One of the singular developments of Western music was to prefer flexibility and an integrated harmonic system over pure harmonies. Bach understood the ramifications and laid out the possibilities for the ages....
Composer Howard Goodall takes a historical look at the year 1874, the year which saw the completion of Wagner's influential Ring cycle.in the attempt to link this great piece of music to the era in which it was written as to prove that time, place, culture and...
Music is usually broken down into melody, rhythm and harmony. But what about the very lowest notes in music, that can have an impact on all three? In this film Howard looks at the abiding fascination musicians and composers have had with the bass. For half a...
In the late middle ages western harmony started on a journey that would take it in a completely separate direction to that of the music of other parts of the world. It discovered chords, and, over the next seven centuries, began to unlock their harmonic possibilities....
From the moment our hearts start beating, rhythm is integral to us all. From walking to dancing, from clicking our fingers to tapping our toes, we are all programmed to respond to rhythm. In this film Howard looks at the common rhythmic patterns that have been used by...
Why does melody affect us so deeply, from the moment we are born? Tunes touch our deepest emotions, and are capable of inspiring love, sorrow, faith, and hope. But how does a melody actually work? In this film composer Howard Goodall looks at melody's basic elements....
Truly an inside music joke. Counterpoint was the medieval guide to how to compose multiple voices, especially 4 part church hymns in ways that would harmonize "correctly" for the current tastes and conventions. A "fifth" is the fifth note on a major scale, the second...
