What is a musical composition definition. Musical composition. Musical lesson material

A piece of music is the result of a creative act by a composer.

The concept of composition as a complete artistic whole did not develop immediately. Its formation is closely connected with the decreasing role of improvisation in the art of music and the improvement of musical notation, which at a certain stage of development made it possible to accurately record in writing the essential features of musical works. Consequently modern meaning the composition acquired only in the 13th century, when musical notation developed means of recording not only the height, but also the duration of sounds. Any composition reflects both general and individual characteristics musical art of this era.

The history of music is largely the history of musical composition in the outstanding works of major musicians. A composition is never absolutely complete - not within the boundaries of one work of art x, not to scale artistic direction, flow, style. Composition is not a state, but a process. According to S. Daniel’s definition, composition is conceived, implemented and perceived as “a process that realizes the development of an idea, a compositional beginning, like a tree trunk, which organically connects the roots and crown of the tree, branches, shoots of a pictorial form.”

Each work of art is a reflection of more than one historical moment, but is a fusion of the universal and the current, the traditional and the innovative, the known and the unknown, the joy of the easily recognizable and the surprise of the unusual, the new.

Music

True mastery, the ability to master the expressive means of stage art, depends, along with other factors, on the level musical culture. After all, music is one of the most important elements of a theatrical performance of almost any genre. Music is an expressive means of art.

No book can replace music itself. It can only direct attention, help to understand the features of the musical form, and introduce the composer’s intentions. But without listening to music, all knowledge acquired from a book will remain dead and scholastic. The more regularly and attentively a person listens to music, the more he begins to hear in it. But listening and hearing are not the same thing. It happens that a piece of music at first seems complex, inaccessible to perception. You shouldn't rush to conclusions. Repeated listening will surely reveal its figurative content and become a source of aesthetic pleasure.

But in order to experience music emotionally, you need to perceive the sound fabric itself. If a person reacts emotionally to music, but at the same time can distinguish, differentiate, “hear” very little, then only a small part of its expressive content will reach him.

According to the way music is used in action, it is divided into two main categories: plot and conventional.

Plot music in a play has a wide variety of functions. In some cases, it provides only an emotional or semantic characteristic of a separate scene, without directly invading the dramaturgy. In other cases, story music may rise to become a major dramatic factor.

Story music can:

· Characterize characters;

· Indicate the place and time of action;

· Create the atmosphere and mood of the stage action;

· Talk about an action that is invisible to the viewer.

The listed functions, naturally, do not exhaust the variety of techniques for using plot music in dramatic performances.

It is much more difficult to introduce conventional music into a performance than plot music. Its convention may conflict with the reality of life shown on stage. Therefore, conventional music always requires convincing internal justification. At the same time, the expressive possibilities of such music are very wide; a variety of orchestral, as well as vocal and choral means can be used for it.

Conditional music can:

· Emotionally enhance dialogue and monologue,

· Characterize the characters

· Emphasize the constructive and compositional structure of the performance,

· Exacerbate the conflict.

One of the general functions of music in a performance is illustrative. By illustrativeness we understand the direct connection of music with stage action: the character has received good news - he hums a cheerful song or dances to the sounds of the radio; the music behind the stage depicts a picture of a storm; dramatically sounding music expresses the dramatic situation on stage, etc. Examples of such use of music can be found in almost every performance. Due to its pronounced emotionality, music actively influences the emotional atmosphere of the performance when it performs any dramatic functions.

Music is increasingly becoming an active emotional principle; it is practically connected with the action, the atmosphere of the performance and is designed to reveal and complement the essence of the drama. Thus, the ability of an actor and director to feel the emotional and rhythmic structure of a musical work, the ability and ability to build mise-en-scène, act and move in and with music become very important.

Melody - essential element musical art. When a singer sings unaccompanied, we hear a melody - “a monophonic musical thought expressed.” This melody can be an independent work of art. The music for performances is selected mainly conventionally, since the plot is predetermined by the playwright in his stage directions for the play.

Selecting musical material is a complex process. Using fragments musical creativity one or different authors, the director, as it were, “recreates” something qualitatively new, complete work, corresponding to the character and entire structure of the stage performance. If these melodies are in the same genre and style, then the presentation will be more holistic and complete. Therefore, it is advisable to select music from the works of one or more composers with similar creative personality.

Remembering that music is one of the expressive means performance, it should be remembered that art understands life in the logic of natural surprises, therefore the director must be a contrapuntalist in organizing the light, sounds, “rhythms of the performance, all its components, only then will the play sound like a symphony and shimmer with “mother-of-pearl colors.”

