In this section, you will be introduced to the style and functions of music.

Concept of Style: For our course, we will consider style to mean the musical period from which a work is associated. Also, it may describe the culture associated with a work. Hence, the style could be described as Middle Ages, Renaissance, Romantic, etc. We might also describe style as from nationalities, such as Hungarian, German, or American. Other descriptions, such as Patriotic, etc. are valid, as well.Style:  Another term to consider is  genre  (string quartet , concerto, symphony, symphony). 

Concept of mood: The concept of mood is associated with emotion or feeling. Emotion, or feeling, as an element, is a subjective description of a work. When we describe music in terms of emotion, we want to be concise and limited. It is one of the elements but not a dominating one. Descriptions such as happy, sad, festive, etc. are fine for discussing emotion. Melancholy, joyous, etc. are also fine. Do not become over-descriptive with this element. Keep your descriptions short, accurate, and concise.

Distinguish between tone color and mood (emotion): Reference to tone color, or timbre.   When you mention which instruments are playing, you are describing tone color. In addition,  descriptions, such as piercing, dull, broad, strident,  and bright are also very good descriptions.

The following is more clarification of timber, or tone color, as opposed to the above discussion of mood (emotion):

Timbre: The definition of timbre (see glossary) is “The quality of sound that distinguishes one voice or instrument from another.” In discussing timbre in reports etc, you need to say what those distinctions are (Musical Timbre under the topic Voices and Musical Instrument Families)

Discussing timbre, or tone color, in Instrumental music:  (1) Discuss tone color in terms of the uniqueness of the sound you are hearing, First, name the instrument, instruments, or voices you are hearing, Listen to them and be aware of the unique sound quality they make. After identifying the instrument or voice, think of how you would describe the quality of sound that instrument produces (such as dark, bright, piercing, broad, etc). Likewise, if you hear a combination of instruments or voices, how would you describe the sound of the group (after first identifying the group). Always mention the term:  “tone color,” when presenting these descriptions in your reports.

• Sacred Music and Secular Music
  • Sacred music employed by most cultures for religious functions
  • Secular music employed for entertainment or other nonreligious activities
• Genres
  • Categories of Music
  • Some works cross over categories, borrowing elements of one genre for use in another
• Medium
  • Specific group that performs a piece
• Oral Transmission
  • Music that is not written down
• Style  We organize style of artworks into historical periods, each with its own characteristics
  • Distinctive features of any artwork.
  • Musical style is created by individual treatment of the basic musical elements