choir homework?

Question

so my choir teacher says that we have to find one of our most favorite classical music and write about elements which are:
melody
harmony
rhythm
and form..
i don't really know how to find them, and i'm not too sure what each elemen mean.

Answer 1

I can give you a brief - but if you go on line and type in those words or something like "how to read music" that should help. But I'll try -
Melody - the main solo line within a song
Harmony - an example - a duet... You have a melody line, and a harmony line.... (So in a choir - generally, but not always, the soprano's sing the melody and the other parts (alto, tenor, bass) are doing the harmony.
Rhythm - is related to the time of a piece (say - 3,4 time, or 4,4 time).... If you 'clap' along to a song - that is generally giving you the rhythm.
Form: well, not too sure about that one? I am classically trained and went to the conservatorium of music - but the learning of music has changed alot - and I don't want to give you the wrong information.
Hope that helps. Good luck

Answer 2

Lets relate it to pop music that you probably listen to on the radio.

Melody - this would be what the lead singer is singing, the main lyrics of the song. The melody can also be played by an instrument. Descibe the characteristics of the melody. Is it lyrical (pretty) or more rhythmic?

Harmony - this relates to the chordal structure of the song. Harmony can be found in backup singers and your keyboards and guitars. They are generally pitches that support the melody. Does the harmony support the melody or does it contrast? Does it sound typical or is there something unique about it. How is it used to establish a mood or feel for the piece?

Rhythm - this would be the general pulse or beat of the song. Is it steady, is there an emphasis on a beat, is it syncopated. How does the rhymthm affect the mood of the song? Is it strong or smooth? What instruments are mainly responsible for the rhythmic feel of the song?

Form - this wouild refer to the structure of the overall song. Songs are divided into different sections to act as a road map for construction. In pop music they are referred to as "verse", "chorus" and sometimes there's a "bridge". Classical music usually isn't so simple. They generally use capital letters to represent different sections, ABA or ABACA. Each letter that is repeated is repeating the same section of the music. There are some types of songs, like the overture, that have specific forms established. I'd try and find a song that has easy to hear sections that you can describe.

Good luck this is a hard assignment, especially since it doesn't appear that you received much instruction.

Answer 3

Okay:

Melody- the stuff everyone knows. If you are a soprano, this is your thing. This is what the lead singer in a band would sing. Most of the time, all of it makes sense:

You must sing your scales and your arpeggios.

Harmony- The alto's field. Consider it the backup, or what no one hears behind the melody, but supports the melody, which would be nothing without it. (And harmony is nothing wihout melody.) It is what backup singers in a band would sing. Sometimes the lyrics don't make sense:

Siiing scales and arpeggios

Rhythm- The beat of it. A walts goes ONE two three ONE two three ONE two three. Classic style goes ONE two THREE four ONE two THREE four. Jazz style goes one TWO three FOUR one TWO three FOUR. Got that? ;D

Form- The setup of the music. Does it repeat sounds? Does it have a refrain? Does it go continually with no weird breaks or repeated musical "phrases"? This is part of musical form.

You'll find these much easier as the year goes on. It also helps if you have natural musical intelligence.

Answer 4

i would get a textbook dictionary for each element to start then i would think about my defintion for each element and describe that and then play off of your opinions and what each element make you think of