Operación mundo: Music 4_Dual Focus (Muestra)

DUAL FOCUS

MUsic SECONDARY EDUCATiON

4 ANDALUS iA

1. Recorded sounds 7

The first recordings • The use of electricity • Electrical devices • Multitrack recording • New sounds • Vocabulary • Sing in English: The Riddle song • The final challenge: Study strategies

2. Sound data 13

Analogue and digital sound • The MIDI system • Digital media storage devices • Digital audio formats • Computer technology in music • Vocabulary • Sing in English: The More We Get Together • The final challenge: Digital audio formats

3. Music in the media 19

The origin of the radio • The use of the radio • Music on television • Music on the Internet • Vocabulary • Sing in English: Never on Sunday • The final challenge: A radio programme

4. The sounds of cinema ...................... 25

Silent films • The arrival of sound to film • Film music composition • The Golden Age of cinema • Cinema renewed • 1980s to the present • Vocabulary • Sing in English: Ain’t No Mountain High Enough • The final challenge: A film review

5. Let the opera begin! 31

The opera: parts of an opera; Opera seria and opera buffa; Main components of an opera • Representative opera composers: The classical period; The opera in the 19th century • Vocabulary • Sing in English: C ome Again • The final challenge: Space for opera

6. Music on a stage 37

Zarzuela: Characteristics of a zarzuela • Musicals: Cinema and musicals • Ballet and dance • Operetta • Vocabulary • Sing in English: Beauty an the Beast • The final challenge: Designing a poster

7. Styles of modern music ................... 43

Jazz music • Country music and blues music • The birth of music for younger generations • Music in the United Kingdom • Music since the 1970s • Vocabulary • Sing in English: Rock My Soul • The final challenge: A music map

8. Sounds of the world 49

Classical music, traditional music • Arabic culture • Sub-Saharan • Africa • AsiaOceania • America • Spanish folk music • Vocabulary • Sing in English: Wayfaring Stranger • The fianl challenge: A traditional dance

9. Music throughout time .................... 55

The Middle Ages • The Renaissance • The Baroque period • Classicism • The 19th century • Music since the 20th century • Vocabulary • Sing in English: Land of the silver birch • The final challenge: The evolution of variations

1 RECORDED SOUND

RECORDED SOUND

Phonograph

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SCAN THE CODE TO FIND OUT THE CHALLENGE

First recordings

Gramophone

Components of recording and reproduction systems

Use of electricity

Electrical devices

Phonograph

Multitrack recording

Microphone, amplifier and speaker

Record player and tape recorder

Sound mixing

Electrophonic instruments

Electro-mechanical or electric instruments

Electric guitar, piano, bass or electric violin

Electronic instruments

Synthesizer and drum machine

FOCUS ON E N GLISH Take action!

Listening

Listen and repeat.

Writing

Many technological advancements have been made in the last 100 years. How many can you think of? Make a list and compare it with a classmate. Do any of these advancements play a role in the recording or reproduction of music?

Recorded sound 1

The first recordings

Until the 19th century, one of the main ways of listening to music was live, attending a concert or some other type of musical event. There was also the possibility of listening to music through devices or instruments that reproduced sounds mechanically, like the music box, the pianola, or the carillon. However, there was still no way to ‘capture’ sound.

The phonograph and the gramophone were the first devices capable of recording and reproducing music.

The techniques used to record sound on the phonograph and gramophone were similar. The performers stood close to the horn; the distance depended on the strength of their voice or the timbre of the instrument being recorded. A major advantage of the gramophone was the improved sound quality. Furthermore, it was easy to make copies from a master disc that served as a mould. The possibility to make copies contributed to the diffusion of music on a large scale.

The use of electricity

The phonograph and the gramophone did not use electricity to record or reproduce sound. They also had significant technical limitations, such as low sound quality or short recording capacity.

Electricity sparked off the invention of new sound recording and reproduction systems. These new systems incorporated three main components: the microphone, amplifier and speaker.

