Melody 3
Melodic Contour (Continued)
Here is another melody you have probably heard before. Listen to the first movement of a very famous piano piece by Ludwig van Beethoven, the Moonlight Sonata. One reason for the popularity of this piece is the melody, easily remembered because of its simple repetitive nature and step-wise movement. Furthermore, Moonlight features melodic and rhythmic patterns that are easily grasped by the listener.
Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
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"Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 27, No. 2, "
This work consistently fulfills the listener's expectation for melodic resolution of tension into the key note or tonic, thus creating a structure that is easy to grasp after being heard only a few times. Listen to the entry of the main melody. Notice that it begins with repeated pitches, continues with smooth movement from one pitch to the next, and then ends with leaps that would form a more jagged or disjunct line in an imaginary contour.
- Pitch repetition
- Movement by steps
- Movement by leaps
- Tension that resolves to the tonic note.
Later on in the piece, this simple melodic phrase contains a mixture of conjunct motion, disjunct motion, and repeated notes.
Music pieces are divided into phrases that may display common elements of melodic contour. Composers usually repeat melodic and rhythmic patterns to stress musical ideas.
The concept of melody includes the elements of melodic motion and melodic repetition. Both are effective ways of creating tension and relaxation. In most melodies, an upward melodic motion creates tension that in turn creates the need for release via a downward melodic motion and, as in this case, an arrival at a point of resolution.
Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
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"Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 27, No. 2, " [ 00:20-00:37 ]00:17
Melodic Direction
As pitches move from one to another, they move with direction. A melody may begin on a high pitch and move downward, such as in this example:
Composer: Giuseppe Verdi
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"Aida: Act II: Triumphal March" [ 02:37-02:45 ]00:08
Conversely, a melody may begin on a lower pitch and move upward, like this:
Composer: Giuseppe Verdi
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"Aida: Act II: Triumphal March" [ 02:37-02:41 ]00:04
Of course, if a melody repeats a tone, its direction stays unchanged, and we can say it is a static melody.
Range
A third characteristic of melody is range. If the highest tone of a melody is within four to five tones of the lowest tone, we describe it as having a narrow range. If there are more extreme highs and lows in a melody, it is said to have a wide range.
Summary
The following summarizes the characteristics of the most commonly found melodies based on their contour, direction, and range characteristics.
Melodic contour
- Conjunct motion
- Disjunct motion
- Repeated pitch
Melodic direction
- Upward-moving melody
- Downward-moving melody
- Static melody
Melodic range
- Narrow range
- Wide range