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Melody is to music what a scent is to the senses: it jogs our memory. It gives face to form, and identity and character to the process and proceedings. It is not only a musical subject, but a manifestation of the musically subjective. It carries and radiates personality with as much clarity and
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The true goal of music—its proper enterprise—is melody. All the parts of harmony have as their ultimate purpose only beautiful melody. Therefore, the question of which is the more significant, melody or harmony, is futile. Beyond doubt, the means is subordinate to the
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Given the many and varied elements and styles of melody "many extant explanations confine us to specific stylistic models, and they are too exclusive." Paul
Narveson claimed in 1984 that more than three-quarters of melodic topics had not been explored thoroughly.
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became "widely employed." Composers also allotted a structural role to "the qualitative dimensions" that previously had been "almost exclusively reserved for pitch and rhythm". Kliewer states, "The essential elements of any melody are duration, pitch, and quality
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poignancy as harmony and rhythm combined. As such a powerful tool of communication, melody serves not only as protagonist in its own drama, but as messenger from the author to the audience.
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The melodies existing in most
European music written before the 20th century, and popular music throughout the 20th century, featured "fixed and easily discernible frequency
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of the 20th and 21st centuries pitch and duration have lessened in importance and quality has gained importance, often primary. Examples include
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musicians use the term "lead" or "head" to refer to the main melody, which is used as a starting point for
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music often uses complicated variations and alterations of a single melody played simultaneously, called
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that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combination of
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or short melodic fragments, such as the opening of
Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.
200:, while more figuratively, the term can include other musical elements such as
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Kliewer, Vernon (1975). "Melody: Linear
Aspects of Twentieth-Century Music",
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This article is about melody in music. For other senses of this word, see
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44:"Foreground (music)" redirects here. For more specific musical uses, see
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Cole, Simon (2020). just BE here – the guide to musicking mindfulness
532:(which contains a movement with only one note), the third movement of
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501:: a motif or melody associated with a certain idea, person or place.
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pitch and duration are of primary importance in melodies, the
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Linear succession of tones in the foreground of a musical work
809:
A Textbook of Melody: A course in functional melodic analysis
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746:, p. 2. Prentice-Hall, Inc., Inglewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
227:
in various forms. Melodies may also be described by their
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Creating and orchestrating a coherent and balanced melody
837:
The Oxford
Handbook to Critical Concepts in Music Theory
425:, sometimes with a third, contrasting melody known as a
373:'s Variations for orchestra, Op. 30 (pp. 23–24)
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260:
215:Melodies often consist of one or more musical
37:"Melodic" redirects here. For other uses, see
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90:can be distinguished by the direction of the
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239:or with further restrictions), pitch range,
392:use melody in different ways. For example:
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204:. It is the foreground to the background
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223:, and are usually repeated throughout a
651:Tonal Harmony in Concept & Practice
608:
487:. Often, melodies are constructed from
243:and release, continuity and coherence,
471:often introduce an initial melody, or
7:
835:Trippett, David (2019). "Melody" in
86:. The two voices (melodies) on each
702:Aspects of Twentieth-Century Music
417:tend to pick one or two melodies (
25:
1377:Formal sections in music analysis
212:need not be a foreground melody.
176: 'singing, chanting'), also
1335:
876:Carry A Tune Week, list of tunes
863:
849:
813:American Institute of Musicology
671:Paus, Marcus (6 November 2017).
268:Johann Philipp Kirnberger (1771)
235:between pitches (predominantly
825:, Barrie and Rockliff, London.
744:Twentieth Century Music Idioms
1:
854:The dictionary definition of
832:. Cambridge University Press.
495:popularized the concept of a
439:relies heavily on melody and
798:Smits van Waesberghe, Joseph
548:Andante for string orchestra
188:, is a linear succession of
786:, Faber and Faber, London.
766:, 2nd ed., pp. 517–19.
764:Harvard Dictionary of Music
742:Marquis, G. Weston (1964).
508:and classical music of the
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839:. Oxford University Press.
617:
530:Eight Etudes and a Fantasy
50:
43:
36:
29:
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930:
256:Johann Philipp Kirnberger
79:The Well-Tempered Clavier
828:Trippett, David (2013).