At first glance, creating music can seem like an incredibly difficult task. And the first question that arises for those who want to create their own melody is “Where to start?” But the beauty of musical composition is that there are no clear rules, no restrictions that tell you where to start and how to finish your work. But, of course, there are several methods that will help you jumpstart the creative process.

While there are several approaches to composition, you should keep three things in mind:

• Harmony
• Melody

These are the three fundamental musics. You can put them in any order you like, mix some of them up, or ignore some of them altogether. Many composers experiment without considering harmony and/or melody or timing.

You can add one more element - swing. And although swing is usually classified as jazz and improvised music, you should not discard it if you create music of a different style.

It's also worth remembering that you must have some skills to create music:

1. Ability to read music.

This is the first and most important point. Even if you use some programs that write sheet music for you, you should be able to sight read. And of course you should know musical literacy. This is the most basic thing a musician should be able to do. You should know what a pause sign looks like, which symbols indicate different effects (staccato, tremolo, piano, forte, etc.).

2. You must know different musical styles

You may think it's pointless to study other styles of music than the one you like, and that's a huge mistake. Don’t think that it’s not appropriate for a harsh metalhead to listen to the classics - many rock stars have repeatedly said that they love classical music and listen to her; a jazz lover should not ignore the simpler ones musical styles, and a sophisticated classical listener should not turn up his nose at rap and hip-hop. And not because all the music is worthy of attention, although it is. Listening various styles, you expand your horizons and learn new techniques in music. Also try not just to listen to music for pleasure, but to literally “disassemble” it in your mind into individual instruments. Analyze what you hear. Try to understand how to create a particular sound.

3. Know what instruments sound like

Strive to know what every existing instrument sounds like (at least the most common ones). You should know how certain effects, “gadgets” and so on sound. Of course, you can say that you are not going to create complex musical works, but still knowing the sound of instruments will help you at least develop your hearing and broaden your horizons. Well, maybe in the future you will want to add others to one of your instruments.

Preparation

Listen to all your favorite songs and try to see if there is a pattern, something in common. Are there any contrasting passages? How many are there? How long are they? Are any techniques repeated? Does the rhythm of the melody repeat? What mood do these compositions create? How do they do it? Do they follow the same tone?

Analyze and take notes, which will later serve as a source of ideas for you.

Step 1: Style

Decide what style you want to create music in. Listen to compositions in this style and analyze what techniques are used, how often the entire composition adheres to the same meter (4/4, for example). Consider whether you will do something similar or experiment.

Step 2: Shape

Decide on the shape of your composition. Most musical compositions consist of equal sections (repeating sections) or different sections from each other (contrasting sections). Decide on the length of the composition and how many sections it will have. Remember that each style has its own set general forms, such as the 32-bar AABA form in jazz or the blues period, consisting of three phrases, each containing 4 bars. You can use one of the existing ones or come up with your own. Just try not to make it too complicated.

Step 3: Create your idea

Use a device to record your ideas. Play a few tunes that come to your mind. Or sing them. These melodies don't have to be perfect, no one can hear them but you.

Step 4: First musical motive

Now listen to what you recorded. Is there anything you like that you could develop into a full melody? If you can't choose something that you really like, you can always turn to existing rhythms and notes. Remember that this sketch you are creating at this stage does not have to be complex. Your job is to create a foundation that you can build on.

Step 5: Transform Your Motif

Now that you have a motive, you can do the following: you can expand it, shorten it, play it backwards, repeat. You can change it a little, or you can change it beyond recognition. By doing this, you create a musical phrase—a more complete thought or idea.

Step 6: Contrasting Section

Almost all styles of music have a contrasting section that adds flavor to the piece. This function is performed by the bridge in a pop or rock song, the B section in jazz, and the development in classical sonatas. To write a contrasting section, repeat steps 4 and 5, trying not to play your main motif. You can make it in a different rhythm, give it a different mood, and so on.

Step 7: Putting it all together

On this moment you have a couple of contrasting sections, now you need to combine them. Think about the form you wanted to create your melody in, will what you end up with fit it? Don't be afraid to change things up. See if your melody looks complete, or if there is something else you need to add. Do you think it is necessary to add anything else?

Step 8: Arrangement

Turn the melody into a full-fledged musical composition by adding embellishments and supporting it with a left-hand melody, for example (if you play the piano). Consider whether you need to add other instruments or vocals. Overall, do everything to make your composition sound the way it should. You can ask your familiar musicians for help so that they can add something interesting to your composition.

The topic I want to talk about today is important for arrangers, composers and performers. On the one hand, it is quite simple to understand, but very difficult to master. The problem is complicated by the fact that despite the abundance of textbooks on the subject, the number of books that consider this problem holistically is simply scanty. The most popular book is probably “The Logic of Musical Composition” by Nazaikinsky. And as you understand, what I want to talk about is the musical composition.

