5
a. can be inconclusive or conclusive (analogous
to comma and period, respectively)
3. rhyme scheme: ending of text lines coincide with
musical phrase structure
4. climax: high point in melodic line
a. peak in intensity, range
5. countermelody: secondary melody heard si mul-
ta neously with main melody
OVERVIEW
Of all the materials of music, melody stands out as one of
the most accessible and appealing to the ear. This chapter
pres ents melody as a concept that can be understood via a
language very similar to that employed to describe the struc–
ture of sentences, visual art, or physical objects. Recogniz-
ing the characteristics of melody can help students understand
how melodies are crafted to sound memorable, in ter est ing,
and distinct.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. To understand the concept of melody as a succession of
pitches perceived as a recognizable whole
2. To understand a melody as defined by its contour and
range
3. To understand the concept of intervals, and how the
movement of successive intervals creates conjunct or dis–
junct melodies
4. To understand the structure of melody as being made up
of phrases, which end in cadences, or resting points
OUTLINE
I. Musical Sound
A. Perceivable and mea sur able pitch
1. pitch: determined by frequency (vibrations per
second)
a. depends on length or size of vibrating object
i. e.g., short string, faster vibration, higher
frequency
ii. fin gers placed on strings shorten vibrating
length, pitch/frequency changes
2. note: symbol placed on staff, designates fre–
quency and duration
B. Timbre: tone color, distinct sound quality
II. Defining Melody
A. Horizontal aspect of music; linear movement
B. Melody: tune, entire cohesive thought
1. succession of single pitches, recognizable
whole
2. range: distance between lowest and highest
notes
a. narrow ( children’s songs), medium, wide
3. contour: overall shape
a. ascending, descending, arch, wave, static
4. melodic movement
a. interval: distance between two pitches
b. conjunct melodies: move by small, connected
intervals
c. disjunct melodies: move by larger, discon–
nected intervals
III. The Structure of Melody
A. Component parts like parts of a sentence
1. phrase: unit within larger structure of melody
2. cadence: end of phrase, resting place
CHAPTERfi1 Melody: Musical Line
size that the secondary melody is an example of a
countermelody.
ASSIGNMENT SUGGESTIONS
1. Recall a melody you know by heart; it could be a folk
song learned in school, a hymn from church, a lullaby
2. Think about melodies that are often sung by large
groups (The Star– Spangled Banner, Happy Birthday,
For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow, Take Me Out to the
Ball Game, Auld Lang Syne). Try singing these songs
3. Assign a series of listening excerpts, some with single-
melody textures and others with countermelodies. Ask
students to distinguish the excerpts with single melodies
TEACHING CHALLENGES
Students who have difficulty matching pitches will pres-
ent the biggest challenge for teaching this material. As
you listen to your students sing, take note of how many
SUPPLEMENTAL REPERTORY
Chopin: Prelude in E Minor, Op. 28, No.4 (conjunct melody)
Joplin: Maple Leaf Rag (disjunct melody)
5. To recognize the simultaneous sounding of a main mel-
ody and a countermelody
LECTURE SUGGESTIONS
1. Play the first phrase of the Ode to Joy from Beethoven’s
Ninth Symphony. Ask the students as a group to hum or
the Ode to Joy and ask the students to follow the con-
tour of the melody during the next hearing. As the
excerpt plays, trace the contour under the notation with
a pointer, mouse, etc. Ask the students what shape the
tion with a pointer, mouse, etc., emphasizing the dis–
tance between intervals.
2. Display to the class the text of Amazing Grace, mak–
to students that the pauses in music are called
cadences. Ask the students to stand and sing Amazing
Grace, noting when cadences occur to signal the end
of one phrase and the beginning of the next. Ask the
students to identify the range, contour, and movement
of the melody as you play a recording. Emphasize to
students that they can now recognize the basic com–
ponents of melody: range, contour, movement, phrase,
be able to identify the main melody in both sections
and the piccolo countermelody in the repeated sec–
tion. If students have trou ble recognizing the pic–
colo countermelody in the repeat, isolate the two
examples and play them back to back (skipping the
second strain of the trio, the “dogfight”). Empha–
Melody: Musical Line | 7
2. Arlen: Somewhere over the Rainbow
3. Tchaikovsky: “Pas de Deux” from The Nutcracker
0:10– 0:36 and 1:16 –1:42
Offenbach: Les contes d’Hoffmann, Barcarolle (“Belle nuit, ô nuit
d’amour”) (conjunct melody, narrow range)
your own melodic contour patterns for the melodies given
below. Try to see whether you can match the horizontal plane
for melody notes you hear as the same pitch (as in the first
and last notes in Amazing Grace on p.9).
1. Satie: Gymnopédie No.1
0:12–0:25