1. Melody
“It is the melody which is the charm of music, and it is that which is most difficult to produce. The invention of a fine melody is a work of genius.”
– Joseph Haydn

2. Defining Melody:
Range – the distance between the lowest and highest notes
Narrow (as in a children’s song that is easy to sing)
Medium
Wide (as in some melodies played on an instrument)

3. Defining Melody:
Contour – the overall shape as the melody turns upward, downward, or remains static. The contour can be visualized as a line graph.
Ascending
Descending
Arch
Wave

4. Defining Melody:
Interval – the distance between any two pitches.
Melodies that move principally by small intervals in a joined, connected manner are called conjunct.
Melodies that move in larger, disconnected intervals are described as disjunct.

5. Examples

6. Beethoven, Symphony No. 9
Range: narrow
5 notes
Contour: wavelike
Interval: conjunct

7. Joy to the World
Range: medium
8 notes
Contour: descending
Interval: conjunct

8. Star-Spangled Banner
Range: Wide
10 notes
Contour: wavelike
Interval: disjunct

9. Structure of Melody:
Phrase – a unit of meaning within a larger structure, like a sentence.

10. Structure of Melody:
Cadence – the end of a musical phrase, a resting place.
Incomplete
Complete

11. Structure of Melody:
Rhyme Scheme – describes the similarity in sound of the last syllables in each line of text.

12. Structure of Melody:
Climax – the high point in a melodic line, which usually represents a peak in intensity as well as in range.

13. Structure of Melody:
Countermelody – More complex music can feature several simultaneous melodies. Sometimes the relative importance of one melody over the other is clear, and the added tune is called a countermelody (literally “against a melody”)
Example: Trio section of Stars and Stripes

15. Music History

16. I. Medieval Period ( )
II. The Renaissance ( )
III. The Baroque Period ( )
IV. The Classical Period ( )
V. The Romantic Period ( )
VI. The Twentieth Century ( )