1 Writing. The word ‘phonograph’ begins with ph. The combination of these two letters produces an f sound, which is unique to English. Make a list of words that contain ph and practise their pronunciation. Can you think of any words related to music?

The phonograph recorded sound on a tin-foil cylinder.

The gramophone recorded sound on a disc made of ebonite or bakelite.

The microphone captures the sound and converts it into electrical signals.

The amplifier increases the voltage of the signals.

The speaker transforms back the sounds.

Electrical devices

Electrical recording and reproduction of sound brought about the invention of new devices: the record player and the tape recorder.

The record player

The record player was invented when electricity was incorporated into the gramophone. It comprises a plate, where a disc can be inserted; a small electric motor that makes it turn; an arm with a reading needle; an amplifier, and a speaker.

The vinyl disc record replaced the bakelite disc. Vinyl is a light, resistant plastic material that created smaller grooves (microgrooves) when recording, which gave it more storage. Vinyl records were marketed in two formats: Long Play (LP) and single (EP).

The tape recorder

In the 1930s, combining electricity and magnetism gave rise to magnetic sound recording and reproduction. The electric signal sent by the microphone when using this system is converted into magnetic fields by an electromagnet that magnetizes a tape. During reproduction, the magnetic fields of the tape are converted back into electric signals.

Sound was recorded on a magnetic tape.

It had on, off, fast-forward, rewind, and record controls, and recording and playback heads.

Recording on a magnetic tape was perfected in 1957 with the invention of the stereo system. The stereo system could record sound through two different channels. Stereo sound achieved the imitation of depth and localisation of the real sound by reproducing it on the left or on the right according to where it originally came from.

Up until the appearance of the stereo system, recordings were done in ‘mono’ (monaural), or the sound was recorded and reproduced through only one channel.

2 Speaking. Explain the main advantages of the gramophone with respect to the phonograph.

3 Compare the similarities and differences between a record player and a tape recorder.

Cassette tape

The cassette tape was invented in the 1960s. It was a small plastic case containing magnetic tape. It could be listened to on a new type of recorder which also allowed the recording of voices and music from instruments and discs, etc. Cassettes became very popular due to their small size, easy use and decent sound quality.

The magnetic tape rewind on two drag coils and moved thanks to a small motor.

4 Writing. List the advantages of using a magnetic cassette tape in comparison to other devices.

5 Listen to a song with headphones. Identify which instruments you hear and in which ear you hear them.

Multitrack recording

Multitrack recording is a sound recording method that allowed multiple sound sources to be recorded separately and later compiled into one. The advantage of multitrack recording was that it allowed artists to perform at different times. They could do different takes for each instrument or add phrases and musical effects to a song. Nowadays, thanks to computers, numerous tracks can be used.

Sound mixing

Each track could be manipulated independently in order to make the necessary corrections. To mix tracks, each track was given the adequate volume and tone so it would sound balanced. Effects such as reverberations and echoes could also be added.

The final result of sound mixing is the master recording, from which copies can be made, distributed and sold.

New sounds

The use of electricity in music helped to develop many new devices and instruments, and as a result, new sounds. This led to the incorporation of a new category in the existing classification of instruments: electrophonic instruments. These instruments create or modify sound based on electrical currents or circuits and can be divided into two categories:

• Electro-mechanical or electric instruments: sound is produced mechanically and is amplified electronically. All conventional instruments that use an amplifier or microphone to amplify their sound belong to this category. They include: the electric guitar, piano, bass or electric violin.

• Electronic instruments: sound is produced, created and amplified electronically by an oscillator. The most common are the synthesizer and the drum machine.

6 Speaking. What is the definition of the word ‘synthetic’? Discuss your thoughts and opinions on the authenticity of music and musical instruments and the appearance of electrophonic instruments.

Vocabulary

Amplifier, cassette tape, electrophonic instruments, gramophone, master disc, master recording, microphone, multitrack recording, phonograph, record player, recording, speaker, stereo system, tape recorder, vinyl disc.

