Subjects - Music

Music Banner

Main Music Page	Homework Help	Learning an Instrument
Patterns in Music
PATTERNS are the ingredient that turns SOUNDS into MUSIC OSTINATO OSTINATO OSTINATO OSTINATO OSTINATO OSTINATO OSTINATO OSTINATO OSTINATO
An OSTINATO is a musical pattern which repeats over and over. Some music is full of OSTINATI, for example modern dance music or a style called MINIMAL MUSIC. Steve Reich is a composer of minimal music.
Sometimes repeating over and over can make a piece 'boring'. To avoid this, a piece can GROW by adding other instruments (changing the TEXTURE), getting gradually louder (changing the DYNAMICS) or by getting faster (changing the TEMPO). A piece which does all of these things is In the Hall of the Mountain King from Peer Gynt by Grieg.
An interesting piece of music can be created by using SYMMETRY. Bach wrote a piece that is the same played backwards as forwards. John Taverner wrote a Christmas carol called The Lamb which uses mirror reflection patterns.
CRESCENDO means 'getting gradually louder' DIMINUENDO means 'gettting gradually softer' The Farewell Symphony by Haydn ends with a diminuendo. More than this, it ends with players in the orchestra, one by one, finishing and leaving the stage. Haydn wrote it as a hint to his boss, the king, to give the players a Christmas holiday. The king was so pleased with the piece that he took the hint!

Patterns in Music