occupation dennis townhill
The piano is an acoustic , stringed musical instrument , in which the strings are struck by hammers . It is played using a keyboard , which is a row of keys ( small levers ) that the ___MASK20___ presses down or strikes with the fingers and thumbs of both hands to cause the hammers to strike the strings . Invented in about 1700 ( the exact year is uncertain ), the piano is widely employed in classical , jazz , traditional and popular music for solo and ensemble performances , accompaniment , and for composing , songwriting and rehearsals . Although the piano is very heavy and thus not portable and is expensive ( in comparison with other widely used accompaniment instruments , such as the acoustic guitar ), its musical versatility ( i . e ., its wide pitch range , ability to play chords with up to 10 notes , louder or softer notes and two or more independent musical lines at the same time ), the large number of musicians and amateurs trained in playing it , and its wide availability in performance venues , schools and rehearsal spaces have made it one of the Western world ' s most familiar musical instruments . An art song is a vocal music composition , usually written for one voice with piano accompaniment , and usually in the classical art music tradition . By extension , the term " art song " is used to refer to the collective genre of such songs ( e . g ., the " art song repertoire "). An art song is most often a musical setting of an independent poem or text , " intended for the concert repertory " " as part of a recital or other relatively formal social occasion ". While many pieces of vocal music are easily recognized as art songs , others are more difficult to categorize . For example , a wordless vocalise written by a classical ___MASK85___ is sometimes considered an art song and sometimes not . Dennis William Townhill OBE ( 29 May 1925 -- 18 July 2008 ) was an English organist and ___MASK85___ . Born in Lincoln , he was educated at Lincoln School and studied under Dr Gordon Archbold Slater at Lincoln Cathedral . Townhill composed a set of responses for use at Anglican evensong . In 1970 , Townhill became the driving force of a plan not only to safeguard the future of the Choir School of St Mary ' s Cathedral , Edinburgh but to transform it into a new and vibrant entity . In 1972 , the school was expanded into a specialist music school on the lines of the Yehudi Menuhin School , with Lord Menuhin becoming patron and referring to it as `` my younger sister - school in Scotland '' . He was organist and choir master at : St Paul ' s Church , Burton on Trent . 1942 -- 1943 St . Mary le Wigford ' s Church , Lincoln 1943 -- 1947 St . Mary Magdalene , Bailgate , Lincoln , Lincoln 1947 -- 1949 St James Church , Louth 1949 -- 1956 Grimsby Parish Church 1956 -- 1961 St Mary ' s Cathedral , Edinburgh 1961 -- 1991 He retired in 1991 . Sheet music is a handwritten or printed form of music notation that uses modern musical symbols to indicate the pitches ( melodies ), rhythms and / or chords of a song or instrumental musical piece . Like its analogs  printed books or pamphlets in English , Arabic or other languages  the medium of sheet music typically is paper ( or , in earlier centuries , papyrus or parchment ), although the access to musical notation since the 1980s has included the presentation of musical notation on ___MASK61___ screens and the development of scorewriter ___MASK61___ programs that can notate a song or piece electronically , and , in some cases , " play back " the notated music using a synthesizer or virtual instruments . Music is an art form and cultural activity whose medium is sound and silence , which exist in time . The common elements of music are pitch ( which governs melody and harmony ), rhythm ( and its associated concepts tempo , meter , and articulation ), dynamics ( loudness and softness ), and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture ( which are sometimes termed the " color " of a musical sound ). Different styles or types of music may emphasize , de - emphasize or omit some of these elements . Music is performed with a vast range of instruments and vocal techniques ranging from singing to ___MASK70___ ; there are solely instrumental pieces , solely vocal pieces ( such as songs without instrumental accompaniment ) and pieces that combine singing and instruments . The word derives from Greek  (" mousike "; " art of the Muses "). In its most ___MASK2___ form , the activities describing music as an art form include the production of works of music ( songs , tunes , symphonies , and so on ), the criticism of music , the study of the history of music , and the aesthetic examination of music . Ancient Greek and Indian philosophers defined music as tones ordered horizontally as melodies and vertically as harmonies . Common sayings such as " the harmony of the spheres " and " it is music to my ears " point to the notion that music is often ordered and pleasant to listen to . However , 20th - century composer John Cage thought that any sound can be music , saying , for example , " There is no noise , only sound ." ___MASK92___ ( English plural : " operas "; Italian plural : " opere " ) is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text ( libretto ) and musical score , usually in a theatrical setting . In traditional ___MASK92___ , singers do two types of singing : recitative , a speech - inflected style and arias , a more melodic style . ___MASK92___ incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre , such as acting , scenery , and costumes and sometimes includes dance . The performance is typically given in an ___MASK92___ house , accompanied by an orchestra or smaller musical ensemble , which since the early 19th century has been led by a ___MASK17___ . A string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string players  two violin players , a viola player and a ___MASK68___  or a piece written to be performed by such a group . The string quartet is one of the most prominent chamber ensembles in classical music , with most ___MASK65___ composers , from the mid to late 18th century onwards , writing string quartets . Classical music is art music produced or rooted in the traditions of Western music , including both liturgical ( ___MASK67___ ) and secular music . While a more accurate term is also used to refer to the period from 1750 to 1820 ( the Classical period ), this article is about the broad span of time from roughly the 11th century to the present day , which includes the Classical period and various other periods . The central norms of this tradition became codified between 1550 and 1900 , which is known as the common - practice period . The major time divisions of Western art music are as follows : European art music is largely distinguished from many other non - European and some popular musical forms by its system of staff notation , in use since about the 16th century . Western staff notation is used by composers to indicate to the performer the pitches ( e . g ., melodies , basslines , chords ), tempo , meter and rhythms for a piece of music . This can leave less room for practices such as improvisation and " ad libitum " ornamentation , which are frequently heard in non - European art music and in popular - music styles such as jazz and blues . Another difference is that whereas most popular styles adopt the song ( strophic ) form , classical music has been noted for its development of highly sophisticated forms of instrumental music such as the concerto , symphony , sonata , and mixed vocal and instrumental styles such as ___MASK92___ which , since they are written down , can sustain larger forms and attain a high level of complexity . An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics , or singing , although it might include some inarticulate vocals , such as shouted backup vocals in a Big ___MASK100___ setting . The music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments . An instrumental can exist in music notation , after it is written by a composer ; in the mind of the composer ( especially in cases where the composer herself will perform the piece , as in the case of a blues solo guitarist or a folk music fiddle player ); as a piece that is performed live by a single instrumentalist or a musical ensemble , which could range in size from a duo or trio to a large Big ___MASK100___ , concert ___MASK100___ or orchestra . A choir ( also known as a chorale or chorus ) is a musical ensemble of singers . Choral music , in turn , is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform . Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire , which spans from the Medieval era to the present , and / or popular music repertoire . Most choirs are led by a ___MASK17___ , who leads the performances with arm and face gestures . A ___MASK85___ ( Latin " compn "; literally " one who puts together ") is a person who creates or writes music , which can be vocal music ( for a ___MASK51___ or choir ), instrumental music ( e . g ., for solo piano , string quartet , wind quintet or orchestra ) or music which combines both instruments and voices ( e . g ., ___MASK92___ or art song , which is a ___MASK51___ accompanied by a pianist ). The core meaning of the term refers to individuals who have contributed to the tradition of Western classical music through creation of works expressed in written musical notation ( e . g ., sheet music scores ). Music notation or musical notation is any system used to visually represent aurally perceived music played with instruments or sung by the human voice through the use of written , printed , or otherwise - produced symbols , including ancient symbols or modern musical symbols and including ancient symbols cut into stone , made in clay tablets or made using a pen on papyrus , parchment or manuscript paper ; printed using a printing press ( ca . 1400s ), a ___MASK61___ printer ( ca . 1980s ) or other printing or modern copying technology . Types and methods of notation have varied between cultures and throughout history , and much information about ancient music notation is fragmentary . Even in the same time period , such as in the 2010s , different styles of music and different cultures use different music notation methods ; for example , for professional classical music performers , sheet music using staves and note heads is the most common way of notating music , but for professional country music session musicians , the Nashville Number System is the main method .