t_: t-- t4

Smetana: "The Moldau," fiom Ml' Country, m. 73-80.
Melodic Structure
Generaf
Characteristics
Figu re 6.22
Mahler: "Urlicht" from Das Knnben Wunderhrtrn.
Figure 6"23
Beethoven:
Symphony
Figure
6"24
no.
E Major
( Assignments 6. 3, 6.4, and 6. 5, poge s I 2 5- I 29 ; WorkbooUAnthologt, 6C-6J )
Up to this point, the discussion has centered on the organization of melody into units such as
motives. phrases. and periods. The following section focuses on the nature of melody itself.
Many aspects of melody are not yet clearly understood. For example. why is the first
r-novement of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata (op. 27. no. 2) so well known when the
sonatas preceding and following it are reliitively r-rnknown to large audiences'l Despite our
inability to fully explain the nature of melody. rnuch infbrmation can be _sained simply by
investi-qatin-q a number of melodies to see what they have in comrnon.
If you examine a large number of tonal melodies. a number of similarities emerge.
l. Most tonal melodies contain a climax tone. A clinru.r tone is the hi-ehest stressed pitch
of a phrase or other unit. Usually the climax tone is reached only once. In fi-uure 6.22.
the clirnax tone is D and occurs only once.
2. Most phrases contain an uscent to and cle.scent ficlm the climax tone.
3 (Eroicu).
op. 55 in E-flat Maior. IV (Finale).
m. 76-83.
Climax
Ascent Descent
3. Many melodic phrases contain significantly placed pitches of the tonic triad (scale iiegrees
1. 3. and 5) that are important in shaping the entire phrase. Tonic tnad pitches are
circled in fisure 6.24.
C'orelli: Concerto Grosso. op. 6. no. 8. in G Minor. II (Allegro). m. l-7.
e
Meiodic Organ!zation 119