Music Techniques / Compositional devices -recommended listening
Compositional devices (music techniques) are musical ideas used by composers / arrangers to
manipulate music to give a certain feel, sound like music from a specific period of time.
Some ways in which music can be manipulated include:
Music Techniques : Compositional Device Recommended Listening
Ostinato – a persistent repeated phrase, chord YouTube: Pachelbel Rant by Rob
pattern, or rhythm (repeated pattern of notes – Paravonian (this is musically very funny…
usually occurs in the bass line) watch it!)
Beethoven Symphony No 7, 2nd
movement
Beethoven Egmont Overture Op.84
Contrary motion Parallel motion Search through your library of music and
see if you can identify any of these in duets
/ trios/ piano accompaniments
Counter melody – is an excellent example
Oblique Motion of where these musical techniques can be
used. (see recommended listening for Countermelody)
Dido’s Lament – Dido and Aeneas by
Ground Bass – a short motif in the bass which is Purcell (1689)
constantly repeated
Pachabel ‘s Canon in D (1686)
YouTube: Pachelbel Rant by Rob
Paravonian (this is musically very funny…
watch it!)
Theme and Variation – a main theme that is varied ‘Les Hommes pieusement, K455 by
in places (the basic structure of the original melody Mozart(1784)
stays intact throughout though.)
; ; Beginner string students often play
“variations on Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”
;
Rhythmic Shift
Peter Sculthorpe “Earth Cry”
^ * # * # ^ # ^ *
Sequence – a more or less exact repetition of a Siciliana from Concerto in D by John Baston
passage at a higher or lower level of pitch
Caprice Anglais by Paul Harvey
Fingal’s Cave Overture (Hebrides Overture
Opus 26) Felix Mendelssohn
Melisma – a group of notes sung to a single syllable. Handel’s ‘The Trumpet Shall Sound’ (from
The Messiah)
Monophony A variety in TEXURE (the thickness or
thinness of the music) is created by the use
of these.
Polyphony
Monophony – a single line of music.
(Listen to Gregorian Chants/ Plainsong)
Polyphony – 2 or more lines of music.
Homophony (Listen to Bach and Handel Fugues)
Homophony – (block chords) all parts of
the music moving at same speed and in
basically the same rhythm.
(Listen to Barbershop Quartet / Church
Chorales)
Modulation In particular, vocal songs that modulate up
a tone (tonic – supertonic) several times
throughout the piece, create a sense of
building up to a high point.
You might want to watch this YouTube:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp_zqRP9PMk
“Livin’ On A Prayer” – Bon Jovi – (here Bon
Jovi has to sing really high but energetically
to accommodate the modulation)
Imitation Imitation of a phrase previously stated by
another…might have slight changes.
Canon and Fugue is a type of imitation (is
Fugue / Canon / Staggered entries very strict with identical musical parts
played with staggered entry)
Children’s Rounds – “Row Row Row your
boat”
Pedal A sustained note (usually dominant or
tonic) in the lowest part of musical texture
Syncopation
Misplaced accent
Jazz in particular includes lots of
syncopation
Diminution Shortening of the note values (perhaps
with addition of extra notes) but basic
melody remains the same in 2nd example.
(Hint: if something is diminishing, it is
becoming less)
Augmentation Lengthening of the note values (perhaps
with addition of extra notes) but basic
melody remains the same in 2nd example.
(Hint: if something is augmenting, it is
becoming more)
Counter melody Fantasia on the Dargarson – Holst 2nd Suite
in F
Scarborough fair / Canticle – Simon & Garfunkel
(See Monophony / Polyphony)
Les Miserables – One More Day
As a quick rule of thumb; A counter melody should move when
the main melody is stationary and vice versa. Invisible Touch - Genesis
Call and Response “Perdido” by Juan Tizol
Watch this really short master class (in 2
parts)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxg4AP1MKDk
Recapitulation The restatement of the main theme.
Ternary form (A-B-A) is a perfect musical
example of this occurring.
Any Sonata will feature a recapitulation.
The form of a Sonata is:
Exposition – Development – Recapitulation
(2 main themes) (1 theme is developed) (the main themes are
restated)
Fragmentation A melody is developed by using ‘fragments’
of the originally stated melody. These can
occur in other parts (i.e. a counter melody
or a bass line / ostinato) and not only in the
main melodic line.
Main melody …………………fragments of that melody
Inversion To turn something upside-down – in a
melody the intervals between each note
are reversed. i.e. up a 3rd becomes down a
3rd; up a 2nd becomes down a 2nd…
12 Tone serialism uses prime order,
retrograde order, inverted order and
retrograde inversion
Passing Note - a note which forms a discord and is
between 2 chordal notes
Auxilliary note – a discordant note (a step above or
below) that occurs between two repetitions of the
same concordant note
