Music - MYP 4 and 5 - Samuel Wright - Hodder 2020

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is an image of a student’s vocal composition using
Here
symbols to represent sounds she made with her
graphic
The entire work is based on the instrumental
mouth.
by Luciano Berio (1925–2003), who we will
sequenzas
think
you make
1 Is music more than a formula? 19
Is music a language?
SEE–THINK–WONDER
ATL
Creative thinking skills: Making guesses, asking
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if’ questions and generating testable
‘what
? What do
investigate in later chapters. What do you
see
you
about the symbols and shapes? What does it
hypotheses
wonder
about her composition process?
Figure 1.33 Student graphic composition, ‘At Crossed Purposes’
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DOTS, SQUIGGLES, SOUNDS AND DRUMS!
Think of it like a form of code where the performer sees the
functions
and , and then performs them using
commands
their expression and knowledge of the art form.
For example, in the Baroque period (17th Century)
composers such as François Couperin (1668–1733) would
write a keyboard
with one of the movements titled
suite
‘Courante’. This meant a movement that was written in
3/2 time with a change at the end (or cadence). Performers
of the time needed to be aware of such an instruction. In
modern scores, the composer goes so far as to direct each
and every volume marking (dynamics), how a violinist should
hold their bow, which mallets a percussionist is to use and
how a colour is to be sung! To do this, composers and
performers developed symbols for communicating musical
Figure 1.34 Examples of graphic notation in software
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messages. Not all forms of notation mean you have to use
Notation in music is simply a method of writing down what
actual notes; very often, graphic scores can include shapes,
is to be remembered and then performed. It is a way of
colours and time lines.
communicating sound that relies on the interpreter (here
the performer) deciphering the message as best they can.