Hearing vs. Listening (02:52)

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As Maestro George Marriner Maull introduces himself, musical notes play in the background. Do you notice how long they are played, the highest note, or the longest note? Hearing is the detection of sound vibrations; listening is being fully present with sounds and processing them.

Listening Lesson (04:30)

Maestro Maull uses a five note sequence to demonstrate concepts of sound range, duration, interval, and step-wise motion. Identify high and low notes and determine the longest interval between two notes.

Listening Exercise (01:52)

Maestro Maull instructs viewers to get a pencil and paper and tally each time they hear a five note pattern in a piece of orchestral music.

Composition Tools (04:00)

Repeating a pattern at different levels is a sequence—providing an illusion of travel. Imitating a pattern by overlapping it is called stretto. Maestro Maull demonstrates sequencing, imitation, stretto, and reverse pattern techniques.

Listening for Compositional Tools (03:12)

Listen for the use of sequence, stretto, range change, and retrograde motion in an orchestral piece. Shrinking a pattern is called diminution, while expanding a pattern is augmentation.

Musical Alterations (02:31)

Maestro Maull plays a five note pattern and then alters it in six ways. Listen for range change, retrograde, stretto, repetition, crescendo, and diminution. He instructs viewers to listen for the pattern, but plays the wrong clip to test whether they are paying attention.

"Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta" (04:10)

Maestro Maull introduces Bela Bartok's composition and asks viewers to tally how many times they hear a five note pattern in an excerpt from the third movement. The number should have increased due to improved listening skills and repetition. Listen a final time for composition details.

Credits: Our Musical Focus: Episode 1—Fall in Love with Music (01:29)

Credits: Our Musical Focus: Episode 1—Fall in Love with Music