Contents

1. What is music? 2. What are sounds and noises?

3. What is pitch? 4. What is the range of tones used in music?

5. What are note names and roll calls? 6. What is a sound sequence? How are the sound sequences grouped?

7. Which sound is called the standard sound? 8. What is full tone? What is a semitone?

9. What is natural sound? What is inflection? 10. What is a musical scale?

11. What is notation? 12. What is simplified musical notation?

13. What is a staff? 14. What is a serenade?

15. What is polka? 16. What is Mazurka?

17. What is a minuet? 18. What is a waltz?

19. What are school songs? 20. What does andante allegro..... mean?

21. Who is Strauss? 22. Which two waltzes named after the Danube are the most famous?

23. What is Habanera? 23. What is a vocal suite?

1. What is music? This is a matter of opinion and there are many opinions. The author believes that music is a sound art rather than a visual or other sensory art. The art of organizing musical sounds (and sometimes noises appropriately) according to certain rules to make people feel beautiful when listening to them is called music.

2. What is noise? What is music? When vocal cords, strings, wooden boards, motors and other objects vibrate, they emit sound waves. The sound waves travel through the air and enter our ears, allowing us to hear sounds. Sound can be divided into noise and musical sound: the sound that vibrates irregularly, such as the sound of wooden boards, motors, etc., is called noise; the sound that vibrates regularly, such as the singing sound produced by the vocal cords, the sound produced by the strings, etc., is called musical sound. The sounds used in music are mainly musical sounds.

3. What is pitch? Some musical notes sound high and some sound low, which is called pitch. The pitch is determined by the vibration frequency of the sounding object. The higher the frequency, the higher the sound. The lower the frequency, the lower the sound. For example, when a woman sings, her vocal cords vibrate at a higher frequency, while when a man sings, his vocal cords vibrate at a lower frequency, so the male voice is lower than the female voice.

4. What is the range of tones used in music? The tones used in music range from the lowest, which vibrates 16 times per second, to the highest, which vibrates 4186 times per second, approximately 97 times. The largest modern piano can play 88 of the notes, making it the instrument with the largest range of sounds. Due to physiological limitations when people sing, the musical sounds they can sing are only a small part of the musical range.

5. What is a sound name? What is roll call? Musical sounds of different pitches are represented by c d e f g a g. These seven Latin letters are the names of the musical sounds. They are usually sung in sequence as do re mi fa sol la si, that is, 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 in simplified notation. It is equivalent to the pronunciation of the Chinese character "dorimefasolasi". Do, re, mi... are the pronunciation of musical sounds when singing, so they are called roll calls.

6. What is a sound sequence? How are the sound sequences grouped? Arrange the more than 90 musical tones of different levels mentioned above in order to form a sequence. This sequence is called a tone sequence. There are only seven sound names, but the number of sounds in the sound sequence greatly exceeds this number. How to distinguish sounds with the same sound name but different pitches? The method is grouping. People divide the sounds in the sound sequence into several groups. The group in the center of the sound sequence (that is, the seven notes starting from the middle c and going upward in keyboard instruments such as pianos and electronic keyboards) is called a group of small characters. The bar is twice as high, twice as high, and three times higher than the group of small characters. The sounds of times are called the second group of small characters, the third group of small characters, and the fourth group of small characters. Of course, there are sounds in the music that are lower than a group of small characters. Their groups are: those that are twice as low as a group of small characters are called small character groups, those that are twice as low as a group of small characters are called a group of large characters, those that are three times lower than a group of small characters are called a group of large characters, and those that are four times lower are called a group of large characters. It's called the second group of big characters. In this way, the order of the groups in the phonetic sequence from low to high is:

Two groups of large characters, one group of large characters, one group of large characters, one group of small characters, one group of small characters, one group of small characters, two groups of small characters, three groups of small characters and four groups

The musical term for the range of musical tones is called range. The vocal range of the human voice is approximately: for female voices, it ranges from f in the small group to a in the second group, and for male voices, it ranges from f in the large group to a in the small group. So, how wide is your vocal range? Try it on the piano when you have the chance. Starting from the lowest note you can sing and ending with the highest note, this range is your vocal range.

7. Which sound is the standard sound? International regulations stipulate that the a sound in a group of small characters vibrates 440 times per second, and this sound is the standard sound. Since there is a certain quantitative relationship between each sound in the sound sequence, for example, a sound that is twice as high as a certain sound (also called one octave higher) must have a frequency that is twice as high as a certain sound and twice as low as it. The frequency of a sound (also called one octave lower) must be twice lower than a certain sound, so specifying the pitch of the standard sound is equivalent to specifying the pitches of other sounds. With this standard, people have a basis for tuning when making musical instruments, playing music, and singing.

