Listening to Music

Lecture Details

Listening to Music (MUSI 112)This lecture provides an introduction to basic classical music terminology, orchestral instruments, and acoustics. Professor Wright begins with a brief discussion of the distinctions between such broad terms as "song" and "piece," briefly mentioning more specific terms for musical genres, such as "symphony" and "opera." He then moves on to describe the differences between a "motive" and a "theme," demonstrating the distinction between the two with the use of music by Beethoven and Tchaikovsky. Following this, he calls upon three guest instrumentalists on French horn, bassoon, and viola to give a brief performance-introduction to each instrument. He concludes the session with a discussion of acoustics, focusing on the concept of partials, and then brings the lecture to a close with commentary on Richard Strausss tone-poem, Death and Transfiguration.0000 - Chapter 1. Distinguishing "Songs" from "Pieces" Musical Lexicon0423 - Chapter 2. Genres, Motives, and Themes1651 - Chapter 3. Introduction to the French Horn and Partials2302 - Chapter 4. The Bassoon and the Viola2914 - Chapter 5. Mugorsky and the Basic Principles of Acoustics4030 - Chapter 6. Dissonance and Consonance in Strausss Death and TransfigurationComplete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website httpoyc.yale.eduThis course was recorded in Fall 2008.