Name: Jennylyn Pacheco Aguilar

Course: Bachelor of Secondary Education Major in English

Subject: Art Appreciation

Topic: Mediums of the Performing Arts

Objectives:
By the end of this lecture you will be able to:
 Know the Mediums of Performing Arts
 Apply the different Mediums of Performing Arts
DISCUSSION
MEDIUM OF THE PERFORMING ARTS
Performing arts are creative activities presented before an audience, on stage, and
in open places. When heard and seen simultaneously, these arts become combined arts.
The performing arts include music, dance, theatre arts (play or drama), and literature.
MUSIC
Music is an art. Culture is reflected in art. The more the man knows, the more
cultured he becomes. Music deals with sounds. The medium of music are vocal and
instrumental music.
VOCAL MUSIC
Vocal music is the oldest and most natural form of music. Voice is produced by the
vibrations of the vocal chords in the voice box. Since the sound produced by these
vibrations is not loud enough to be heard, resonators (lungs, esophagus, head, and mouth
cavities) are needed to increase its volume. Hence correct positioning of the body, head,
and mouth will enable the air to vibrate freely.
CORRECT POSTURE
Standing correctly allows the air in the different body cavities to vibrate and flow
fully. Keeping one foot forward will help maintain body balance. When seated while
singing, keeping your back away from the chair in a rising position.
CORRECT BREATHING
The quality and volume of the voice depends upon breathing. Diaphragmatic
breathing is advisable, which, as the name implies, is breathing supported by the
diaphragm. In this case, proper exhalation and inhalation is necessary.
CORRECT PLACEMENT OF THE VOICE
To prevent throat singing and develop good tone quality, never force out the voice.
Project the voice upward towards the head to improve tonal quality.
CORRECT DICTION
Diction has nothing to do with air vibration but is just as important in singing. Good
diction includes correct pronunciation, clean enunciation, and distinct articulation. Good
diction conveys the meaning of the song to the listeners. To bring out the meaning of the
song, it is important words or parts of words and stress the more important ones. When
you sing the “Lupang Hinirang,” which words or syllables should be stressed?
CORRECT INTERPRETATION
Music is made even more beautiful when it is interpreted properly. How a singer
makes use of his face, eyes, hands and other parts of the body assists his voice in conveying
the meaning of the song. Without correct interpretation, a song becomes dull and
uninteresting.
CLASSIFICATION OF VOCAL MUSIC
Vocal music can be classified into long vocal forms and short vocal forms.
Long vocal form:
Opera- drama set to music with action, costume, and scenery. It consists of overture, arias,
recitative, ensemble, and chorus.
Cantata- a story told in music without action. It is a smaller version of the oratorio and may
be secular or religious.
Oratorio- dramatic music also consists of overture, arias, recitative, and ensemble based on
biblical stories or contemplative characters. It is performed in concert style, without
costume, scenery, or action. Greater emphasis is given to the chorus and a testo (narrator)
is often utilized,
Moro-moro – a Philippine drama set to music that depicts Christian and non-Christian
conflicts.
Zarzuela – a Philippine drama set to music that is similar to the opera.
Short Vocal Forms
1. Folk songs 2. Art Songs 3. Kundiman 4. Balitaw 5. Danza Habanera 6. Anthem
7. Motet 8. Madrigal 9. Ballad 10. Chorale 11. Round/cannon 12. Area
VOICE CLASSIFICATION
WOMEN’S VOICE
a. Soprano- tone is lighter in character, less somber, and frequently more flexible. It
is broken down into:
- coloratura soprano- highest and lightest of all voices. The music written for this voice
quality is full of runs, trills, and light ornaments.
- mezzo-soprano – medium high in tonal quality.
- lyric soprano – less high and flute-like. It is suited for sweet songs like melodies.
b. Alto or contralto – the tone is richer and fuller
MEN’S VOICE
-Tenor – the highest type in men’s voices
-Baritone – lies between tenor and bass
-Bass – lowest and deepest voice quality
INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC
Aside from voice, instruments are the other medium of producing music.
Instrumental music are classified into:
Sonata – a long composition for solo instrument, consisting of large sections called
movements. These movements are the allegro, andante, and rondo. An example is Sonata in
C Major by composer Wolfgang A. Mozart.
Suite – a series of musical pieces that tells a story is called program music while a music
that tells no story is absolute music. An example is the “The Nutcracker Suite” composed by
Peter Tchaikovsky.
Symphony – a sonata for the orchestra. Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827) was a great
musician remembered for his immoral symphonies.
Concerto – a sonata for solo and orchestra designed to show off the virtuosity of the soloist.
Some of the greatest concerto musicians were J.S Bach and Vivaldi.
Chamber Music – written for two solo instruments (violins and flutes) and basso continuo
(low string and keyboard) and usually in several movements. Chamber music is classified
into sonata da camara (chamber music) sonata da chiesa (church sonata). Some composers
of chamber music were Vitali, J.S Bach, Torelli, and Purcelli.
TYPES OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Musical instruments have always been a source of wonder to both the player and
the listener. They figure in our music singly, in small groups, (chamber music), in a band, or
as part of the ensemble-orchestra.
Musical instruments are of three main types: string, wind and percussion
instruments. Wind instruments fall into groups: the brasses, so called because they were
originally made of wood of brass, and the woodwinds, so named because they were
originally made of wood. The modern flute and piccolo are almost always made of metal.
The most common string, woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments used in
Philippines music are listed on the succeeding pages in order of range, from highest to
lowest. Their size corresponds to their pitch-smaller instruments produce faster vibrations
and thus, higher sound, and larger instruments produce slower vibrations and thus, lower
sound.
Example of String Instruments
Violin
Viola
Violoncello
String Bass
Examples of Woodwinds
Piccolo b. Flute c. Clarinet d. Oboe e.
English Horn f. Bass Clarinet
g. Bassoon
h. Contrabassoon
Brasses
Trumpet b. French Horn c. Trombone d. Tuba

