MUSIC 



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MUSIC 



slowly or rapidly he wishes his compositions 

 performed. The commonest of these terms are 

 the following; like the terms indicating in- 

 tensity, they are all Italian: 



Adagio very slowly 



Allegretto cheerfully 



Allegro rapidly and brightly 



Andante slowly and smoothly 



Andantino somewhat slower than Andante 



A tempo at the original speed 



Larghetto slowly 



Largo slowly and solemnly 



Lento slowly 



Moderate .with moderation 



Poco a poco. . . .little by little, used in connection 

 with some term meaning more 

 slowly or more rapidly 



Rallentando ...decreasing in speed and force 



Retard slower and slower 



A Lesson on the Major Scale. As stated 

 above, there are in an octave eight tones, which 

 make up a series more simple and pleasing to 

 the ear than any other. This series is known 

 :he major scale, and any beginning pupil, 

 whether he be studying vocal or instrumental 

 music, must devote considerable time to its 

 complete mastery. First of all, it is necessary 

 to realize that the major scale does not make 

 use of all the tones between the extremes of 

 the octave. Sometimes there is between two 

 successive tones the interval of a half-step the 

 smallest interval in the scale; sometimes there 

 is a whole step. In detail, the series is as fol- 

 lows : 



Between one and two of the scale there is a 

 step; between two and three a step; between 

 three and four a half-step; between four and 

 five a step; between five and six a . step; be- 

 tween six and seven a step; and between seven 

 and eight a half-step. 



Thus to a certain extent the major scale is a 

 fixed quantity, since it must always have the 

 same order of steps and half-steps; but in an- 

 other way it is not fixed, for it may begin any- 

 where within the range of tones. Sound any 

 tone, and then one considerably lower. From 

 either of these, or from any tone in between, 

 the scale may start, but once its starting note 

 is decided upon the series is exactly the same. 

 This starting note has a special name. It is the 

 keynote, or key tone, and it is well named, for 

 all the scale depends upon it. Before writing 

 any composition the composer decides on the 

 tone with which he wishes his scale to begin, 

 and indicates it on the staff, as will be shown 

 below. Suppose he decides that C is to be his 

 starting tone then his composition is written 

 in the key of C. 



Th< So-caH( d "Xatural" Key. Choose some 

 song that you know, and sing the first line of it. 

 Then choose a nc\v starting tone, somewhat 

 lower, and sing the same line. You have sung 

 the line in two different keys, and provided 

 both were within the range of your voice, one 

 was as easy as the other. But in learning to 

 read music, whether vocal or instrumental, there 

 is one key with which it is easier to begin than 

 with any other, and that is the key of C. The 

 pupil has learned to recognize the staff, tin- 

 meaning of a bar, the letter-names of the dif- 

 ferent notes, the time value of the different 

 kinds of notes, the clef signs and the time sig- 

 nature; and the key of C is the only key in 

 which he can begin to read without having to 

 learn other symbols at once. Moreover, in 

 playing on the piano, this key is the only one 

 which can be played without the use of the 

 black keys. The key of C, or, as it is some- 

 times called, the scale from C, is written on the 

 staff as follows: 



^e^- 



Now refer back to the step-and-half-step de- 

 scription of the scale, and it will be evident that 

 there must be a step between C and D, a step 

 between D and E, a half-step between E and 

 F, a step between F and G, between G and A, 

 between A and B, and a half-step between B 

 and C. If you will look at the piano and count 

 upward from C you will find that the half-steps 

 come where two white keys are together; the 

 whole steps where there is a black key be- 

 tween. 



The scale from C shows clearly one fact of 

 general importance. Looking at the staff pic- 

 tured above, name all the tones in the scale. 

 Are there any of the seven letters used in nam- 

 ing the scale absent? In any other scale the 

 same thing is true, only, of course, the start is 

 made with a different note. Name in order the 

 tones which make up the scale from D; the 

 scale from G. 



There is another common method of naming 

 the tones of the scale a method which is used 

 for vocal music only. Each tone has a sylla- 

 ble, as follows: 



One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight 

 do re mi fa sol la ti do 

 But it must be kept clearly in mind that these 

 syllable names are related to the tones, in their 

 numerical order, but not to the letter names. 

 That is, the first tone in the scale is always do, 



