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1.4 Setting Text to Music

Music and Dance · Grade 11 · 6 lessons in the design

What this covers

  • Process of setting text to music: syllabic division
  • Accents: strong and weak accents in English words
  • Natural speech inflection and intonation of words
  • Word painting in a melody
  • Rhythm, time signature and cadential points
  • Pitch and melodic shape
  • A twelve-bar lyrical melody
  • Downbeat and upbeat (anacrusic) melodies

What you will be able to do

  • describe the process of setting text in English to music
  • create a melody for text in English
  • set English text to existing melodies
  • appreciate music composed in English by self and others

Key questions

“How does text dictate composition of a melody?”

Lessons

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  1. The process of setting text to music
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Describe the steps that turn a text into a melody.
  2. Syllabic division and accents
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Divide English words into syllables and mark strong and weak accents.
  3. Speech inflection and intonation
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Use the rise and fall of the voice to shape a melody.
  4. Rhythm, time signature and cadences
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Set syllables to rhythm in a time signature and plan cadences.
  5. Pitch and word painting
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Choose pitches so the melody copies the meaning of the words.
  6. Creating and performing a lyrical melody
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Create and perform a twelve-bar melody and appreciate music by self and others.