Examples of Percussions
Snare Drum b. Bass Drum c. Cymbals d. Triangle
THE PROPERTIES OF MUSICAL SOUND
Musical sounds have four properties: pitch, volume, duration, timbre or tone color.
1. Pitch. All musical sounds have pitch. By pitch, we mean the highness or lowness of a tone
in the musical scale. All sounds are caused by vibration. Music and noise are both caused by
vibrations (moving to and from) but sounds of definite pitch are created by regular or
periodic vibrations. The sound produced by speaking results from irregular and is thus, not
of definite pitch. There are many different pitches, ranging from very high to very low. Pitch
is determined by the rate of vibration which to a large extent depends on the length of the
vibrating body. Other conditions being equal, the shorter a string or column of air is, the
more rapidly it vibrates and the higher the pitch. The longer a string or column of air is, the
fewer are the vibrations it creates per second and the lower the pitch it registers. The
width, thickness, density, and tension of the vibrating body also affect the pitch.
2. Duration. Duration depends on the length of time over which vibration is maintained.
Tones are not only high or low but also short and long.
3.Volume. Volume refers to force or percussive effects, as a result of which the tone strikes
us as being loud or soft. Forte means loud; piano means soft.
4. Timbre or tone color. Timbre is the individual quality of the sound produced by other
instruments. This depends on how the instrument accentuates the overtones within the
sound wave. It is influenced by a number factors such as the size, shape, and the proportion
of the instrument, the material of which I is made, and the manner in which the vibration is
set up.
LITERATURE
The medium of literature is language. Each part of the world has literature written
in its own language.
Literature written in languages like French, Chinese, Italian, German, or Russian are
most often translated to English o facilitate wider reach and distribution. However, no
matter how beautiful a translation is, I can never capture the original beauty of a
manuscript. No translation is ever more than an approximation of the original. Sometimes a
single translation is so nearly perfect that it is accepted as an adequate rendering of he
original; but the sound of the original is completely lost, only the sense is perceived.
The best practice is to compare several versions by different translators, for often, a
different translator gives a new insight into a passage.
The English language is a very flexible medium and a wide variety of writing
techniques can be experimented with it.