14.2.1: Motives
- Page ID
- 258559
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Also known as a "motif," this is the musical material used as the basis of the entire composition. Motives can be rhythmic, just pitches, or both. For aural skills, and especially melodic dictation, recognizing a motif is very useful. We are processing so much information at one time, that catching a group of notes that becomes a pattern can help us to make sense of what we hear.
Example
One of the most famous and recognizable motives is the opening of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5.
The motif that Beethoven uses is both rhythmic and melodic. We have a rhythmic pattern of: short-short-short-long. Melodically, we have the same pitch repeated three times and then it descends by a third. He dramatically introduces this motif in the first five measures and then repeats it at different levels through a variety of instruments. Many composers will use a motif throughout a movement as a way to unify their ideas. In this symphony, however, Beethoven goes a step further and also uses this motif in other movements as a way to unify the entire symphony.