What is a musical composition?

This is one of the definitions of composition in any art - the construction of a work of art, the organization, the structure of the form of the work.

Also, the essence of compositional techniques is thus reduced to the creation of some complex unity, a complex whole, and their meaning is determined by the role they play against the background of this whole in the subordination of its parts.

That is, it is the structure and form of a work that has a certain logic at all levels and layers of the musical composition.

How does this manifest itself?

To describe this as simply as possible, it is best to go from the opposite, that is, look at when the composition falls apart. This is a fairly common mistake even among experienced authors. How does a violation of the laws of composition manifest itself in music of any style?

First of all, this manifests itself in the disruption of connections between the levels of composition.

Let me clarify what is meant by composition levels.

There is a micro level - this is intonation. Usually good composition, relies on several basic intonations.

The melody level is the main theme or any period level construction.

How are the micro level and the melody level related?

The basis of any even long melody will be the main intonation, which will be guessed even in the most veiled form - this ensures the listener’s interest, and on the other hand, empathy and recognition.

The most popular mistake is the presence of a large number of intonations and a lack of connection between levels.

The third level is the macro level - the level of a small work or part complex shape(in this case, we can also talk about the supra-macro level - but the concepts are conditional, here everyone can use the terminology convenient for them).

A well-built composition combines a constant process of renewal with repetition of certain elements - this is one of the most important rules compositions.

And although contemporary music is very often based on repetitions, you can see that competent producers and arrangers provide continuous non-linear changes in musical material through automation, small modifications, variations, etc.

It is the nonlinear change that is important here.

As a rule, inexperienced composers add any fresh idea at the junction of the form, for example after 4-8, etc. bars. To create a cohesive composition, it is much more valuable to introduce changes in the middle of bars and formations. And although there is a large number of music of the square type, even among the classics, you can almost always see a nonlinear component in one form or another.

I think about the laws and tricks of musical composition, I will write a separate article, but for now we will continue.

So, logic manifests itself at all levels and layers, as I wrote above - this means that it will be not only in the melody, but also in harmony, bass line, etc.

Let me clarify once again that by logic here I mean, first of all, intonation connections. Since intonation can also be rhythmic, very often a rhythmic pattern will organize the construction.

Composition as a process covers all levels of the work. From the beginning of work on a work to its completion, each composer, in one way or another, follows a certain logic of composition. Some people use schemes that have already proven themselves, others simply copy those that they know - but perhaps there is only one approach that a musician should strive for - this is the creation of a unique compositional structure based on existing templates. Moreover, the template here implies some well-known scheme musical form, which is used by the composer as a starting point for work. In this case, the structure can be immediately recognized by the composer or manifest itself as he progresses in compositional work.

Song is one of the most common genres vocal music, it combines poetic text with an easy-to-remember melody. Songs can be performed by one performer, as well as by a group or choir, with instrumental accompaniment and a cappella.

The most popular is the song. Basic and composer. Their main difference is that the composer’s work has at least one author, and folk author does not have, its creator is the people.

Folk songs are passed down from the older generation to the younger. They spread throughout the country thanks to traveling musicians who added them to their repertoire and moved from city to city, bringing them to different listeners. The common people were not taught to read and write, and did not know how to write down music and lyrics, so they learned songs by heart. Naturally, in different cities could sing the same piece with in different words or melody. In addition, each performer could change the text or motive at will, so in our time you can find several different options one song. At first, people sang at weddings, funerals, on the occasion of the birth of a child, and during rituals. Then people began to sing when they worked, and rested when they were sad or happy.

Composer's songs appeared approximately in the 16th and 17th centuries, with the development secular culture. These are works that have at least one specific author and must be performed as intended by the creator. The song work of composers reaches the listener in its original form, even if several centuries have passed since its creation.

Types of songs

There are the following song genres:

• author's (or bard's);
• Neapolitan;
• hymns;
• folk;
• historical;
• rock ballads;
• variety;
• country;
• romances;
• chanson;
• ditties;
• lullabies;
• children's;
• drill.

Here are listed both long-established and modern genres songs. Examples of some of them: “It’s great that we are all gathered here today” by O. Mityaev (Bardovskaya); “Oh, frost, frost” (folk); "I remember wonderful moment» M. Glinka to the words of A. Pushkin (romance); “Return to Sorrento” by E. de Curtis and J. de Curtis (Neapolitan); “Soldiers, brave boys” (combatant) and so on.

Russian folk songs

Folk songs are divided into ritual and non-ritual. Ritual accompanies any ritual: a wedding, a funeral, the birth of a child, harvesting, etc. Non-ritual - they are performed not on any specific occasion, but at gatherings, during conversations and parties, they are sung for the mood, expressing the emotions and experiences of people. Themes folk songs can be anything: love, a hard peasant or conscript lot, historical events or real historical figures...

