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Elements of Music and Analysis
Quick questions on Melody and motivic analysis explained: H2 Music
5short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is range and tessitura?Show answer
The range is the distance from lowest to highest note; the tessitura is where the melody mostly sits. A wide range with a high tessitura suggests a virtuosic or expressive idiom; a narrow range suggests a folk-like or chant-like one.
What is phrase structure?Show answer
Melodies group into phrases, often heard as question and answer. A four-bar antecedent that ends open (an imperfect or half cadence) answered by a four-bar consequent that ends closed (a perfect cadence) forms an eight-bar period. Periodic, balanced phrasing is a Classical-style fingerprint; irregular or extended phrasing is more Romantic.
What is q1?Show answer
Define contour and give two contrasting examples of melodic contour. [2 marks]
What is q2?Show answer
Explain the difference between an antecedent and a consequent phrase. [2 marks]
What is q3?Show answer
Name three techniques a composer uses to develop a motif and describe the effect of one of them. [4 marks]
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