Revision Sheet – IGCSE Music Term 2
Chinese Jiangnan Sizhu ensembles
Dizi Sheng Erhu Pipa Yangqin
The silk instruments (like the erhu and pipa) produce a warm, expressive sound, while the bamboo
instruments (like the dizi and sheng) add brightness and clarity. Together, they create a balanced and
harmonious soundscape that defines Jiangnan Sizhu music.
Key Di:erences Between Western Orchestral Music and Jiangnan Sizhu Ensemble Music
Instrumentation: Western orchestras typically use a wide range of instruments, including strings, brass,
woodwinds, and percussion, while Jiangnan Sizhu primarily features silk and bamboo instruments,
focusing on a smaller, more homogeneous group.
Texture and Harmony: Western orchestral music often employs complex harmonies and polyphonic
textures, whereas Jiangnan Sizhu emphasizes heterophony, where multiple performers play variations of
the same melody without a strict harmonic framework.
Cultural Context and Performance Setting: Western orchestral music is often performed in formal
concert halls with a conductor, while Jiangnan Sizhu is usually performed in informal settings, such as
tea houses or social gatherings, promoting a more relaxed atmosphere and audience interaction.
Strauss - “Roses from the South”
"Roses from the South" was composed in the Romantic period in the waltz dance style with a time
signature of ¾. Strauss uses dynamics and orchestration to create contrast in the waltz sections of by
using crescendos and diminuendos to create ebb and flow, while diQerent instrument sections
alternate for variation. The main instruments or instrument families that carry the melody in "Roses from
the South” are Violins, woodwinds, and horns play key melodic roles. The role of the waltz in 19th-
century Viennese society reflects this cultural context as the waltz was central to social dancing and
entertainment, reflecting elegance and grandeur.
Steve Reich - "Six Pianos"
The style is Minimalistic in the period of Twentieth-Century. The compositional technique most
prominently used is Phasing. Characteristics of Phasing in Minimal Music include Repetition: Phasing
typically starts with one or more repeating musical motifs or patterns. These motifs are often simple and
can be melodic, rhythmic, or harmonic. Repetition establishes a hypnotic quality, with small
changes creating movement. Transformation Over Time: The process of phasing can lead to a
transformation of the original motifs. As the patterns move in and out of sync, they change in character
and can evoke different emotions or soundscapes. The texture of "Six Pianos" at the beginning is
Polyphonic. Pianos in the piece use both treble and bass clef and some use crescendo markings by
themeselves.
"I Got Rhythm" - George Gershwin
The genre is Jazz and was written in Twentieth Century. The time signature of "I Got Rhythm" is
4/4. The form is AABA song form with rhythmic features of the song that contribute to its lively and
syncopated feel include Syncopation, swung rhythms, and offbeat accents give the song a driving
energy.
Beethoven “Symphony No. 5 4th Movement”
The 4th movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 is in Sonata form and starts in C major. Beethoven
employs sudden dynamic shifts, from pianissimo to fortissimo, emphasizing dramatic tension.
Crescendos build excitement, particularly in the codas and transitions. Three instruments or
instrument families that play prominent roles in the full orchestration include strings, brass (trumpets,
trombones), and percussion (timpani). Beethoven links the 4th movement to earlier movements of the
symphony by recalling rhythmic motifs from earlier movements, particularly the famous short-short-
short-long motif from the first movement.
The sf markingsin this excerpt are sforzando - "Sforzando" is an Italian musical term that translates to "sudden strong accent" in English. It indicates that a
specific note or phrase in the music should be played with a sudden and pronounced emphasis, causing an immediate increase in volume.
The double lines at an angle on the stems on these notes are tremolo which is a rapid (fast) repetition of a note. On string instruments, the player ‘shakes’
the bow quickly usually a the tip
Grace notes are short, ornamented notes that are played quickly before the main note in a melody, adding embellishment and expressive detail. These notes
enhance the musical line by creating tension and release, and they can vary in length and complexity, depending on the style of the music.
"Trill" is a musical ornamentation technique distinguished by the rapid alternation between two adjacent notes, resulting in swift pitch variations
