Invisible and elusive, music is certainly the most malleable of all forms of expression. These qualities make the task of describing, classifying and labeling it extremely difficult and thankless. It can be said, however, that its basis is rhythm, or pulsation – which must have been the first human musical manifestation. Long before there were drums, man probably danced, marking the rhythm with clapping hands or stamping his foot. “The first songs composed by human beings accompanied dances linked to religious ceremonies”, says anthropologist Rafael de Menezes, from the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC). It is no wonder, therefore, that different types of rhythm have always helped to define genres and styles. The second basic element of a musical composition is the melody (sequence of notes), which must also have emerged with singing long before the first instruments existed: flutes made of bone, dating from the end of the Stone Age, between 10 thousand and 20 thousand years ago.
It was not until much later that harmony was developed – the art and science of combining musical notes into a coherent whole, not only in melodies, but also in chords (blocks of notes played simultaneously). “It was an evolution of centuries, which took place mainly from the Middle Ages, when harmony began to acquire greater relevance”, says maestro Júlio Medaglia. The relationship between rhythm, melody and harmony would thus be the first step in defining a musical style – but often this is still not enough. There are several styles whose identity is also linked to other factors – from the instruments used to the ethnic origin (which is why Latin and African rhythms are spoken of), the emotional content of the lyrics (such as the laments of the blues or Portuguese fado) and even the mode of interpretation (such as improvisation, an essential feature of jazz). To complicate matters, nowadays there is all sorts of fusion of styles.
“This is an art that can do anything,” says musicologist David Horne, director of the Institute of Popular Music in Liverpool, England. According to him, there is no longer a clear border between genres like classical and popular, which historically have always been very different. “The boundaries between musical styles are increasingly blurred and this flexibility is a characteristic of music itself as an art form”, says Horne.
RHYTHM
The bar defines the rhythmic marking. One of the most common is the quaternary, or 4/4 – one strong beat and three weak – which can also be represented by this symbol.
HARMONY
The art and science of combining notes into a coherent whole is the most complex element in music. It expresses itself in the formation of chords, blocks of notes played at the same time – that is why it is said to be the vertical aspect of music. Harmony also sets the tone of a piece. Here, the treble clef alone, without any signs of flat or sharp, indicates that the key is C major.
MELODY
The sequence of notes, strung together like words in a phrase, make up the melody. It is often said that they are the horizontal aspect of music.
One of the most used elements to identify a style is its ethnic and regional origin. In the case of flamenco, for example, we would start by saying that it is a typically Spanish music: it was born in the 15th century, from the fusion of gypsy singing with Andalusian folk music, with a strong Moorish influence.
Rhythm, often accompanied by a dance of its own, is another feature that helps define a style. For flamenco, this description also fits perfectly: it has a strong rhythmic beat and its choreography reinforces this rhythm with the dancers’ tap dancing.
The instruments used do not always characterize a style, but in flamenco they are certainly part of its musical identity – basically the sum of the guitar played in the style called rasqueado with the percussion of castanets, palms and the tapping of high heels on the floor