7.1 Melodic Material: Range, Interval Structure, Gesture: Theory exercises

In addition to Workbook Chapter 7.1, see the examples below.

While some shapes are easy to see in music, others require stripping decorative pitches away in order to see the overall progression of the line. Look at the following examples and their melodic gestures. Think about their respective ranges and interval structures. Which are meant to be sung by the masses, and which are meant to be more like art song?

Example 1

Excerpt from the Star Spangled Banner with inverted arch shapes labeled.

 

Example 2

 

Excerpts from Amazing Grace with an arch and ascending line labeled.

 

Example 3

An excerpt from Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro, Act 1, number 9 with descending line and arch shapes labeled.

License

Icon for the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

Comprehensive Musicianship, A Practical Resource Copyright © 2023 by Randall Harlow; Heather Peyton; Jonathan Schwabe; and Daniel Swilley is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.