Much of the vocal line in Defying Gravity is stepwise. However, this is often not the case. Larger leaps in pitch and more disjunct passages are quite often used, which can have a really expressive effect that helps the character convey their emotion more strongly. For example:

• The sung melody in bar 6 (0'10) has an ascending perfect 5th. The following bar is then a sequence with the ascending interval heard on "clever" being a minor 6th. This allows the anger and spitefulness of Glinda to come across more strongly.

• There is also an ascending 5th in the melody sung by Elphaba in verse 1 on "changed" (bar 34, 1'17) which emphasises this particular lyric and highlights the character's determination.

• Looking at bars 51-52 (1'52), the melody of the chorus is triadic. Having a melody which brings out the notes of the tonic chord bring a lot of strength and conviction to the character at this point.

• Later on, at the climax of the song, the ascending melodic interval of an octave in bar 167 has a similar effect (5'24). The F# heard here is the highest note sung by Elphaba (actually only an F but still...!). This belting range of the female voice is very high and brings a lot of intensity to the final chorus and coda of the piece.

The accompanying melodies played by the orchestra have a really important job in supporting the voices and enhancing the emotion. Here are some key examples:

• There is a recurring call and response motif in this song which is first heard at bar 20 (0'32), notated below. The 'call' is not particularly melodic though it includes a distinctive ascending bass line which conjures up a lot of excitement. A 6 note arch-shaped melody is heard in response which is very disjunct and rises up an octave and falls again very memorably. It creates a lot of suspense through doing this.

• In the chorus an ostinato is heard accompanying the melody. It is made up of 3 notes and is almost an inversion of the call and response arch-shape melody. The repetition of this short motif produces a lot of drive and momentum.

• A similar ostinato is used in the bridge from 2'40 (bar 88), this time with 4 notes of smaller intervals. At the steadier tempo this melody helps to conjure up a feeling of wonder and awe.

• There are many other instrumental melodies tucked away in the texture. There are quite a few that are scalic. This includes the rising flute idea in bar 8 (0'12) which adds to the agitation and also the descending bass clarinet melody in the bridge (bar 89 and 91, 2'40) which contributes to the feeling of bewilderment at this point in the song. The electric guitar melody which includes a rising octave in bar 11 (0'16) is very noticeable and pushes the music on with a greater sense of urgency.

This example is from Hamilton, sung by Eliza towards the end of the show after a scandal emerges about her husband which crushes her emotionally. It can be melodically compared with Defying Gravity because the use of ascending disjunct intervals are also used to convey expression. Though Defying Gravity is about Elphaba expressing her determination and conviction, Burn uses similarly constructed melodies to express Eliza's heartbreak and anger.

Notation is used below to illustrate the points.

• The sung melody is mostly stepwise at the beginning of the song, with some small leaps used. There are lots of repeated notes to allow the words to come across clearly.

• There are moments where there are larger intervals used, to convey Eliza's sorrow. This happens slightly more from 0'43 and a rising perfect 5th interval brings out the words "defenceless", "palaces" and "cathedrals" in more of a distressed tone.

• Later in the song, from 2'50, the emotion becomes more anguished in a build-up section. More of these rising perfect 5ths are used in quicker succession. From 3'01 there is a sudden use of a high D which is approached by a rising leap of a perfect 4th. This allows the emotional climax of the song to be reached and for the vocalist to convey Eliza's pain and torment with more intensity.