I have researched both Kyrie (monophonic) and Kyrie from the Pope Marcellus Mass and used slides and notes from class to learn about their connection to Texture, Timbre, and Dynamics.

First, texture refers to how different parts of music fit in together. Monophony can describe the texture of a single musical line being used without the accompaniment of other musical parts. Monophony is used in kyrie (monophonic) because there is one lead singer without other noises and parts of music. On the other hand Kyrie from the Pope Marcellus Mass uses Polyphony as its texture. This piece of music includes several voices which change the sound of the music and adds layers. These two pieces of music contrast in the way they sound because of the layers of voices, and different pitches used.

Timbre refers to what makes an instrument unique in terms of its sound and colors. In these two pieces of music, neither have instrumental backgrounds. This emphasizes the voices of the singers as well as the pitches and volumes they use. This makes this music unique, and more simple compared to pieces of music with lots of instrumental layers and emphasis.

Dynamics consider the volume of a note or point in music. Kyrie is monophonic and keeps mainly the same low pitch and medium volume throughout the entire piece. This keeps the music simple and recognizable. On the other hand, Kyrie from the Pope Marcellus Mass has two voices in which are both much higher pitched than the prior piece of music. Also, in this piece the pitches slightly change from high to slightly lower, not keeping one simple note throughout the song. Also, the volume in which they perform this piece is much higher.

The two musical pieces that I chose to talk about are Kyrie (monophonic) and Kyrie from the Pope Marcellus Mass. The first musical element that I would like to discuss regarding Kyrie (monophonic) is the melody of it. Melody is defined as the unit of pitches (or tones) sounded in succession. The melody in this particular piece sounded like a group of people singing in one voice. There are multiple people singing but because they are singing at the same time with the same pitch it sounds like there is one person singing with a single voice.

The second musical element that I would like to discuss regarding Kyrie from the Pope Marcellus Mass is harmony. Harmony is the sounding of two or more pitches at the same time. In this piece, you can clearly hear the different voices singing. You can hear the male and female voices distinctively and how males were singing the lower pitch while the female were singing the higher pitches. The third musical element that I would like to discuss tempo. Tempo is defined as the speed at which a piece of music or part is played. The tempo for both of these musical pieces were slow. It helped make the environment seem calm and relaxed.

Melody is a unit of pitches (or tones) sounded in succession. One of the assigned pieces, Alapana from “Sitar, Sarode, and Tabla” demonstrated this well. The melody in the song overall had a lower sound. This means that there were wider waves, whereas in rare moments of the song the pitch got higher, and there were thinner waves. For most of the song there was a long distance between pitches or a disjunct. Rhythm refers to the ways in which music is organized into distinct time units. Throughout the song, the tempo, or the speed at which a piece of music was played was slow and steady. And to help support the melody and rhythm a veena was used as an instrument. It comprises a family of chordophone instruments from the Indian subcontinent. The timbre, or the particular sound of an instrument made this song different since in modern day songs veenas are not used. It creates a unique sound that one can hear if they go through the process of close listening with the musical instrument in mind. It is almost as if someone is pulling you into a relaxed and zen environment.

On the other hand Kyrie from “The Pope Marcellus Mass” had a higher range in melody. This is because not only did the singers try different pitches but having male and female vocalists present at the same time makes it clearer to notice the highs and lows. The harmony, or the sounding of two or more pitches at the same time was consonant. The males and females sounded pleasing together. Also throughout the song one can hear various chords, or three or more pitches that sound at the same time; built according to specific rules. However the form or the overall shape and structure of this piece of music was not so clear. Although it was published in 1567, and has been studied for centuries as an example of Renaissance polyphonic choral music, there was no chorus after a verse to which modern day music is similar to. This also has a calm feel to it that the listeners can enjoy.