The Musical Elements
Structure
- Recognise and understand the form of classical music - fugue, sonata, concerto, symphony.
- Study typical structures such as binary, ternary, rondo and theme and variations.
- Consider how these structures contributed to the development of musical ideas in the Western Classical tradition.
Harmony
- Acquaint yourself with the basis of Western Classical music - tonality.
- Understand how major and minor keys, chromaticism, modulation, and functional harmony are used.
- Notice the use of orchestration, including registers and tonal colours, as all these play critical roles in composing.
Melody
- Understand how motifs, phrases and themes were developed and revisited.
- Explore how composers of the Western Classical period used sequence, repetition and transposition.
- Be aware of contrapuntal writing - where individual lines or melodies interact.
Rhythm and Tempo
- Examine how pulse, beat, syncopation and polyrhythms shape a piece.
- Understand the influence of tempo changes and rubato on the overall pace.
- Get to grips with duple, triple and compound time signatures.
Texture
- Identify monophonic, homophonic, polyphonic and heterophonic textures.
- Understand the use of textural contrast which can enhance expression in a piece.
- Grasp the relationship between texture and musical form in the Western Classical Tradition.
Dynamics
- Understand how crescendo, decrescendo, forte, piano, and other dynamics shape the expressiveness of a piece.
- Recognize terraced dynamics, an instant change without crescendo or decrescendo, an essential part of Baroque music.
- Know how composers use dynamics to highlight structural changes or to delineate thematic content.
Instrumentation
- Recognise the primary instruments used in the Western Classical Tradition - strings, brass, woodwinds, percussion.
- Understand the role these instruments play within an orchestra.
- Gain a general knowledge of each instrument's technical possibilities and characteristic sound.