Essential Concepts in Music Theory, Instruments, and Digital Audio

Woodwind Instruments: Flutes and Recorders

The recorder family is part of the flute group. Sizes include: sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, and bass.

Transverse Flutes

Modern transverse flutes are typically manufactured using metal (such as brass or silver) rather than wood. The most common types in this group are the piccolo, concert flute, alto flute (flute in G), and bass flute.

Digital Audio File Formats

• .WAV: An extension commonly used in Windows to identify digital audio files.
• .AU and .AIFF: Extensions commonly used on Linux and Mac systems.
• .MP3 and .OGG: Compressed formats created by reducing file size. These utilize codecs like MPEG Layer 3.
• .RA: Used specifically for streaming on networks (Real Audio).

Fundamentals of Musical Composition

Melody, Musical Phrase, and Theme

The terms melody, musical phrase, and theme refer to closely related aspects of music and can often be confusing.

Defining Musical Elements

• Melody: A sequence of different sounds.
• Musical Phrase: A segment of melody in which we perceive a beginning, a development, and an end.
• Musical Theme: A prominent phrase that appears and recurs throughout the course of the work.

Melodic Movement and Profile

• Ascending Melodic Movement: Occurs when the next note is higher in pitch.
• Descending Melodic Movement: Occurs when the next note is lower in pitch.
• Horizontal Melodic Movement: Occurs when the next note is the same pitch.

Single-Reed Instruments

These instruments are part of the woodwind family, notably including clarinets and saxophones.

Physics and Elements of Sound

Sound has three physical elements: pitch, duration, and intensity.

• Pitch is measured in vibrations per second (VIB/s).
• Duration is measured in seconds (s).
• Intensity is measured in decibels (dB).

The relationship between pitch and duration, regardless of intensity, generates a melody.

Defining Musical Instruments

Musical instruments are devices designed to produce organized sounds (e.g., by striking, blowing, rubbing, or plucking). In the eighteenth century, instruments were considered the colors that painters have on their palette, ready to mix them in their paintings.

Classification of Musical Instruments

The primary classification systems include:

Hornbostel-Sachs System

This system categorizes instruments based on how sound is produced:

• Chordophones: Stringed instruments.
• Aerophones: Wind instruments.
• Membranophones: Instruments using stretched membranes (drums).
• Idiophones: Instruments that vibrate themselves (cymbals, bells).
• Electrophones: Instruments that require electricity to produce sound.

Traditional Classification

Traditional categories include wind instruments, percussion instruments, stringed instruments, and electronic/electric instruments.

The Origins of Opera

Opera is a musical subgenre that, since its emergence in the early eighteenth century, has profoundly influenced Western music through technical and stylistic changes.