Scribd
Upload
208 views

Schenker's Concept of Melody I

Schenker's concept of melody focuses on the stability and tendency of different scale degrees. The most stable tones are those of the tonic triad, while less stable tendency tones like the leading tone and upper leading tone resolve in long-range motions. Melodic fluency is achieved through stepwise or predominantly stepwise motion of structural tones, with dissonant tones being ornamental rather than structural. Schenker analyzes how structural tones connect in melodically fluent lines through prolongation techniques like neighboring notes or linear progressions.

Uploaded by

David Ross
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
208 views

Schenker's Concept of Melody I

Schenker's concept of melody focuses on the stability and tendency of different scale degrees. The most stable tones are those of the tonic triad, while less stable tendency tones like the leading tone and upper leading tone resolve in long-range motions. Melodic fluency is achieved through stepwise or predominantly stepwise motion of structural tones, with dissonant tones being ornamental rather than structural. Schenker analyzes how structural tones connect in melodically fluent lines through prolongation techniques like neighboring notes or linear progressions.

Uploaded by

David Ross
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 17

Schenkers Concept

of
Melody I
^1 ^2 ^3
^3 ^45 ^5 ^6
^7
^8 ^8

^2=upper LT
Schenkers Concept of Melody
1. Understanding tonal melody=acquiring feel for stablility/instability of tones.

2. Notes of the tonic triad are the most stable.

3. Because triad tones arise from the overtone series, they are like a force of
nature (to Schenker, a manifestation of divine), & capable of generating more music.
4. Less stable tones, tendency tones (e.g. LT, upper LT)

5. Resolutions can be long-range

6. Ultimate stability requires scale degree 1, supported by the tonic in bass.


7. Melodic and Harmonic resolution can therefore be out of synch

8. Falling melodic motion is most natural, providing closure/completion.


9. Melodic fluency means stepwise or predominantly stepwise motion
10. Carrots show scale degrees (^1 ^2 ^3 )
11. Schenker theory distinguishes structural tones from ornamental tones

12. Key concept: A dissonant note is never a structurally important tone (and
is generally incapable of further prolongation).

13. In great music, structural tones connect to form melodically fluent lines.

14. Great music is rich in motivic parallelisms, short ideas that replicate
themselves in various forms.
Square brackets show motivic parallelisms.
15. In minor, ^6 usually functions as a N. N. to more stable ^5

16. Melodies with leaps suggest voice-leading connections between


nonadjacent tones.

17. In great music, such connections can suggest two (or more)
melodically fluent voices in different registers.
(= compound melody or polyphonic melody)
18. Surface leaps in melodies can occur without destroying underlying
melodic fluency. =registral transfer

19. To Schenker a melodic leap is often not a mere skip, but a temporary
switch to a new voice or new register.
20. Structural melodic tones can be prolonged by NNs and by linear progressions
into or away from the structural note.

21. In Schenkerian graphic notation, a long slur groups linear progressions.

22. A dotted slur often connects a tone that is prolonged over a long period
(aural retention of the tone).
Phrase 1

Phrase 2
Phrase 1

Melodically fluent structural


^5 prolonged ^5 prolonged
^5 prolonged Melody ^5-^4-^3-^2-^1
Phrase 2 by chordal skipsby NN by filling in ^5-^3
(linear progresson)

^2 prolonged
by choral skips

I ________________________ Parallel 6ths connect V7 I


I to II6 (interm) smoothly

You might also like