Melody

What it means

A melody is a sequence of notes heard as a coherent shape. What distinguishes it from an arbitrary sequence of notes is not a single feature but the interplay of several: a meaningful division into phrases, a recognizable course with goal points, a rhythm that shapes the form, and a movement that can be retained in memory.

Musical use

Two dimensions work together. The pitch movement runs stepwise or in leaps; stepwise movement carries coherence, leaps give contour, and good melodies combine both, with a large leap usually balanced by contrary motion. The rhythmic shape is equally essential: the same sequence of pitches in different values produces a different melody, and many themes are recognizable by their rhythm alone.

To this is added the larger-scale construction. Melodies are organized into phrases that can relate like question and answer — the eight-bar period of antecedent and consequent is the best-known model. A peak note often forms the climax, and the path there and back gives the line direction.

Melody and harmony condition each other: in tonal music the melody arises largely from a harmonic framework that is melodically filled in through passing notes, neighbour notes, and suspensions. In monophonic and modal music this frame is absent, and the melody carries alone.

A melody lives from the connection of pitches and rhythm. Its range, its direction, its steps and leaps, and its division into phrases determine how it works. In vocal music it follows the text, in instrumental music the possibilities of the instrument.

Performance practice

Sing a melody before you play it — what can be sung succeeds more easily on the instrument and sounds more convincing. Determine the climax of every phrase and lead deliberately toward it, instead of shaping evenly. Take care that the accompaniment recedes; a melody needs space, not volume. And practise long lines in one arc, without starting anew at every barline.