Activities
1. Take a simple tune and experiment with a second melodic line, using only unison, fourths and fifths. Then play or sing the same piece using a second melodic line with unison, thirds and sixths.
2. Listen to a piece of medieval music (perhaps something by Hildegard of Bingen) and compare it to the song that Howard Goodall ends with – 'Im Abendrot', by Richard Strauss. Which do you prefer and why? List the ways in which the pieces differ.
3. Try to find a recording of music played in 'mean-tone temperament'. This will help you to understand the difference in sound listeners of 'The Well-tempered Keyboard' would have noticed when they first heard it.
4. Listen to some Romanian gypsy music such as that of the group 'Taraf de Haďdouks'. Do you like the blend of eastern and western styles? Try to notate what you hear in the melodic line. Both Kodály and Bártok collected Hungarian folk music. Try to listen to some of them. You will the notice the use of 'microtones' – intervals that lie between the semi-tones of the 12-note, equal-tempered tuning system.
5. Howard Goodall ends the programme by saying that the artificial tuning of equal temperament is justified because so much beautiful western music has been written. He selects one piece, the song 'Im Abendrot' by Richard Strauss. Which piece would you choose?
6. Follow up the links below and see how much more you can find out about the different elements of the programme.
