Movement (music)

Tempo

In the Western music, the movement first of all indicates a “movement of Danse”, then, by extension, the degree speed - or Tempo - of an unspecified piece of music.

One will say, for example, that such movement are sharp , slow , peaceful , endiablé , etc

Part of musical composition

In the Classical music, the movement indicates then all section of a musical Forme which comprises some several - continuation, Sonate, Symphonie, etc In this second meaning, one can say that the various movements of a work are delimited in time by a suspension of the musical execution.

to indicate such or such section of a work of vocal Music, various terms is at the disposal of the type-setter - “part”, “act”, “Aria”, “Récitatif”, “together”, etc - but the word “movement” is very only exceptionally used. In a more precise way, the title of a sung part very often takes again the proper title of the text put in music - when this one has one of them - that is to say, more simply, the beginning of the text in question, in the contrary case.

For example, for the sacred music: “Benedictus”, “Quia respexit”, “He was despised”, etc, and for the Musique profane: “The flower that you had thrown me”, “There, Ci darem the mano”, “Die Forelle”, etc

With regard to the Instrumental music, the manner of entitling a movement found solutions different, according to the times, the countries, the type-setters.

A movement can be indicated by its tempo

At the periods traditional baroque and , a movement of music is generally affected of only one and single tempo: consequently, the Compositeur S quite naturally took the practice to indicate each movement, either by the official heading of its tempo - allegro , adagio , andante , etc - or, in the case of the Suite of dances for example, by the name of the Danse of destination, this name itself referring implicit of way to the Tempo which characterizes it - for example, the Sarabande is a slow dance , the Gigue a fast dance .

For example, one will say that such Suite of dances includes/understands five movements, respectively entitled: “German”, “Current”, “Saraband”, “Gavotte” and “Gigue”; or, that such Symphonie includes/understands four of them, respectively entitled: “Allegro”, “Adagio”, “Minuet” and “Presto”, etc

It will be noted that the practice to indicate a movement by its tempo will be gradually given up by many Compositeur S during the 19th century - without disappearing completely, however.

For example, Hector Berlioz entitled the five movements - more exactly, five left - of its fantastic Symphonie: “Daydreams - Passions”, “a ball”, “Scene with the fields”, “Go to the torment” and “one night Dream of Sabbath”.

Other methods to indicate a movement

If the Compositeur often has recourse to the terminology concerning the Tempo or the Danse, to indicate the various movements of a musical work, other processes are also at its disposal to fulfill the same function.

the title of a movement can return to the type of compositionnelle structure solicited.

For example: “gun”, “Toccata”, “Running away”, “Variation”, “Prelude”, etc

the title of a movement can return to the number of left S destination - process very much used in the opera S, for example.

For example: “Duet”, “Trio”, “Quartet”, etc

the title of a movement can return to the character of sound interpretation.

For example: “Scherzo”, “patetico”, “lament”, “cantabile”, etc

the title of a movement can return to a technical characteristic of the instrument of destination.

For example: “Pizzicato” - for a String instrument rubbed -; “third cuts of it”, “low trumpet”, “echo” - for the Orgue -; “louré” - for the Harpsichord - etc

the title of a movement finally, can be a purely poetic lucky find, not raising specifically of the technique or the theory musical - this last process was particularly used by many type-setters baroques, French for the majority.

For example, “mysterious barricades” of François Couperin; “Pouplinière” of Jean-Philippe Branch; etc - to also see the five movements of the fantastic Symphony of Berlioz, quoted above.

Progression of the musical drawing

In the tonal music and polyhonic in the broad sense of the term - i.e., near total of the Western music, the Middle Ages at our days -, the movement also indicates the progression of musical fabric according to the axis of the height S, as well on the melody level as on the harmonic level.

the melody Mouvement is the melody interval traversed by same a voice between two successive notes. All the intervals produce a melody movement, except the unison right.

See also: melody Movement, melody Movement obliged, chromatic Movement

the harmonic Mouvement is the sum of at least two simultaneous melody movements. The harmonic movement can be oblique, parallel, direct or contrary.

See too

artistic Movement

Simple: Movement (music)

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