Key terms defined
Melody
Melody: A melody is a sequence of musical notes played or sung one after the other in a specific rhythmic and pitch arrangement. It is the horizontal organization of notes, distinguishing it from harmony, which organizes notes vertically. Melodies are memorable and recognizable, often being the most singable or hummable part of a piece. Examples include the classical waltz The Beautiful Blue Danube, The Beatles’ Yesterday, and Glenn Miller Orchestra’s In the Mood. These melodies are what make music memorable and engaging.
How Does Sheet Music Show Melody?
Sheet music represents melody through musical notation, which indicates pitch and duration. Notes are displayed on a 5-line staff, with their shape indicating how long they should be played. For example, a whole note represents a sustained pitch. Melodies can range from short phrases or motifs to longer passages, such as a complete vocal line in a chorus or an aria in an opera.
How Is Melody Used in Music?
Melody is a fundamental element used by every musical instrument:
Solo Vocalists: Sing the main theme of a song.
Choral Vocalists: Sing melodies as a group. Some choruses sing in unison, while others harmonize with set chord progressions.
Percussion Instruments: Play melodies focused more on rhythmic durations than pitch. However, some percussion instruments have specific pitches, and these can be notated in sheet music. For example, timpani passages in Mahler's compositions or mallet instruments in 20th-century music by Pierre Boulez.
How Did Melody Originate in Music?
The earliest known melodies come from the eastern Mediterranean region. One of the oldest known pieces, Hurrian Hymn No. 6, was found on a clay tablet in Syria in the 1950s, though it is incomplete. The longest surviving complete melody is the Greek Seikilos Epitaph from the 1st century A.D. These early melodies were vocal, with Hurrian Hymn also including lyre accompaniment instructions.
Melody evolved significantly over the centuries, with notable advances during the European Baroque era (approximately 1600-1750). Prominent Baroque composers include:
Georg Philipp Telemann
Antonio Vivaldi
Henry Purcell
Alessandro Scarlatti
Harmony
Harmony defined: In simple terms, harmony is what occurs when more than one note is played or sung at the same time. This can be as an interval (two notes, also called a dyad), or chords of three or more notes.
Harmony provides support to the melody, and consists of a combination of different notes that complement the melody's main tune.
Tonality
Music that has a tonic
So what is tonality in music? Tonality (also known as ‘tonal music’) is music that has a tonic – that specific note on which music is the most stable and at rest. In general, tonal music works by establishing a tonic, moving away from it and then returning to it.
Tonic:
In music, the tonic is the first scale degree of the diatonic scale (the first note of a scale) and the tonal center or final resolution tone that is commonly used in the final cadence in tonal (musical key -based) classical music, popular music, and traditional music. In the movable do solfège system, the tonic note is sung as do.
Rythm.
Rhythm in music refers to the pattern of sounds and silences that occur over time. It is the element of music that creates a sense of movement and forward momentum and is often described as the “heartbeat” or “pulse” of a piece of music.