The Elements of Music
Daniel J. Shevock, Vincent C. Bates · 2024
In classrooms throughout the world, children learn that the elements of music include various qualities, quantities, and combinations associated with sound—for example, tonality, melody, harmony, texture, form, and dynamics. This chapter works to expand our vision beyond the anthropocentric to consider additional ways to think about the elements of music. Sound ecologist Bernie Krause introduced the three elements of soundscapes, geophony, biophony, and anthropophony. These can turn our attention to other sacred elements: earth, weather, rivers, ice, and fire.