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Leitmotif associated with Siegfried's horn call in Richard Wagner's 1876 opera, Siegfried. A leitmotif or Leitmotiv [1] (/ ˌ l aɪ t m oʊ ˈ t iː f /) is a "short, recurring musical phrase" [2] associated with a particular person, place, or idea. It is closely related to the musical concepts of idée fixe or motto-theme. [2]
A rhythmic motif is the term designating a characteristic rhythmic formula, an abstraction drawn from the rhythmic values of a melody. A motif thematically associated with a person, place, or idea is called a leitmotif or idée fixe. [7] Occasionally such a motif is a musical cryptogram of the name involved.
A variety of musical terms are encountered in printed scores, music reviews, and program notes. Most of the terms are Italian, in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical conventions. Sometimes, the special musical meanings of these phrases differ from the original or current Italian meanings.
Thematic transformation (also known as thematic metamorphosis or thematic development) is a musical technique in which a leitmotif, or theme, is developed by changing the theme by using permutation (transposition or modulation, inversion, and retrograde), augmentation, diminution, and fragmentation.
The term "riff-driven" is used to describe a piece of music that relies on a repeated instrumental riff as the basis of its most prominent melody, cadence, or (in some cases) leitmotif. Riff-driven songs are largely a product of jazz, blues, and post-blues era music (rock and pop). [10]
Musical symbols are marks and symbols in musical notation that indicate various aspects of how a piece of music is to be performed. There are symbols to communicate information about many musical elements, including pitch, duration, dynamics, or articulation of musical notes; tempo, metre, form (e.g., whether sections are repeated), and details about specific playing techniques (e.g., which ...
The equivalent in classical music is an ostinato, in hip hop and electronic music the loop, and in rock music the riff. [ 31 ] The slang term vamp comes from the Middle English word vampe (sock), from Old French avanpie , equivalent to Modern French avant-pied , literally before-foot .
Music based on a single theme is called monothematic, while music based on several themes is called polythematic. Most fugues are monothematic and most pieces in sonata form are polythematic. [ 8 ] In the exposition of a fugue, the principal theme (usually called the subject ) is announced successively in each voice – sometimes in a ...