Big Band

Archive for the ‘Classic Music’ Category

The warp and woof of music are rhythm and melody, and the drums are the rhythm instruments par excellence. It is easier to recognize a song by its rhythm without melody than it is by its melody without rhythm, which shows what a basic part of music is rhythm.

Primitive music is more rhythm than it is melody, Some of this primitive music is tremendously expressive. Melody could add very little to the foreboding pulsations of the African war drums.

In fact, melody would detract more than it would add. There is something in the constantly recurring rhythmical beat of the drums which pulsates in the blood. There is something in the incessant and ominous boom of the drums which pounds in the brain.

Melody would relieve the tension, would break the spell. But the dread rhythm of the war drums, beating in the ears, booming in the brain, speaks a terrible message which could be spoken in no other way.

If it be a dirge, how little is melody missed when the drums begin their lament! With a rhythm peculiarly expressive of grief and sorrow, the drums beat out a mournful elegy which asks nothing of either words or melody.

By contrast, what can be gayer than the castanets and tambourines of Spain or the bongas and maracas of Cuba? The quickened rhythm, the joyous accents of these instruments sing a song of gaiety and happiness which melody could scarcely supplement.

What can the melody of the bugle add to the stirring rattle of the military drum, sounding assembly or commanding a charge? The weird, the mysterious, the terrible all can be portrayed with tremendous drama and reality by bare rhythm without melody.

It is no wonder that all peoples, from the most primitive and barbarous to the most educated and cultured, have been lovers of the drum and other percussion instruments.

In earliest history we learn that the Egyptians, Assyrians, Hebrews, Greeks and Romans all used instruments corresponding to our kettledrums, tenor drums, tambourines and cymbals. Of these, the most important soon came to be the kettledrums.

In early Europe they were used not only in military affairs, but in the court of Edward I as musical instruments. Later, in 1347, when Edward III celebrated his triumphal march into Calais, kettledrums helped make the music.

Chaucer often speaks of the “nakers” in his Canterbury Tales, and nakers is an Arabic word meaning “kettledrums.” In a carving in Worcester Cathedral, believed to have been done in 1396, a pair of kettledrums is shown strapped to the waist of a player, one on each side.

These were small kettledrums, similar to those brought by the Moors into Spain and carried by the Crusaders from Arabia, but larger-size kettles were developed by the Germans, which are practically like our modern tympani. Henry VIII introduced these larger kettledrums into England in the first half of the sixteenth century.

The German historian of music, Virdung, writing in 1511, describes the kettledrums of his day. He even draws some pictures of them which look much like the modern kettledrums. About a hundred years later, Praetorius, another German historian of music, talks about the kettledrums; and so does the Frenchman Mersennus, writing in 1627.

These ancient kettledrums were hemispherical and had skin heads stretched across the top by hoops which were held in place and tightened by adjusting screws around the rim.

Kettledrums graduated from the army and the military band into the orchestra during the time of Lully and were used commonly by him and other French composers of the seventeenth century.

As early as 1713 kettledrums had become popular in Germany, for Johann Mattheson, of Hamburg, composer and musical authority, writing of the musical instruments of his day, says that kettledrums were often used in both church and opera.

These he says were used in pairs and were tuned a fourth apart, a practice which existed for many years. Handel knew about kettledrums, using them in his “Water Music.” Bach also used them, as did Haydn and Mozart and all the other great masters who came later.

These early kettledrums, or tympani, as they are now called, were hand tuned and were pitched in C and G, the tonic and dominant of the key in which the music was written.

The large kettle was tuned to the G below the C, while the small kettle was tuned to the C, making them a fourth apart. The reason for this inversion was the limitations of the instruments.

If the tonic had been given to the large kettle and the dominant to the small kettle, the dominant would generally have been higher than the small kettle’s compass. Therefore, the tonic was given to the small kettle, and the dominant an octave below was given to the large kettle.

Kettledrums were treated mostly as military instruments, for they were hardly ever allowed to play except with the trumpets, in marches, overtures and other such music. This is only another example of following custom.

Trumpeters and kettledrummers used to accompany royalty wherever it went and were used to signify rank, much as rank is signified today by cannons, a certain number for each rank.

Later, when trumpets were admitted to the orchestra, the kettledrums naturally followed; also, when the trumpets played, the early composers thought it appropriate that the kettledrums play, too.

It was Beethoven who freed the tympani from these shackles, not only those imposed by the custom of pairing the kettledrums with the trumpets, but also the universal tuning to G and C, a fourth apart.

In his First Symphony in 1800, Beethoven startled the tympani player and the audience by having the tympani play a sort of bass part to a melody of violins and flutes. Seven years later, in his Fourth Symphony, he elects the tympani to the great honor of stating a theme of two notes which was repeated by the other instruments.

The following year, in his great Fifth Symphony, the same symphony in which the piccolo, trombone and contrabassoon all make their debut in the symphony, Beethoven causes the tympani to make their debut as a solo instrument, creating for the tympani a solo effect in the scherzo movement.

