Melody (Continued)

Imitation

Imitation is a compositional technique whereby different parts (voices or instruments) repeat or imitate each other's melodic material. When imitation is used by independent parts, it creates polyphonic texture, i.e. multiple layers of sound or melodic lines at the same time. We will cover polyphony in more detail in the lesson on texture. In the meantime, let's listen to Verdi's use of imitation in the following example, in which the baritones introduce a downward, stepwise melody that is soon imitated by other vocal parts and some accompanying instruments. The first entrance of the imitation happens after 12 beats, but as the piece progresses, the imitation moves much closer together.

Composer: Giuseppe Verdi

"Aida: Act II: Triumphal March" [ 02:38-03:12 ]00:34

This next excerpt from Handel's Messiah also illustrates imitation between independent voices:

Composer: George Frideric Handel

"Messiah: And with His stripes"

Melodic Development

Listen to this brief excerpt and notice how Verdi develops one short melodic idea by raising it to new and higher pitch levels while increasing the overall volume and adding more accompanying instruments. This is followed by a descending melodic idea that is also repeated several times at different pitch levels:

Composer: Giuseppe Verdi

"Aida: Act II: Triumphal March" [ 00:25-00:46 ]00:21

Melody as Transition

Musical compositions usually consist of different sections that contain important melodic ideas. Composers often use short musical passages called transitions to connect those sections in a meaningful and artistic manner. Although transitions not always feature the main theme (or themes), they usually contain important melodic material that can have a clearly recognizable melodic direction—for instance, upward or downward—or a mixed melodic contour. The following three examples, again from Verdi's Aida, can help illustrate different transitional passages:

This first passage features mixed melodic directions and a clear transitional character. Notice how initial melodic segments skip around in a generally downward direction, but then Verdi closes with an increasingly tense, upward moving melodic line that prepares the entrance of an important theme:

Composer: Giuseppe Verdi

"Aida: Act II: Triumphal March" [ 00:37-00:50 ]00:13

The following short transition uses a smooth, stepwise melody that moves up and then down within a very narrow melodic range:

Composer: Giuseppe Verdi

"Aida: Act II: Triumphal March" [ 01:51-01:55 ]00:04

This last, more dramatic transition uses a variety of melodic material derived from a recognizable theme. First, it moves in a generally upward direction, but then falls to a resting place to achieve its conclusive character:

Composer: Giuseppe Verdi

"Aida: Act II: Triumphal March" [ 03:15-03:26 ]00:11