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Composition

Most music is imagined first and then written down as a

composition in a. SCORE. The music might be vocal

or instrumental, for a single singer or a big orchestra,

and might last for a few minutes or a few hours. A pop

single in the charts, a film soundtrack, and a Mozart

symphony are all compositions.

WHAT ARE THE PARTS OF A COMPOSITION?

Compositions are lyric (with words) or instrumental

(without words). A song usually consists of several

verses and a repeated chorus. An instrumental may

have more than one movement (section). A concerto,

for an orchestra and one or more soloists, usually

has three movements. A symphony, a large-scale

orchestral composition, has four or five movements.

WHAT COMES FIRST – WORDS OR MUSIC?

Some composers write the music first, inspiring their

lyricist (songwriter) to then write the words. Other

composers rely on words to give them the inspiration

to write music. Words and music can also be written

together by a single composer or a team of musicians.

IS ALL MUSIC COMPOSED?

Some music, such as jazz, is largely improvised

(made up on the spot). The musicians often start

with an agreed written melody but then individually

or collectively use it as a basis to create new, unwritten

music. Improvisation has always been part of folk and

blues, where lyrics and melodies are often improvised.

WHERE DO COMPOSERS GET THEIR IDEAS?

Sometimes composers are inspired by an existing

melody or just a few notes that they have heard.

Sometimes composers express the mood or emotions

they are feeling at that time. People, plays, poems,

novels, paintings, and landscapes can all give

composers ideas for music. In sacred music,

inspiration is believed to come from God.

WHAT ARE PARTS?

A full score is the complete composition for every

musician while the parts of a score are just those

notes an individual musician or singer has to perform.

The conductor uses a comprehensive copy of the entire

composition but each musician or singer only requires

the part that shows their role.

1 SINGER/SONGWRITER

Alicia Keys (1981–), the American

rhythm and blues singer, writes

the music and words to most of

her own songs. Other singers, such

as the jazz vocalist Ella Fitzgerald

(1917-1996), were famous for

interpreting other people’s songs.

SCORE

A score is the written document of a

composition. It shows the tempo (speed),

rhythm, key, and instruments. Scores used

to be written out by hand, but most are

now produced on computer.

1 MUSIC TECHNOLOGY
Computers have made composition faster. Composers can use software
to notate a score instead of writing by hand. They can also record
melodies using electronic instruments and build up a piece gradually.

HANDWRITTEN SCORE 3

This score by J S Bach is for a

well-known piano work titled

Well-Tempered Clavier. It is

a fugue written in the key of

C minor. A fugue is a variation

of the main melody that is played

at a higher or lower pitch.

FIND OUT MORE. Cinema 346–347 • Music 330–331 • Opera 338 • Orchestra 335 • Poetry 343

Stave consists of two five-line

grids. For this piece, the right

hand plays the top or treble line,

and the left hand plays the

bottom or bass line

Rest symbol indicates that no

notes are played here

1567– Claudio

1643 Monteverdi

1685– Johann

1750 Sebastian Bach

1685– George Frideric

1759 Handel

1756– Wolfgang

1791 Mozart

1770– Ludwig van

1827 Beethoven

1882– Igor

1971 Stravinsky

KEY COMPOSERS

composition