play the melody; the laud or octavina, which carry the alto and contrapuntal parts; the piccolo, tuned above the banduria, which plays the ornamental passages; and the guittara and bajo, which give solidity to the rhythm and support the harmony. Some percussion instruments have found their way into the rondalla to add color and varied tonal rhythmic effects.

Mixed Ensembles
A considerable literature of music exist for large

mixed ensembles which include instruments

and voices. Such musical types as an opera, oratorio, cantata, Mass, Requiem Mass, and even symphonies may employ vocal soloist, chorus and orchestra. Mixed chamber

ensembles have made their appearance in the twentieth century.

Chamber Orchestra
The term chamber orchestra is applied to small instrumental ensembles in which there are only a few performers for a part.

Chamber orchestras are in

category of ensemble between a

chamber ensemble and the full

orchestra.

Conductor
A conductor is someone who leads and guides an orchestra or a group of singers in order to perform a piece to the best of their abilities. Conductors work in theater or stage plays, film or

TV scores, lead orchestras and

choirs that are either amateurs or pros.

SUBMITTED TO:

PROF. AILEEN BISNAR

SUBMITTED BY:

MICHAEL CAINE M. PASABING REZIE FABE