Genres of Russian songs:

• wedding;
• recruiting;
• lullabies;
• nursery rhymes;
• pestles;
• calendar ritual;
• cry;
• coachmen;
• ditties;
• funeral;
• robbers;
• burlatskie;
• lyrical;
• round dances;
• dancing;
• nicknames.

By the way, ditties are not too ancient genre, they appeared a little over a hundred years ago and they sang about love. Initially, only boys performed them.

Folk songs include works that express the feelings and moods of those who sing them. Such songs are divided into family and love songs. They can be different in character, even reckless and uncontrollably cheerful. But for the most part, Russian folk lyrics express sadness and melancholy. Often in lyrics, a person’s mood is compared to natural phenomena.

Folk songs can be performed by a soloist, group or choir, accompanied by instruments and a cappella.

Romances

There are genres of songs where accompaniment is no less important than words and melody. Romance belongs to this type. This genre originated in Spain in the Middle Ages. The word “romance” was used to describe works performed in the Spanish style. Later, all secular songs began to be called this way. Russian composers wrote romances based on poems by Alexander Pushkin, Afonasy Fet, Mikhail Lermontov and other poets. In our country, this genre was at the peak of popularity in the 19th century. Many composed romances, most famous works this type song creativity belong to M.I. Glinka, P.I. Tchaikovsky, N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov, S.S. Prokofiev, S.V. Rachmaninov,

Bard's song

The genres of songs that appeared in the 20th century are pop, chanson, bard song and others. In our country, this type of musical creativity arose in the second half of the 20th century. A bard song is different in that, most often, the author of the text, composer and performer are one and the same person. That is, the author himself performs his work to his own guitar accompaniment. In this genre, the dominant role belongs to the text. Initially, these songs were divided into student and tourist songs, later the topic expanded. Prominent representatives this genre: V. Vysotsky, Y. Vizbor, B. Okudzhava, S. Nikitin, O. Mityaev, V. Dolina. The performers of such songs were often called “singing poets.” In the 50-60s of the 20th century, this genre was called “amateur song”, since often bards are not professional composers, poets and singers.

In the form of a developed and complete musical work, an “opus”, in contrast to the fluid variability of the folk art process, from improvisation (in ancient, oriental, folk, jazz music, some types of music of the 20th century).

Composition presupposes: the presence of an author as a person (composer); his purposeful creative activity; an existing work separable from the creator and further independent of him; embodiment of the content in a precisely established objectified sound structure; a complex apparatus of technical means, systematized by musical theory and expounded in special area knowledge (in the course of composition). Writing down a composition requires perfect musical notation. The consolidation of the category of composition and the status of the composer is associated with the development in the Renaissance of the concept of a free human personality - a creator, creator (indicating the name of the composer became the norm since the 14th century; the culmination of the personal and authorial principles in composition - in the 19th century).

The composition as a musical and artistic whole is stable. It overcomes the continuous fluidity of time, and always establishes an equally reproducible uniqueness of the main components of music - pitch, rhythm, arrangement of material, etc. Thanks to the stability of the composition, it is possible to reproduce the sound of music at any arbitrarily large intervals of time after its creation. At the same time, the composition is always designed for certain performance conditions. Compared to applied folklore forms (songs, dances) and actions (ritual, religious, everyday), directly included in the life process, the composition is more a work of art.

Since ancient times, the idea of ​​a compositionally unified musical whole has been associated with a textual (or dance-metric) basis. The Latin concept of composition was historically preceded by the ancient concept of melopeia. Verb componere and its derivatives (including compositor) are found in many medieval treatises, starting from Hucbald of Saint-Amant and his school (IX-X centuries). In the 11th century, Guido Aretinsky in his “Micrologue” (c.) understood composition (componenda) mainly as the skillful composition of a chorale. John de Groqueio (“On Music”, ca.) attributed this concept to polyphonic music (“musica composita”, that is, complex, composite music) and used the word "compositor". During the Renaissance, John Tinctoris (“Determinant musical terms", ) highlighted in the last term creative moment(composer - “who wrote some new cantus”); in “The Book on the Art of Counterpoint” () he clearly distinguished notated counterpoint - “res facta” (equivalent to “cantus compositus” in the “Determinant”) and improvised (“super librum cantare”, letters sing over a book).

Studying new composition methods in the music of the second half of the twentieth century - beginning of the XXI centuries over the past 15 years, it has emerged as an independent scientific and educational discipline - theory of modern composition, which includes the study of such new methods of composition and musical phenomena How