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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 theme is usually defined as a message, statement, or idea, while a motif is simply a detail repeated for larger symbolic meaning. In other words, a narrative motif—a detail repeated in a pattern of meaning—can produce a theme; but it can also create other narrative aspects.
Wagner himself composed the music and libretto and was a consultant on the stage design and choreography. This all-encompassing art, or Gesamtkunstwerk, called on the diegesis of Musikdrama in order to further the immersive feel. Wagner himself resisted calling his works Musikdrama, which would imply a drama "meant for music," like a libretto ...
The use of characteristic, short, recurring motifs in orchestral music can be traced back to the early seventeenth century, such as L'Orfeo by Monteverdi.In French opera of the late eighteenth century (such as the works of Gluck, Grétry and Méhul), "reminiscence motif" can be identified, which may recur at a significant juncture in the plot to establish an association with earlier events.
In music and jazz improvisation, a melodic pattern (or motive) is a cell or germ serving as the basis for repetitive pattern. It is a figure that can be used with any scale . It is used primarily for solos because, when practiced enough, it can be extremely useful when improvising .
In music, form refers to the structure of a musical composition or performance.In his book, Worlds of Music, Jeff Todd Titon suggests that a number of organizational elements may determine the formal structure of a piece of music, such as "the arrangement of musical units of rhythm, melody, and/or harmony that show repetition or variation, the arrangement of the instruments (as in the order of ...
A musical figure or figuration is the shortest idea in music; a short succession of notes, often recurring. It may have melodic pitch, harmonic progression, and rhythmic meter. The 1964 Grove's Dictionary defines the figure as "the exact counterpart of the German 'motiv' and the French 'motif '": it produces a "single complete and distinct ...
Definition Lacuna: gap: A silent pause in a piece of music Ossia: from o ("or") + sia ("that it be") A secondary passage of music which may be played in place of the original Ostinato: stubborn, obstinate: A repeated motif or phrase in a piece of music Pensato: thought out: A composed imaginary note Ritornello: little return