compositional devices

8/9/2019 Compositional Devices

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Compositional Devices

AugmentationIncreasing the note values of a musical theme, usually to twice their value.

The end of God Defend New Zealand is written:

ut often performed:

Diminution!epeating a theme or motif with notes of smaller value "usually half#

$ach %ugue &

ExtensionDeveloping a phrase or motif y ma'ing it longer.

FragmentationThe rea'ing of a theme into segments in order to develop it.

Development y fragmentation:

Imitation

The repetition y one or more different voices "or instruments# of a phrase first stated y one

instrument.

(ometimes only the rhythm of a passage is imitated and not the melody. Ais an e)ample of this

and is rhythmicimitation.

(ometimes the phrase eing imitated is turned upside down. Bshows this happening. This is

'nown as imitation by inversion.

Inversion

Theme: *st +ovement roica

(ymphony - $eethoven

A

B

nfinished(ymphony -

(chuert

(tring /uartet No

0 - $arto'


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Turning upside down. The change of the relative position of an interval, chords or a melody.

1 melody moves y inversion if it moves in contrary motion when repeated. (ometimes the

intervals are not e)act.

Ornaments2rnaments decorate a melody y adding e)tra notes to it. 2rnaments are sometimes called

3grace notes4. There are five main types of ornaments:

1ppoggiatura "see also melodic decoration# Turn

+ordent 1cciaccatura Trill

Repetition!epetition occurs when a phrase is repeated immediately at e)actly the same pitch.

Death of 1se - Grieg

RetrogradeGoing ac'wards. In music the term refers to a composition or part of a composition that can e

performed ac'wards as well as forwards. The device was mostly used y twelve5tonecomposers of the twentieth century as a way of organising their music.

1n interval is inverted y placing the lower note

aove the upper note "moving it an octave higher#

Inversions of chords are used to

give a more melodic ass part and to

give variety to the music

$ach cleverly designed the

melody elow to sound good

when played against itself.

!hapsody

2p6& No* -

$rahms

!epetition may involve

the harmony as well as

the melody:


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1 twelve5tone row

!etrograde of the same row

Sequence

or a complete phrase

There are two types of se7uence - Real and onal.

1 real se7uence will always produce modulation. 1 tonal se7uence can produce modulation, ut

does not always do so.

The two e)amples aove are harmonic sequences"se7uences in all parts#.

!elodic sequences"which can also e real or tonal# occur only in the melody over an

independent ass.

The repetition of a musical idea at a higher or lower pitch.

The idea may e 8ust a few notes:

1 real se7uence is an e)act

transposition of each note

in the se7uence

1 tonal se7uence occurs

when the intervals of the

first phrase are not

reproduced e)actly

a bbis an e)act transposition of

a. with all the notes eing a

semitone lower

b is not an e)act transposition of a.

The interval at ain the soprano part is

a ma8or 9rd, whereas at bthe interval

is a minor 9rd

a b

+aur'a in $

minor 2p9;No< 5 Chopin

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