Musical composition

Musical composition is:

Composing music

People who practice composition are called composers. Useful skills in composition include writing musical notation, instrumentation, and handling musical ensembles (orchestration). The definition of composition has broadened to include extended techniques such as improvisation, musical montage, preparing instruments, using non-traditional objects or methods of sound production, and making music from silence, as John Cage famously did.

Related Topics:
Composer - Musical notation - Instrumentation - Musical ensemble - Orchestration - Improvisation - Musical montage - Preparing - Sound production - Silence - John Cage

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Compositional techniques are the methods used to create music. In discussing the structure or organization of a musical work, the "composition" of that work is generally called its musical form. These techniques draw a parallel to art's formal elements. Sometimes, the entire form of a piece is through-composed, meaning that it is entirely each part is different, with no repetition of sections; other forms include strophic, rondo, verse-chorus, etc. Some pieces are composed around a set scale, where the compositional technique might be considered the usage of a particular scale. Others are composed during performance (see improvisation); techniques are used, however, in this case also.

Related Topics:
Musical form - Formal elements - Through-composed - Strophic - Rondo - Verse-chorus - Scale - Improvisation

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Important in tonal musical composition is the scale for the notes used, including the mode and tonic note. When playing or reading classical notated music, only the key signature (set of notes in scale) matters. In music using twelve tone techniques, the tone row is even more comprehensive a factor than a scale. Similarly, music of the Middle East employs rigid scale within often improvisational contexts, as does Hindustani music of India, gamelans of Java and Bali, and much music in Africa.

Related Topics:
Tonal - Scale - Notes - Mode - Tonic - Classical - Notated - Key signature - Twelve tone technique - Tone row - Middle East - Hindustani - India - Gamelan - Java - Bali - Africa

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