82:(Part I), an example of
51:Not to be confused with
39:Melodic (disambiguation)
721:Narveson, Paul (1984).
633:A Greek–English Lexicon
562:create the linear form.
273:The Norwegian composer
32:Melody (disambiguation)
868:Quotations related to
510:common practice period
437:Indian classical music
427:bridge or middle eight
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231:or the pitches or the
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649:Forte, Allen (1979).
624:Liddell, Henry George
558:, in which recurring
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251:Function and elements
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1147:Developing variation
673:"Why melody matters"
534:Ruth Crawford-Seeger
321:was still used, the
237:conjunct or disjunct
1307:Thirty-two-bar form
1172:Formula composition
823:A History of Melody
772:Edwards, Arthur C.
584:—the motion of the
539:String Quartet 1931
504:While in both most
348:Pop Goes the Weasel
886:2021-04-28 at the
522:klangfarbenmelodie
514:contemporary music
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72:No. 17 in A-flat,
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1282:Sonata rondo form
1117:Call and response
1097:Ausmultiplikation
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830:Wagner's Melodies
774:The Art of Melody
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46:Structural level
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1297:Ternary form
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1182:Introduction
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872:at Wikiquote
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588:up and down.
578:Parsons code
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496:
485:counterpoint
483:, a type of
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371:Anton Webern
369:Melody from
308:20th century
305:
298:
294:
280:
277:has argued:
272:
261:
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214:
208:. A line or
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84:counterpoint
77:
57:
18:Musical tune
1277:Sonata form
1237:Post-chorus
1152:Development
1142:Cyclic form
1107:Binary form
1076:development
801: [
760:Apel, Willi
463:In western
458:heterophony
288:Marcus Paus
275:Marcus Paus
225:composition
202:tonal color
64:A bar from
1351:Categories
1317:Transition
1247:Repetition
1232:Pre-chorus
1162:Exposition
1132:Conclusion
678:Gramophone
653:, p. 203.
603:References
415:folk music
407:Rock music
388:Different
174:(melĹŤidĂa)
165:(from
76:862, from
66:J. S. Bach
1322:Variation
1187:Leitmotif
1087:Arch form
1020:Ululation
560:phonetics
556:Aventures
498:leitmotif
477:polyphony
469:composers
350:" melody
233:intervals
1217:Overture
1212:Ostinato
1207:Movement
1102:Bar form
1092:Argument
1016:(figure)
999:Sequence
984:Phrasing
967:Ornament
947:Interval
936:Balungan
884:Archived
821:(1965).
807:(1955).
567:See also
451:Balinese
338:Examples
301:patterns
285:—
266:—
258:argued:
1367:Harmony
1272:Section
1252:Reprise
979:Pattern
952:Melisma
942:Cadence
636:at the
618:μελῳδία
542:(later
454:gamelan
445:harmony
332:texture
312:Western
245:cadence
241:tension
217:phrases
172:μελῳδία
155:Voice 4
143:Voice 3
131:Voice 2
119:Voice 1
1357:Melody
1227:Phrase
1222:Period
1197:Melody
1167:Finale
1112:Bridge
1009:Timbre
994:Rhythm
924:Melody
870:Melody
857:melody
790:
729:
708:
657:
573:Hocket
489:motifs
441:rhythm
431:lyrics
423:chorus
328:timbre
290:(2017)
221:motifs
198:rhythm
163:melody
1302:Theme
1267:Rondò
1262:Rondo
1202:Motif
1137:Cycle
1025:Voice
989:Pitch
972:Trill
962:Motif
805:]
586:pitch
481:fugue
473:theme
419:verse
315:music
194:pitch
182:voice
169:
167:Greek
96:beams
92:stems
88:staff
70:Fugue
1257:Riff
1192:Lick
1177:Hook
1157:Drop
1127:Coda
1122:Cell
1074:and
1014:Type
788:ISBN
784:Tune
727:ISBN
706:ISBN
655:ISBN
421:and
413:and
397:Jazz
263:end.
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196:and
186:line
178:tune
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546:as
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219:or
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
