1. Music’s Horizontal Dimension:
Melody

2. H q h
And it breaks my
hea rt

4. Beethoven Piano Sonata Op. 13, Slow Movement.
Billy Joel: “This Night”

5. God, I love it when you
talk definitions

6. I. Melody A. Defined B. Melody implies prominence
Melody = series of pitches and associated
rhythms
B. Melody implies prominence
Melody vs. Accompaniment
(“This Night is mine, it’s only you and I,
Tomorrow is a long time away, this night can last forever.”)
I. Melody
C. Melody often defined negatively
Melody not = lyrics, harmony, accompaniment

7. II. Melodic Hierarchies
Letter
Word
Clause
Sentence
Paragraph
Chapter
Book
Note
Motive
Phrase
Period
Section
Movement
Complete Work

8. III. Melodic Motives Motive = short group (2-8) of pitches that
acquires structural significance
B. Melodic motives tend to have both
rhythmic shape and characteristic
pitch pattern

9. IV. Phrases A. Defining/identifying phrases intuitively
Goes together or singer breathes
Like a clause, ends with punctuation
B. Cadences=Markers or signals of phrase endings
Harmonic formulas = cadential formulas
Often rhythmic pause or relaxation
Melody often descends at cadence
C. Deceptive cadences
D. Elided phrases (phrase elision)

10. V. Periods A. Antecedent/Consequent Structures B. Three-phrase periods
2 phrases go together as open/closed
question/answer, less/more conclusive
Usually cadence 1 not on tonic; cadence 2
on the tonic
B. Three-phrase periods
C. Sequences
D. Identity/Variation/Contrast
E. Phrase symmetry/asymmetry (length)

11. VI. Melodic Intervals Interval = distance (high-low) between two
successive notes
B. Melodic contour
Depends on:
1) direction (up/down/same note) and
2) Type of motion
Conjunct or stepwise
Disjunct or angular =
dominated by leaps, skips