Melodic writing
The study of melodic construction.
What it means
Melodic writing (German Melodik) designates the study of the construction of melody and at the same time the melodic character of a particular music — one speaks of the melodic writing of a composer or a style. It stands alongside harmony and rhythm as one of the three basic dimensions in which a piece is described.
Musical use
Above all four aspects are examined. First, the type of movement: the relation of step and leap, which decides singability and contour. Second, the range and the position of the climaxes — where the peak note stands and how the line leads to it and away from it. Third, the division into motifs and phrases and their relation to one another: repetition, sequence, contrast, question and answer. Fourth, the rhythmic shape, without which a sequence of pitches does not make a melody.
Historically the ideals differ. Monophonic liturgical chant favours stepwise movement within a narrow range; the vocal polyphony of the Renaissance follows rules of singability that limit and balance leaps; the instrumental music of the Baroque develops widely spanned lines built from triads; the Viennese Classical period builds symmetrical periods; the Romantic era stretches and obscures this organization; the twentieth century often calls it into question altogether.
Melodic writing is to be distinguished from motivic work, which considers smaller building blocks and their working-out, and from phrasing, which means the practical organization in performance.
The study of melody examines melodies from viewpoints such as range, contour, the ratio of steps, motif formation, and relation to harmony. In the music of different periods and cultures, different ideals hold: Gregorian chant moves predominantly stepwise, while instrumental melodic writing is often more leap-prone.
Performance practice
Examine a melody before you shape it: where does the climax lie, where is it organized, what repeats? The answers determine dynamics and breathing more than markings written in. Sing the line and adopt what happens by itself when singing. And resist the tendency to take every note as equally important — a melody has principal and subordinate notes.