Music is made up of many different elements. This series looks at the major musical elements of melody, harmony, rhythm, and the bass to examine how they have changed over time and differ in other cultures. We also examine how writers, artists and composers are influenced by other mediums to create their art form, delving into the relationship between music, words and art.

DELIVERY MODE

• Face-to-Face

COURSE OUTLINE

• Melody – Melodies can convey patriotism, hope, fate, love, loss and can touch our most raw emotions. But what makes a good melody and how does this differ throughout the world?
• Rhythm – Essentially rhythm is a series of sounds and silences put together to create a pattern. But rhythm is vital in the creation of music.
• Harmony – Harmony is the mysterious element in music only developing in the Middle Ages. What is it, how and why did it come about?
• Bass – Bass is the youngest element in music being only around 400 years old; but it is the foundation of all music and is essential to all forms of modern music. This class explains this conundrum.
• Music and the word – Music and words have always been entwined together. Beautiful words are made more poignant by sweeping melodies while words give music an added dimension. How do composers treat this combination?
• Music and art - On the face of it there seems to be little in common between music and painting; but artists have been inspired by musical sounds or musical concepts and Composers by visual stimuli, adding another dimension to their music.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

1. Identify the different elements of music.
2. Explain how these elements have evolved over time within Classical Music.
3. Discuss the relationship each of these elements have with each other.