11.3: Fragment
- Page ID
- 117449
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While the motive is usually defined as the smallest identifiable melodic idea in a composition, “compound” motives can be broken into fragments (sometimes called “germs”).
In J.S. Bach’s Invention 1 in C Major I, the opening 7-note compound motive can be divided into two overlapping four-note fragments that can each be developed independently.
Here again is the example of development (in augmentation) of fragment “a.”
In the following example Bach develops an inversion of fragment “b” leading into a cadence in G major.
