Lesson 7b - Elements of a melody

Elements of a melody

Motive: Motive is the smallest unit of melody, which often consists of two or three tones.
It is identified by the combination of melodic and rhythmic patterns that has a distinctive character and a clearly recognizable profile. A melodic motive repeated on a different pitch level is called a sequence.
Phrase: A musical phrase is a unit of meaning within a larger structure.
It is the smallest complete musical thought. Music may have regular phrases (each phrase is of equal length) or irregular phrases (phrases of different lengths).
Cadence: Cadence is a musical punctuation that divides music into phrases.
It is a harmonic and melodic stop found at the end of a phrase. An incomplete cadence is inconclusive, corresponding to a "comma" or "semicolon" in a sentence. On the other hand, a complete cadence marks the final ending of a phrase, like the period at the end of a sentence.
Period (sentence): In music, period refers to two or more phrases that are grouped together to complete a musical thought.

The following video illustrates a melodic structure of an excerpt from the first movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5. This musical excerpt is the opening section of the first movement. This section has two periods. Each period consists of two or more phrases. The opening phrase is 21 measures in length. It begins with a four-note motive, also known as the "fate motif," which is the main musical figure of the symphony. The phrase continues with the motive repeated in sequence and imitated on different pitch levels. (LO7.2)

Quick Check (LO7.2)

The four-note motive in Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 is also known as:

Furious 4

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Quadrants

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Le Figaro

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Fate Motif

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The Marvel

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Check Answer

Reference
The video was created by the instructor to illustrate the content of the lesson with music performed by Kurt Masur and Gewandhausorchester, Leipszig (JVC JVCD-1002).