Unit 4: Melody Writing and Composition

Question 1

motives

Answer 1

short rhythmic or melodic ideas that are used as building blocks to create melodies; motives can be imitated or altered throughout a piece of music

Question 2

phrases

Answer 2

musical sentences; the notes in a phrase create a unit of musical thought; all phrases end with a melodic cadence that serves as musical punctuation; some phrases sound unfinished or complete; phrases can be marked with slurs

Question 3

melodic motion

Answer 3

may consist of repeated notes, steps, skips, and leaps

Question 4

stable scale degrees

Answer 4

(1 and 3) at the end of a phrase make a melody sound finished, much like a period at the end of a sentence; scale degrees 1 and 3 are notes of the tonic triad

Question 5

unstable scale degrees

Answer 5

(2 and 7) at the end of a phrase make a melody sound unfinished, like a comma in the middle of a sentence; the melody will sound like it wants to pause before it continues with an answering phrase; scale degrees 2 and 7 are notes of the dominant triad

Question 6

periods

Answer 6

these elements work together to create longer melodic units

Question 7

antecedent

Answer 7

first phrase; often poses a musical question and ends on an unstable degree; question phrase

Question 8

consequent

Answer 8

second phrase; often provides a musical answer and ends on a stable scale degree; answer phrase

Question 9

parallel period

Answer 9

first and second phrases begin with the same melodic material