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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
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1
1
4
4
5
5
.
motive
X
Y
X
Z
CADENCE
PHRASE
Motive
X
Y
X
Z
MELODY

A succession of phrases making a
whole span of music
 PARAGRAPH
Punctuation Mark
= Melody
Cadence
 SENTENCE
= Phrase
 WORD
= Motive
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN
Symphony No. 5 in C Major, Movement 1
Beginning
of
Melody
One
.
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3 3 3 1…
motive
X
X’ repeated
and transposed down
X
X’’ contracted
and transposed
X’ repeated
and transposed up
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN
Symphony No. 5 in C Major, Movement 1
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Beginning
of
Melody
Two
X’ from melody one
Inverted in shape
.
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1712776
X’ from melody one
Inverted in shape
New
motive
Z
New
Motive Z
repeated
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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
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5 1 5 123 2 1 7 6 5
515634321
.
J.S. BACH Cantata No. 140 “Wachet auf”
(Awake), Movement 7
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515634321
Phrases
4, 5, 6, 7 & 8
.
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
– (1) JOSEPH HAYDN
Movement 2 from
“Surprise” Symphony
No. 94 in G Major
– (2) J.S. BACH
Chorale from
Cantata #140
“Wachet Auf”

DISSONANCE
– (1) ARNOLD
SCHOENBERG
“Mondestrunken”
(Moondrunk) from
Pierrot Lunaire
– (2) ANTON
WEBERN Third
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
– music based on
major scale

MINOR KEY
– music based on
minor scale