Melody and Motive
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9.4: Nate Mitchell, “Variations on a Theme by K.K. Slider: Variation Sets and the Hourly Music of Animal Crossing: New Horizons” – treats the soundtrack of Animal Crossing: New Horizons as a modern example of theme and variations form; suitable for introducing theme and variations at all levels
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7.4: Michael Buchler, “I Don’t Care if I Never Get Back: Optimism and Ascent in ‘Take Me Out to The Ball Game’” – analyzes the melodic structure and phrase structure of the verse of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” to contextualize the melodic ascent of the better-known chorus; suitable for students at all levels learning about cadences, phrase structure, and melodic norms, as well as for advanced students of linear analysis
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7.5: Adem Merter Birson, “Understanding Turkish Classical Makam: Identifying Modes Through Characteristic Melodies” – shows how melodic formulas underlie makam melodies, and how these formulas were obscured by the adaptation of the repertoire to Western staff notation
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6.3: Daniel Ketter, “Discovering Essential Voices in Johann Sebastian Bach’s Solo Instrumental Suite Movements” – suitable for teaching binary form (especially differences between Baroque and Classical binary form), paired with Brody, “Teaching Bach’s Binary Forms” (see bibliography); discusses how Bach implies distinct voices in his solo instrumental works; suitable for advanced students studying linear analysis (pairs well with Rothstein, “on Implied Tones”); see also https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yguQ1Q3kGB8&list=PLoDoWaIYcEP_bCYiTYBNnFwG2TypHrTDG and discussion in Headlam, “Music Informance: Performance for the Information Age” in the Oxford Handbook of Public Music Theory
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4.1: Christopher Doll, “Was it Diegetic, or Just a Dream? Music’s Paradoxical Place in the Film Inception” – explains terms “diegetic,” “nondiegetic,” and “fantastical gap” as it relates to analysis of music in Inception (2010); shows interrelations between motives drawn from diegetic content used in Hans Zimmer’s film score, which serves both diegetic and nondiegetic functions; ideal for engaging analysis of film music and meaningful motivic relations