8. What is whole tone? What is a semitone? Divide the distance of the group of sounds c d e f g a b into twelve equal parts, and each equal part is called a "semitone". If the distance between two tones is two semitones, it is called a whole tone. On keyboard instruments such as pianos and electronic keyboards, c-d, d-e, f-g, g-a, a-b, there is a black key between the two tones, and the distance between them is the whole tone; e-f, b-c, there is no black key between the two tones. The keys are separated by a semitone.

9. What is natural sound? What is inflection? In layman's terms, when we sing, those sounds that are sung as 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 are called natural sounds; those with a # sign (such as #4, #1) or a B sign (such as b7) in their upper left corner , b3) is called a change of sound. # is called a sharp sign, which means that the sound is raised by a semitone on the original basis; b is called a flat mark, which means that the sound is lowered by a semitone on the original basis.

10. What is a musical scale? Take one of the sounds such as c, d, e, f, g, a, b, etc. as the center, and start from it and arrange it in order from low to high (or from high to low). This sequence of sounds is like a ladder. The same, up or down step by step, so it is called a scale. The following two sequences are both musical scales, the former is a major scale and the latter is a natural minor scale:

c d e f g a b c a b c d e f g a

11. What is notation? A piece of music generally contains elements such as height, length, strength and weakness. The method of recording these elements on paper using various marks and symbols is called notation. There are many notation methods that have been used and are currently in use at home and abroad. Take our country as an example. There are many notation methods used in ancient and modern times. It is said that as early as the Warring States Period, a musician named Shi Juan under Wei Linggong was able to use a certain notation method to notate music. According to written records, Gongchipu and Jiazipu (for guqin) were produced during the Sui and Tang dynasties in my country, and in the Song Dynasty, vulgar calligraphy was produced. Gongchipu has been modified several times and is still used by folk artists today. However, in modern times, simplified musical notation and staff music are more commonly used in our country, especially the most popular ones. From a global perspective, the most commonly used instrument is the staff.

12. What is simplified musical notation? Simplified musical notation is a notation method that uses Arabic numerals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 to record pitches. Almost all Chinese people who have read books know it. This notation method was proposed by the French monk Sueti in 1665. Later, it was the famous French philosopher and writer Rousseau who improved and actively promoted it. Because this notation was inconvenient for recording polyphonic and complex music, it was almost never popular in Europe. Around 1882, the American Mason introduced it to Japan when he gave lectures in Japan. It was once used in Japanese schools in the 19th century, but they no longer used it. In the late Qing Dynasty, simplified musical notation was introduced to my country through students studying in Japan. In 1904, the book "School Singing Method" written by Mr. Shen Xingong was published, which became popular for a while. From then on, simplified musical notation became popular in our country. The author believes that simplified musical notation, as a popular recording method, has played and still plays a great role in popularizing and promoting music in our country. However, because it has many limitations in notating music, and most countries in the world do not use it now, we should create conditions to promote and popularize staff music notation in order to improve the level of music and conduct music and cultural exchanges with countries around the world.

13. What is a staff? The staff is the most widely used notation method in the world. Among the current notation methods, the staff is the most rigorous, accurate and scientific. It uses five parallel horizontal lines to record the pitch of the sound, and uses a hollow (or solid) oval or a figure with a vertical line on one side (some even add a "tail" on one end of the vertical line) as a note to represent the length of the sound ( For examples, please see the music score posted on this site) It has a three-dimensional effect and is convenient for recording multi-part music. It was officially introduced to our country at the end of the 17th century. It was introduced in detail in the "Continuation of Lu Zhengyi" compiled by the court during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, which shows that it has been introduced to our country for a long time. In 1930, musician Mr. Liu Tianhua recorded the operas sung by Mei Lanfang in five-line notation and published "Mei Lanfang's Song Score". This book is my country's first special collection of opera music. Some people think that five-line notation is more difficult to learn than simple notation. This concept is easy to understand. In fact, the main reason is not that music notation is difficult, but that it is difficult to change the music-reading habits developed since childhood. The music scores you have been exposed to since childhood are all simplified notations, and you have become accustomed to the set of simplified notations. Of course it is difficult to change now. If you have been using five-line notation since kindergarten, it will also be the same in primary school and middle school music textbooks. The music you usually see is five-line notation. Over time, it will become a natural habit. Nowadays, many children start learning piano at the age of three or four (to learn piano, you must use five-line musical notation). From shallow to deep, from simple to complex, reading music and practicing piano go hand in hand. Therefore, although many children are young, they cannot read lines by sight. The ability to read music is much stronger than that of many adults. What's the point? Practice makes perfect!

