But what we hear first at the beginning of Bolero, is not the melody but
another rhythm.
This one.
And it's played by a snare drum.
Now, a snare drum, as you may know, has no particular pitch.
It just plays a rhythm, pure rhythm.
I'll tap it.
[MUSIC]
And that's all the snare drum player does.
So he better write that pattern.
He's going to be doing it for the next 14 and a half minutes.
Now, beneath the snare drum pattern,
low strange play, another rhythm that provides something of a harmony.
Let's take a look at that now.
[NOISE] And
so on.
Eventually the flute enters, adding the enchanting melody.
So now we have three rhythms operating here.
One in the flute, which also carries the melody.
One in the snare drum, which is a simple or pure rhythm.
And the third in the bass,
which is providing something of a harmony below the melody up above.
So we have three rhythms that are staying within and
emphasizing the structure of the measure.
Three different rhythms sounding simultaneously,
three different patterns of longs and shorts.
Having learned about the elements of music, what makes music work?
We'll move on now to listening to great pieces of classical music.
Starting with Gregorian Chant and working up to the Renaissance, and
then the Baroque Era.
Here's a sample from the Baroque Era, featuring music by Handel,
the composer of course of the oratorical Messiah.
But here, we're discussing the music for the royal fireworks, again by Handel.
Combined with them is the English group, The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.
I'll comment as we go.
[MUSIC]
Starting with replica of natural trumpets, no vowels
[MUSIC]
So here's the minuette.
Notice that the tempo of course is much slower.
I would say that the playing is a lot cleaner.
[MUSIC]
This was a difficult technique, this clarino playing from the Baroque era.
Only specialists could do it.
[MUSIC]
Obviously overdo the oboes.