Elements of Music (Continued)

Melody
Melody
 (General) the horizontal aspect of
music; pitches heard one after another
 (Specific) a series of single tones that
add up to a recognizable whole
Melody Characteristics

 Direction
– Curve, Line
 Shape
– Beginning, Middle, End
 Continuity
– How one pitch leads to another
– Setting up expectations and fulfilling them
 53 1 3 5 1
Oh, say can you see,
3 2 1 3 4 5
By the dawn’s ear-ly light
 5 5 3 2 1 7
What so proud-ly we hailed
6 7 1 1 5 3 1
At the twilight’s last gleam-ing
 1 2 3 1 1 2 3 1
Are you sleep-ing? Are you sleep-ing?
3 4 5 3 4 5
Bro-ther John? Bro-ther John?
5 6 5 4 3 1 5 6 5 4 3 1
Morn-ing bells are ring-ing. Morn-ing bells are ring-ing.

1 5 1 1 5 1
Ding, dong, ding. Ding, dong ding.
MOTIVE

 A fragment of a melody, or short musical

idea that is developed within a
composition
 A group of notes recognizable for its
pitch and rhythmic formulation
– Can be repeated in a number of ways and
contexts
PHRASE

 Part of a melody
 A combination of motives forming a
longer connected unit
 Finished by a musical punctuation
called a CADENCE
CADENCE
 Resting place at the end of a phrase in
a melody
 Musical “punctuation mark”
 From Latin cadare meaning “to fall”
 2 types
– INCOMPLETE or OPEN
• Does not sound like you can end the piece here
• Gives expectation of continuing (Usually SD 5)
– COMPLETE or CLOSED
• Does sound like you can end piece here
• Feels complete (Usually SD 1)
JOSEPH HAYDN Symphony No. 94 in G
Major (the “Surprise”), Movement 2
motive

1133553 X

Y
4422775
1133553 X

.
1 1 4 4 5 5 Z
 CADENCE

PHRASE

Motive
X Y X Z
MELODY

 A succession of phrases making a

whole span of music
 PARAGRAPH = Melody
Punctuation Mark Cadence

 SENTENCE = Phrase

 WORD = Motive
 LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN
Symphony No. 5 in C Major, Movement 1
motive
5553 X

Beginning
of
Melody
4442 X’ repeated
and transposed down
One
5553 X

6665 X’’ contracted

and transposed

. 3 3 3 1… X’ repeated
and transposed up
 LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN
Symphony No. 5 in C Major, Movement 1
New
1712776 motive
Z
Beginning X’ from melody one
of
Melody
Inverted in shape 5551
New
Two Motive Z
1712776 repeated

X’ from melody one

Inverted in shape
5551
.
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN
Symphony No. 5 in C Major, Movement 1

 Motive “x” - the motive Beethoven called

“fate knocking at the door” is constantly
present in the whole movement
 This motive appears in other 3
movements of symphony also
 This motive IS the MAIN IDEA of work
THEME

 Main idea of a composition

 Main idea that serves as a starting point for
an extended piece of music
 Something that unites and marks a piece
– Can be a motive
– Can be a melody
– Can be other musical elements
• Dynamics
• Timbre, etc.
ANTON WEBERN Third piece
from Five Pieces for Orchestra
 What is theme?
 What is main idea?
 Is it a motive or melody?
 What seems to be the focus or main
idea of this composition?
Melodic Articulations

 STACCATO
– short, detached, sharp-sounding
• Example: JOSEPH HAYDN Movement 2 from
“Surprise” Symphony No. 94 in G Major
 LEGATO
– smooth
• Example: J.S. BACH “Wachet Auf” Chorale
from Cantata #140
CLIMAX

 Highest pitch or emotional focus point in

a melody or a larger musical work
 J.S. BACH Cantata No. 140 “Wachet auf”
(Awake), Movement 7
Phrase 1, 2 & 3

13555565
5 1 5 123 2 1 7 6 5
515634321
.
 J.S. BACH Cantata No. 140 “Wachet auf”
(Awake), Movement 7

554321
Phrases
4, 5, 6, 7 & 8

554321
2343 5671
515634321
.
Elements of Music (continued)

Harmony
Harmony

 (General) Results when different pitches

are sounded at the same time
 (Specific) How chords are constructed
and how they follow each other
Harmony Terms

 INTERVAL
– “Distance” in pitch between any 2 tones
– Can also refer to 2 pitches sounded
simultaneously
 CHORD
– Combination of 3 or more pitches sounded
at once
Main Concepts of HARMONY
these are CULTURALLY DETERMINED
 CONSONANCE (n.), CONSONANT (adj.)
– Intervals or chords that sound:
• pleasant
• relatively stable
• free of tension
 DISSONANCE (n.), DISSONANT (adj.)
– Intervals or chords that sound:
• unpleasant
• relatively unstable
• full of tension
Examples

 CONSONANCE  DISSONANCE
– (1) JOSEPH HAYDN – (1) ARNOLD
Movement 2 from SCHOENBERG
“Surprise” Symphony “Mondestrunken”
No. 94 in G Major (Moondrunk) from
– (2) J.S. BACH Pierrot Lunaire
Chorale from – (2) ANTON
Cantata #140 WEBERN Third
“Wachet Auf” piece from Five
Pieces for Orchestra
CHROMATICISM
 Using pitches that are “in-between” the
regular notes of the scale
 Leads to greater amount of
DISSONANCE in harmony
#1 #2 #4 #5 #6
b2 b3 b5 b6 b7

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1
CHROMATICISM

 Use of chords containing tones not

found in the prevailing major or minor
scale but included in the chormatic
scale (which has twelve tones); often
found in Romantic music
 Example: FREDERIC CHOPIN
Nocturne in Eb Major
TRIAD

 Main type of chord used in classical

music
 Often called “the common chord”
 Constructed of 3 notes each 1 step
apart on scale

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1
MAJOR TRIAD

 Triad with the interval pattern that is

formed by notes 1,3, & 5 of a MAJOR
SCALE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1
MINOR TRIAD

 Triad with the interval pattern that is

formed by notes 1,3, & 5 of a MINOR
SCALE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1
KEY (tonality) - central note, scale,
and chord within a piece, in
relationship to which all other tones in
the composition are heard
 MAJOR KEY  MINOR KEY
– music based on – music based on
major scale minor scale