Melodia: A Comprehensive Course in Sight-Singing, Complete, Books 1-4

ISBN: B000VQUQK2

Author: Samual W. Cole

Condition: New

A high degree of self-confidence must be developed before one can "stand up and sing" alone at sight a somewhat difficult musical phrase, without other assistance than the sounding of the key-note. Experience has shown that rhythmical problems are quite as often stumbling-blocks to musical students as are tonal problems. Therefore, in Melodia, the first eighty pages, which are written without skips primarily to develop a ready confidence, contain many and varied examples of each of the conventional rhythm-forms and the most deliberate progressiveness is maintained in the introduction of new difficulties. In a word, it is a feature of Melodia that early emphasis is laid upon rhythmical problems. In the treatment of the larger intervals there is also a departure from the conventional procedure. Instead of taking them in the order of small to great, the octave is first presented, because experience shows that it is the only " skip " definitely recognized as such by most beginners. The sevenths, sixths, etc., are then presented both in their relation to the octave and as composites of the steps and half-steps with which the student is already thoroughly familiar. Melodia undertakes to prepare students to meet the most difficult tasks in pitch and rhythm set by masters of choral composition. If suggestions of phrases from some of the masters have occasionally been incorporated in the original exercises, the reader may be willing to waive a charge of unjustifiable appropriation, in view of the specific object of the whole work. There has been no attempt to preserve absolute uniformity as to the details of notation throughout the book. On the contrary, it has been deemed wise to present a variety of forms and usages, in order to accustom the student to the practices of various authors and editors.