Full revision notes of OCR GCSE Music

Music



GCSE Revision



2008









Part II





Areas of Study











The Ultimate GCSE Revision Notes

OCR 2008


Area of Study II

Techniques of Melodic Composition:

Plainchant
Folk music of the British Isles
Melody in the Baroque and Classical periods
Serialism

The Blues
Northern Indian Classical Music

Area of Study III

Dance Music:

Elizabethan Pavanne and Galliard
19th Century Viennese Waltz
Disco

Area of Study IV

Traditions and Innovation:

Salsa
Bhangra
Minimalism



Area of Study 2
Techniques of Melodic Composition


This area of study focuses on the ways in
which melodies…

Serialism Note row
Blues Blue scale
Northern Indian Rag
Classical


Also you should be able to identify a
whole-tone scale






and microtonality (where the gaps between
the notes are smaller than semitones.








Plainchant ­ track 1

Official liturgical chant used in the Roman Catholic Church. It
was first heard in…

Important words are set to melismas ­ where one
syllable is stretched out over several pitches

Harmony:

Plainsong is unaccompanied, and therefore has no
harmony
The most important note is called the final

Form:

The music follows the form of the words. If the text is
in verses this will…

Harmonies are simple and repetitive
Often based on the primary triads

Form:

Strophic structure
Other simple structures such as binary and ternary
Very simple chorus that repeats between verses

Instrumentation:

Portable instruments that can be easily carried e.g.
penny whistle, accordion and fiddle

Texture:

Tune and accompaniment
Possibly heterophonic
Sometimes…

Harmony:
All based around chords I and V - Tonic and
Dominant
Appoggiaturas
Cadential cliché ­ IIb Ic V 7 I
Harmonic Sequences
Tonic or Dominant Pedals (where the bass note stays
the same, usually either the tonic or the dominant,
while the chords above change)

Form:
Based around the…

This can be played in several orders:
o Prime Order ­ the original order
o Retrograde ­ Backwards
o Inversion ­ mirror image
o Retrograde Inversion ­ backwards mirror image
Resulting melody is often extremely disjunct

Rhythm:

The rhythm is often determined by a pre-composed
sequence of rhythmic values.
The…

was widespread in the southern United States by the late 19th
century. It became a popular genre in about 1910 and by 1950
had merged with other genres such as jazz to create new
sounds like Rock n Roll and Rhythm n Blues.

Melody:

Based on the blues scale (flat…

You would hear this music in pubs, or more likely jazz / blues
festivals

Northern Indian Classical Music ­ Track 7

Originally perceived as an art form for the educated,
traditional performances are often given to a knowledgeable
audience, where most people understand the music and how it
is put…

Sitar ­ long-necked plucked string instrument with frets.
Seven main strings plus 12 or so sympathetic strings that
vibrate and create the characteristic shimmering sound.








Tabla ­ a pair of two drums played with the hands, one
wooden and one metal. They can create many different
sounds.






Tanpura ­ an…