In 1814, in his Eighth Symphony, he tries still another innovation by having the tympani play in unison with the bassoons. By this time the fatal tie between the Siamese twins had been broken and the tympani was no longer restricted to duets with the trumpet.

Media and arts influence our society in ways we are often not aware of. Growing up surrounded by television, radio, and movies, we often take the images and information they present for granted. Do you ever stop to think about how your interests have been shaped by what you see and hear through electronic media? Have you ever pondered on how your taste in music or arts developed?

Now, more than ever, the possibility of finding almost any information we are researching for is in media. Various sources such as newspaper, radio, television, Internet, and many others, are available almost anywhere.

Different forms of media, indeed, have become a part of everyone’s life. They shape and sometimes dictate or dominate our culture and interests. The mass media is undeniably of great impact to the society as it instills information in our minds that we use in our daily living.

Mass media has different roles in the society. One of these is its substantial role in the music industry.

How do people become interested in music? What makes them sing or become interested in playing musical instruments?

The answers to the questions mentioned rely to role the media plays in the music scene. Music is heard through the radio; thus, it triggers the music interests of its listeners.

Have you watched any television programs that involve competitors aiming for a singing title or a television singing program that shows the training of the contenders?

Television programs like what I have mentioned are usual these days. We expect music to be played only in the radio but with media around, proliferation of music through television and the Internet (singing competitions, music videos, etc.) are also possible.

Having said much of the possibilities that the media can bring to people, it largely contributes to the music teaching aspect of the industry. Media instruments, such as those mentioned earlier, are highly considered as music teacher resources for it supplies them information regarding music.

There are television programs that show trainings and rehearsals of the candidates. Through this, they can share to the viewers the different techniques of developing their singing talents. Few of these techniques that I have watched are the facial exercises done before the proper singing so as to relax the muscles that affect voice belting. Maintaining proper posture and body alignment while singing are also observed. Air supply is very important to reach low and high notes, and many others.

In general, music teacher resources can mostly be found through media in the form of visuals and audios. Other music teacher resources include personal encounters of music teachers during their classes, and those that are not in media forms.

Learn great facts and tips about music teaching; log on to our Music Teachers Blog.

Unlimited music downloads are now available at mainstream online services. Downloading music can be done legally at several major vendors such as iTunes and Napster. These download sites offer catalogues of more than a million music and sound tracks from all genres, giving you a choice to practically unlimited music downloads. But not all these files can be downloaded as you would be charged from anything ranging from $0.99 to over a dollar. Many membership sites have appeared on the music scene to rival these giants, providing memberships to lifetime access to unlimited music downloads. Let’s take a sneak peek at some of these online music download sites to understand why downloading music at these sites is becoming an unstoppable craze.

Unlimited music downloads sites like KLite Pro and Ares Ultra boast of collections of millions of music MP3s and music videos. A recent statistical count estimates the number of users at these download sites exceed far beyond 55 million. This is an astounding figure that tells much about their popularity. Here are some benefits of downloading at these websites:

1. Virtually Unlimited Music Downloads and More

These online music download sites run on P2P file sharing system and you can find almost any MP3, WAV, MPEG, AVI, WMA, Divx or EXE file on the planet. Besides being able to download unlimited music downloads, you can also download movies, software and much more. The P2P search tool at these download sites is one of the best and searches deep from Gnutella and Bitorrent networks and can connect to Limewire, Morpheus, Bearshare and Shareza. These membership sites are capable of searching media files on search engines, websites, FTP sites and LAN, giving you virtually access to unlimited music downloads.

2. One-time Low Cost

Compared to conventional download sites, you do not have to pay per song download. Most of these download sites offer yearly subscription or lifetime membership at very affordable prices that even school children can afford. Future updates including new songs and music videos are absolutely free.

3. Safe and Fast Downloading Environment

These membership sites provide the necessary tools and intuitive user interfaces so that you can get unlimited music downloads without risking your PC to harmful exposure such as adware, malware or spyware. Downloading of multiple files simultaneously is fast and because they are AOL compatible, it works with any computer. These sites are able to screen the files downloaded and intercept and stop any corrupted files from ever reaching your computer. This adds to the security in downloading the music files.

4. Excellent Technical Support

Some businesses are concerned only with selling you their products and are poor in after-sales service. You would be glad to know that the scenario and experience at some of these unlimited music downloads sites are different. There have been repeated compliments from customers about the professional technical support they have received from some of these sites. Granted, not all can offer the same level of excellent service. This is why it pays to scout around for a worthy download site.

These are quick sneak peaks at the membership sites that provide unlimited music downloads. Over the past year, hordes of music lovers lured by the convenience and affordability of these membership sites are downloading their favourite and latest music MP3s there. But be careful in your selection as not all are as good as they sound. If you are keen to find out which are the most popular and trustworthy sites for unlimited music downloads, visit my blog to read more.

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