Study Guides

Unit Summary

This unit introduces pupils to the Western Classical Tradition. It explores chamber, orchestral and vocal ensembles, musical features and key composers from the Baroque, Classical and Romantic periods, and takes a broad look at tonality and harmony across these periods.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to explain the fundamentals of harmony and tonality and how they are used in Western classical music.

Key Notes

• In the Baroque, Classical and Romantic periods, tonality was almost always major or minor.
• Every piece has a key signature, which explains which notes should be used in the given key.
• Harmony in all three periods is based on primary chords (I, IV and V), with some use of secondary chords.
• Romantic composers experimented more with chord choice and chromatic notes.
• Cadences are fundamental to all three periods with perfect and imperfect cadences being the most common.

Vocabulary To Learn

• tonality: the type of notes and chords that a piece of music is based on (e.g. minor, major, atonal)
• harmony: the way that notes combine to create chords and the way that those chords are used in a composition
• key: the specific set of notes that a piece is based on (e.g. C minor)
• key signature: which sharps or flats should be used in a particular key, written at the start of each stave
• cadence: a combination of two chords at the end of a phrase or section

Common Mistakes To Avoid

• Harmony and tonality are the same thing.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

More Lessons In This Unit

• An introduction to the Western Classical tradition Study Guide
• Music for small ensembles Study Guide
• The orchestra Study Guide
• The voice in Western classical music Study Guide