composing a melody; new melodic resources
TRANSCRIPT
Composing a Melody!
Terminology!
• Monophony"• Polyphony"• Homophony"
n Texture"
n Contour"• Conjunct (e.g., scalar)"• Disjunct (e.g., chordal)"
n Accent"• Dynamic"• Agogic"• Tonic"• Metric" n Text setting"
• Syllabic"• Melismatic"
n Phrase"• Antecedent"• Consequent"
n Period"
n Cadence"
n Climax"
n Balance"
n Unity vs. Variety"
n Range "
n Tessitura" n Word painting"
Anatomy of a Melody"
Contour"
The Star Spangled Banner!
Conjunct motion"
Disjunct motion"
Range"
Tessitura"
Anatomy of a Melody"
The Star Spangled Banner!
Phrase 1 (antecedent)" Phrase 2 (consequent)"
Period"
Harmonic " implications:" I V I
Cadence"(imperfect authentic/"
half-cadence)"
V I Cadence"
(perfect authentic)"
Rhythmic motive:"
augmentation"
variation"
Anatomy of a Melody"
The Star Spangled Banner!
Agogic accents"Dynamic accents"
Tonic accents"
Metric accents"
New Melodic Resources!
From David Cope, Techniques of the Contemporary Composer, p. 27."
Various types of nontonal scales: modes, synthetic, and non-Western scales"
Balinese gamelan and African drummers."
Impressionism/Exoticism—Influences!
Precedents:"
n Paris Exposition (1889) "n Chicago World Fair (1892)"
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)"
Impressionism/Exoticism!
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)"
Ravel and Stravinsky"
Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)"
Impressionism/Exoticism!
Béla Bartók (1883-1945)recording and transcribing folk songs of Hungarian peasants."
Folk Music!
Folk Music—Characteristics!
n Unusual phrase lengths (not restricted to 2, 4, 8, etc.)"
n Metric variety: frequent use of mixed and additive meters"
n Temporal fluidity: use of irregular rhythmic subdivisions and tempo changes."
n Modal rather than tonal melodies; not bound to “the tyrannical rule of the major and minor keys” (Bartók)."
n Not restricted by equal temperament: use of microtonal pitch inflections and scales based on natural tuning systems."
n Free from the expressive pretensions of 19th-century “art” music."
Folk tune transcribed by Béla Bartók."
Irregular phrases"Flexible tempo"Irregular rhythmic subdivisions"Microtonal pitch inflection"
Diatonic Modes!“White note” version:! Starting on C:!Mode name:!
Ionian
Dorian
Phrygian
Lydian
Mixolydian
Aeolian
Locrian"
Diatonic Modes!Lydian:"
Maurice Ravel: String Quartet in F (1903)"
Phrygian:"Ralph Vaughn Williams: Variations on a Theme of Thomas Tallis (1910)"
Pentatonic Scales!
Derivation from diatonic scale:"
The most familiar variety of pentatonic scale is the “anhemitonic” (I.e., without semitones); it may be easily realized by playing on the black keys of the piano."
Pentatonic Scales!Anhemitonic variety:"
Claude Debussy: “Nuages” from Nocturnes (1899)"
Maurice Ravel: String Quartet in F (1903)"
Claude Debussy: String Quartet (1893)"
Pentatonic Scales!Other varieties:"
Igor Stravinsky: Le Sacre du Printemps (1913)"
m2" M3"
m2" P4"
Claude Debussy: “Pagodes” from Estampes (1903) "
Maurice Ravel: Ma mère l’oye (1908)—“Laideronnette”"
Whole-Tone Scale!
Claude Debussy: “Canope” from Preludes Book II (1913)"
A
B
Claude Debussy: “Voiles” from Preludes, Book I (1910) "
Béla Bartók: Mikrokosmos No. 136—“Whole-Tone Scales”"
Béla Bartók: Mikrokosmos No. 136—“Whole-Tone Scales”"
Béla Bartók: Mikrokosmos No. 136—“Whole-Tone Scales”"
Octatonic Scale!
Three transpositions:"
Two versions:"
A
B
“Major” (whole-half) "
“Minor” (half-whole)"
1!
2!
3!
Octatonic Scale!
Two nested diminished 7th chords "
Structure:"
Four overlapping [013] pitch cells "
Igor Stravinsky: Octet (1922)"
Béla Bartók:Mikrokosmos No. 99“Crossed Hands”"
Octatonic pentachord 1 (RH):"
Octatonic pentachord 2 (LH):"
These two octatonic pentachords combine to form a single octatonic collection."
Olivier Messiaen’s Modes of Limited Transposition"
From David Cope, Techniques of the Contemporary Composer, p. 27."
Mode 1: 6 pitches, 2 transpositions""(“whole tone”)"
Mode 2: 8 pitches, 3 transpositions""(“octatonic”)"
Mode 3: 9 pitches, 4 transpositions" Mode 4: 8 pitches, 6 transpositions"
Mode 5: 6 pitches, 6 transpositions" Mode 6: 8 pitches, 6 transpositions"
Mode 7: 10 pitches, 6 transpositions"
2 !2 !2 !2 !2 !2 ! 1 !2 !1 !2 !1 !2 !1 !2 !!
2 !1 !1 !2 !1 !1 ! 2 !1 !1! 1 !1 !3 !1 !1 !3 !1 !1 !
1 !1 !1 !2 !1 !1 !1 !1 !2 !1!
1 !4 ! 1 ! 1 ! 4 !1 ! 2 !2 !1 ! 1 ! 2 !2 !1 ! 1 !!