Electric instruments are similar to traditional instruments but their sound is amplified electronically.

The Riddle song

Traditional song from England

How

there

I gave my love a cherry that has no stone, I gave my love a chicken that has no bone, I gave my love a story that has no end, I gave my love a baby with no crying.

How can there be a cherry that has no stone? How can there be a chicken that has no bone? How can there be a story that has no end? How can there be a baby with no crying?

A cherry when it’s blooming, it has no stone, a chicken when in the shell, it has no bone. The story of how I love you, it has no end, A baby when it’s sleeping it’s not crying.

The final challenge

Study Strategies

In order to transform information about a certain subject into knowledge, we need to process this information correctly. This requires developing a set of skills which will allow us to establish links, organise and analyse the information and take it in.

Work in groups. To complete this project, you will need to exercise the the ability to link and organise information using a computer. You will create a chart to help you to define and compares different ideas.

STEP 1

Extract the information

• Read the unit again and extract the relevant information on the main characteristics of sound recording and reproduction systems. Write them in your notebook.

SCAN THIS CODE TO CONSULT THE GLOSSARY FOR THIS UNIT.

Organise the information

• Organise the information according to: sounds system (mechanic or electric), support devices and possibility to copy.

STEP 3 STEP 2

Classify the data and create a table

• With your computer, create a table like the one on the right to classify your data. Use the adequate computer program (Word, Excel, OpenOffice Writer, etc.).

Device Sound System Support device Possibility to copy

Phonograph

Gramophone

Record player

Tape recorder

Take action!

2 SOUND DATA

Digital media storage devices

Analogue recording

Recording types

Digital audio formats

Did you know the different audio formats?

SCAN THE CODE TO FIND OUT THE CHALLENGE

Interface

Cables and connectors

Sampler

Drum machines

Sequencer

Synthesiser

FOCUS ON E N GLISH

Listening

Listen and repeat. Speaking

How do you listen to music? Discuss the way your generation listens to and acquires new music with a classmate. Discuss how it might be different from the way your parents listened to music when they were young. Make a list of these differences.

Sound Data 2

Analogue and digital sound

Until the development of computers, sound was always recorded in analogue form. The word analogue is still used today as a comparison to digital sound.

Analogue sound mimics the vibrations of real sound. Its electrical signal has a curve which is analogous (similar) to the real sound wave. Digital recording does not imitate vibrations but converts them into a binary code, the language computers use.

Digital sound is obtained through the process of digital recording. A signal produced by a strong sound wave is converted into binary code by a converter. This is done by means of ‘sampling’, where 44 100 samples are taken per second.

A converter is a device that transforms real sound to digital sound. The process is done through sound ‘sampling’.

1 Writing. In your notebook, write the main differences between analogue and digital sound.

2 Speaking. Explain the process to obtain digital sound.

Sound source

Analogue sound

To reproduce sound, the converter follows the inverse process, transforming the digital information into real sound. Sound can be played from a computer or through different mobile devices (phones, tablets) and formats (MP3 or MP4).

Digital sound has also become a part of classical music.

hard drive

Computer

The MIDI system

The MIDI system (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a connection protocol between digital devices through which digital sound information can be sent to a computer. By using a computer program, this system controls the pitch of notes, their duration, their volume, and the program number that indicates the instrument or MIDI channel being used.

MIDI has two basic components. The interface is a device that sends and recieves MIDI data from a computer. The cables and connectors connect devices and allow MIDI information to circulate between them

MIDI data communication happens through a ‘master’ device that acts as a controller and which creates MIDI messages and sends them to one or various ‘slave’ devices that receive and interpret the message.

The ‘master’ also generates a time code that allows all the devices to synchronise and function simultaneously and on time.

The main digital devices that can connect with the MIDI system are:

• The sampler. It records digitally samples of real sound. It can modify any of the sound’s qualities with the help of a keyboard or computer.