14. What is a serenade? Articles come in various genres, such as narratives, argumentative essays, poetry, prose, etc., which are all genres of articles. Music also has various genres, such as serenades, lullabies, sonatas, waltzes, minuets, polkas, mazurkas... they are all genres of music.

Serenade is a musical genre, a song used to express affection to a loved one. It originated from knightly literature in the European Middle Ages and spread in Spain, Italy and other European countries. Initially, serenades were performed by young men singing to their lovers' windows at night, expressing their love. The melody was beautiful, euphemistic, and touching, often accompanied by guitar or mandolin. With the development of the times, its form has also developed. Serenade composed by Schubert and Tosini included in "Famous Chinese and Foreign Songs" has been widely circulated around the world.

15. What is polka? The title "Polka" does not serve to summarize and remind the content of the music, but to indicate that its genre is a dance music for men and women to dance against each other. Originating from Czech folk, it was once popular throughout Europe. Many famous Western composers have used this genre to write music works. It is generally in two beats, with a lively and cheerful rhythm.

16. What is Mazurka? It is also a dance music for men and women to dance against each other. Originated in Poland, it was also popular in Europe. The biggest difference between it and polka is that the former is in two beats, while it is in three beats. Generally, the stress of a three-beat piece of music falls on the first beat of the measure, but the mazurka often falls on the second or third beat. For example, in Thomson's "Mazurka" published in "Easy Piano Score", the stress of most measures is like this. The emotions expressed by mazurkas are generally lively and enthusiastic, and this feature needs to be mastered when playing.

17. What is a minuet? There are two minuets composed by Bach in "Easy Music Score". In fact, Bach wrote more than two works of this genre, and many classical music masters such as Beethoven and Mozart also wrote previous minuets. Step Dance?The work named after it. Minuet originated in European courts and was once popular in French courts. It is a three-beat dance music with slow speed, calmness and elegance, and quite aristocratic style.

18. What is a waltz? Waltz, also known as waltz, is also a dance music in three beats. A folk dance that originated in Austria. It was first popular at balls in Vienna and became popular in Europe in the 19th century. Strauss's masterpiece "The Blue Danube" is the most famous. It has two types: fast step and slow step. Unlike the mazurka, which is also in three beats, its accent generally falls on the first beat of the measure. It is also different from the minuet, which is also in triple time. The characteristics of waltz are distinct rhythm and smooth melody, which is not as gentle as minuet. However, it must be clear that music is not mathematics or logic. This distinction is only for general purposes and is not absolute.

19. What is "school music"? In the "Modern Famous Songs" column of this website, Chinese early modern songs such as "Farewell", "National Revolutionary Song", and "Songs of the Evening Party" are called "School Music Songs". What exactly does this mean?

In the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, the political reformers at that time advocated the abolition of the old education system such as the imperial examination, followed the example of Europe and the United States, and established new schools. As a result, a number of new schools were gradually established. At that time, this type of school was called "Xuetang", and the music classes offered in the school were called "Lege" subjects. Therefore, "school music songs" generally refer to school songs that appeared in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China (similar to today's campus songs). The advocates and promoters of school music are represented by enlightenment music educators Shen Xingong and Li Shutong. Few young people today may know them, but they occupy a very important position in the history of modern music in my country. Early school music and songs were mainly composed of old songs with new words, and Chinese folk songs, minor tunes or European and American songs were used to fill in the created new words. This can be said to be one of their characteristics.

20. What does andante allegro..... mean? This is a common foreign text found on piano scores. This type of foreign language is called musical expression terminology, and most of it is in Italian. Netizens can check the music dictionary if they encounter something they don’t understand. The definitions of terms that appear frequently in piano scores are as follows:

Italian definition beats per minute

largo 46

lento 52 adagio

adagio adagio 56

andante andante 66

andantino andante 69

moderato medium 88

allegro 132

presto 184

22. There are two most famous waltzes named after the Danube: one The first is John. Strauss's "Blue Danube Waltz" and another one called "Danube Waves Waltz" were written by Ivanovich, a Romanian musician who was a contemporary of Strauss. They were originally orchestral works, because they were written It was beautiful and suitable for singing with the human voice, so people wrote lyrics and turned it into a vocal work. These two works can be called the twin gems or sisters of waltz.

23. Habanera, like waltz and polka, are both genres in Western dance music. It originated in Cuba, and its musical characteristics are medium tempo and two beats.

For example, the rhythm pattern presented in Bizet's "Habanera" in the "Piano Score" column of this site is a typical rhythm pattern of this kind of dance music.