Learning Objectives
- Define the musical concept of melody.
- Define the following terms: melodic contour, melodic direction, shape, range, themes, imitation, tonal center, melodic tension, and balance.
Melody
Tonal Center
There are two additional aspects of melody that are important to consider: tension and balance. However, to understand these, we must first be aware of another aspect of music: that of tonality or key. Most melodies have one pitch that is emphasized above the others. Listen to this example, and notice the importance of the note D (highlighted each time it occurs).
Composer: Giuseppe Verdi
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"Aida: Act II: Triumphal March" [ 03:28-03:53 ]00:25
While any pitch could be assigned this important role, the selection of the tonal center is determined by the scale and chords used in the harmony of the piece. This pitch becomes the center of gravity for the entire composition. It may be called the key tone, tonal center, tonic, or resting tone. The importance of the tonal center may even be reflected in the title of the piece. For example, Mozart’s Symphony in G will have the note G as its primary key tone (tonic), while Beethoven’s Piano Sonata in C-Sharp Minor will have C-sharp as its tonic.
Melodic Tension
Movement away from the tonal center creates a feeling of tension, which is released by a return to that tonal center. Listen again to the excerpt from Beethoven’s Piano Sonata in C-Sharp Minor. Feel the tension that is created by the repeated pitch at the beginning and by the subsequent reach towards a high note, and notice how that tension is released when the melody comes to rest on the tonic at the end of the phrase.
Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
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"Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 27, No. 2, " [ 00:18-00:38 ]00:20
Melodies—supported by harmony and rhythm—build and release musical tension and, consequently, are a powerful factor in creating the emotions that the music elicits in the listener. Listen once more to the familiar excerpt from Aida, and take note of the masterful way in which Verdi builds melodic tension and then releases it at the end, when the tonal center is finally reached.
Composer: Giuseppe Verdi
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"Aida: Act II: Triumphal March" [ 00:27-00:51 ]00:24
Melodic Balance
Melodic balance refers to the relationship between tension and relaxation within a melody. Melodic balance is also reflected in the contour of a phrase. Listen to these two excerpts and notice how the melodic contour of each phrase provides balance between build-up and release of tension.
Composer: Giuseppe Verdi
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"Aida: Act II: Triumphal March" [ 01:57-02:37 ]00:40
Composer: Giuseppe Verdi
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"Aida: Act II: Triumphal March" [ 03:28-03:53 ]00:25
Composers shape melodies by various means, including the use of contrasting keys and pitch levels. The exact same melody may be repeated at different pitch levels, providing both unity (through the repetition of the melody) and variety (through the introduction of a new level). For example, near the beginning of the famous "Hallelujah" chorus from the oratorio Messiah, Handel wrote several repetitions of the word "hallelujah" at one pitch level, and then he repeated that same musical idea at a higher level, thereby creating a new level of energy, excitement, and expression.
Composer: George Frideric Handel
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"Messiah, HWV 56: Hallelujah" [ 00:06-00:24 ]00:18
How Composers Use Melodies
Melodies are somewhat like characters in a novel. Sometimes an entire novel centers mainly around one character, and the novelist’s goal is to enable the reader to get to know that character in depth. Other times, a novel may have several important characters through whom we gain insight into interpersonal relationships. Frequently, characters reappear at critical points throughout the story. Other minor characters may appear briefly to fulfill a particular function.
Composers use melodies in much the same way. When a melody acquires enough importance in the context of an entire composition, it becomes a theme. A theme may be presented in different ways so that we really get to know it and experience it in depth. Fragments of a theme may be split off and used in different ways. Many compositions have several themes that reappear at different points, highlighting special relationships between them. Composers may also use melodic ideas as accompaniments to themes, as transitions between themes, and as introductions and endings to their compositions.