• The drum machine. It allows rhythmic fragments to be programmed with percussion sounds. It is considered the evolution of the electric drums.

• The sequencer allows musical fragments sent from MIDI devices to be stored, programmed, and replayed; and the synthesiser generates sounds from waves or noises created electronically.

Digital media storage devices

Data is saved as sound files in different formats and stored in different devices.

CHARACTERISTICS

CD (Compact disc)

Super Audio CD

DAT (Digital Audio Tape)

DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)

• Most common digital sound storage device.

• It lets you listen to 74 minutes without interruption.

• Uses different technology to a CD.

• High storage capacity.

• Magnetic tape that stores a recording made digitally.

• Looks like a CD.

• Can store audio and image.

MIDI instruments

Apart from these devices, there are also ‘MIDI instruments’ available on the market.

These instruments act like acoustic instruments but are connected to one or various digital devices that produce sound. Some instruments include the MIDI saxophone and MIDI guitar.

ADVANTAGES

Compared to a vinyl record:

• Higher sound quality.

• Smaller size, and easier maintenance and handling.

Compared to a CD:

• Higher sound quality when sampling at a higher speed.

Compared to a CD:

• Greater storage capacity.

• Higher sound quality.

Compared to a CD:

• Greater storage capacity (six times more than a CD).

Digital audio formats

The typical uncompressed file formats are WAV and AIFF. Both are high quality sound files that contain a large amounts of information. They take up a lot of memory space.

The most common digitally compressed format is MP3. It allows the file size to be reduced, eliminating frequencies that are difficult for humans to perceive. The result is a much smaller file without losing much quality.

Computer technology in music

The use of computers in music has opened up a world of new possibilities. Today, computers are present in both the musical creation process and in recording and reproduction.

With sequencing programms, musical creation using computers allows music to be programmed, modified, and represented graphically on a screen.

The use of computers in the recording studio has huge advantages. Music, once recorded, can be edited, similar to a word processor. That way, any performance, vocal or instrumental, can be modified or corrected, until the desired result is obtained.

Musical software

Sequencing programs

• Pro Tools

• Cubase

• Logic

• Digital Performer

• Nuendo

Score editing programs

• Sibelius

• Finale

Vocabulary

Analogue, binary code, converter, digital devices, digital sound, interface, midi system, sampler, sequencer, sound, synthesizer.

3 Writing. In your notebook, write the main types of digital media and their characteristics.

4 Why is it necessary to compress digital sound formats?

With the advance of technology, computers have been incorporated into the recording process.

5 Name all of the digital media devices that you can think of and indicate which ones you have used recently to listen to music.

The More We Get Together

Traditional song from the UK

The more we get to ge - ther, - to ge - ther, - to ge - ther, - the more we get toge ther, - the hap pier - we'll be. For your friends are my friends, and my friends are your friends, the more we get to ge - ther, - the hap pier - we'll be.

The more we get together, together, together, the more we get together, the happier we’ll be.

For your friends are my friends, and my friends are your friends. the more we get together, the happier we’ll be.

The final challenge

Digital audio formats

In this unit you have learned that the way of coding digital information to be stored in media is called a format. Currently, the most common digital audio formats are WAV, AIFF, MP3 and MP4.

Work in groups. A song occupies a different amount of space according to the format it was digitally recorded in. In the following exercises, you will check data to find the varied memory requirements from the different audio formats.

STEP 1

Design your strategy

• Choose a short song or audio file.

• Find a computer program that allows you to convert files to different formats. On the Internet you can find some free sites that require no registration or downloading (be careful to avoid viruses).

• Convert your file into different formats; some compressed, others not.

SCAN THIS CODE TO CONSULT THE GLOSSARY FOR THIS UNIT.

STEP 3

Draw conclusions

• Once you have completed the activity, share your conclusions with the class. Include information regarding the size of the files, the quality in each of the new formats, as well as other information you’ve learnt about in this unit.

STEP 2

Organise the information

• Make a list of the files and the size of each. Then create a bar graph to compare them.

SECONDARY EDUCATION

MUSIC

Recorded sound 1

The phonograph and the gramophone

Phonograph Gramophone

Differentiating features Similarities

The support was a cylinder.

Differentiating features

They were capable of recording and reproducing music. The support was a flat disk.

Doesn’t allow copies to be made. They worked by turning a crank. Allowed copies to be made.

Poor sound quality.

Recording with a phonograph

They had a similar appearance: wooden box, crank and horn. Better sound quality.

HOW DOES A PHONOGRAPH RECORD?

The phonograph had a horn-like piece which ended in a needle attached to a membrane. The sound was recorded by rotating it by hand.

The vibrations collected by the membrane produced grooves in a tin or wax coated cylinder, thus recording the sound.

By rotating the cylinder in the reverse direction, the needle passed over the grooves again, reproducing the recorded sound.

The use of the electricity

The use of electricity sparked the invention of new sound recording and reproduction systems. Three main components were incorporated in these new systems: the microphone, the amplifier and the speaker.

The microphone captures the sound and converts it into electrical signals.

The amplifier increases the voltage of the signals.

The speaker transforms the sound.

New sounds

The use of electricity in music helped create many new devices and instruments, and as a result, new sounds. This led to the incorporation of a new category in the existing classification of instruments: electrophonic instruments.

Electrophonic instruments

These instruments create or modify sound based on electrical currents or circuits.

Electro-mechanical or electric instruments.

Sound is produced mechanically and amplified electronically.

Sound is produced mechanically and amplified electronically.

Electronic instruments.

Sound is produced, created and amplified electronically by an oscillator. A previous mechanical impulse is not necessary.

Synthesizer and drum machine.

Sound data 2

Types of recording

Digital recording

Analogue recording

Sound according to the types of recording

Digital recording

Analogue sound mimics the vibrations of real sound. Its electrical signal has a curve which is analogous (similar) to the real sound wave.

Digital sound does not mimic, but converts, the vibrations of real (analogue) sound into a computer file.

The signal produced by a sound source is converted into binary code through a converter.

MIDI system

The conversion process is carried out by sampling which takes 44 100 sound samples per second.

The resulting digital sound is stored as a file on a computer’s hard drive.

Midi

system

How is data communication carried out?

It is done between a ‘master’ device, which creates MIDI messages and sends them to a ‘slave’ device, which receives and interprets the message.

What are the basic components?

The interface, which sends and receives MIDI data from the computer, and the cables and connectors, which connect the devices together, and through which the MIDI information flows.

What is a MIDI system?

It is a connection protocol between digital devices through which digital sound information is sent to a computer.

What can MIDI do?

Control the pitch of the notes, their duration, their volume and the program number that indicates the instrument or MIDI channel that is used.

Digital devices

Sampler

Drum machin

Digital devices

Digital media storage devices

Sequencer

CD (Compact disc)

Super Audio CD

DAT (Digital Audio Tape)

DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)

Synthesiser

Records digital samples of real sounds. It can modify any of the sound’s qualities with the help of a keyboard or computer.

Allows rhythmic fragments to be programmed with percussion sounds.

Allows musical fragments sent from MIDI devices to be stored, programmed, and replayed.

Generates sounds from waves or noises created electronically. It can emit an infinite amount of timbres.

Characteristics

• Most common digital sound storage physical device.

• It lets you listen to 74 minutes without interruption.

• Uses different technology to a CD.

• High storage capacity.

• Magnetic tape that stores a digitally made recording.

• Looks like a CD.

• Can store audio and image.

Advantages

Compared to the vinyl record:

• Higher sound quality.

• Smaller size, and easy maintenance and handling.

Compared to a CD:

• Higher sound quality when sampling at a higher speed.

Compared to a CD:

• Greater storage capacity.

• Higher sound quality.

Compared to a CD:

• Greater storage capacity (six times more than a CD).

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