Schenker’s Concept(s) Schenker’s Concept(s) ofof

Melody Melody

1. The Tonic Triad as Matrix

•Notes of the tonic triad are the most stable and form a compositional grid/matrix.•Others generally less stable (e.g. LT, upper LT; ^4 often functions as N or PT)2. Melodic descent: falling motion is the most natural, providing closure/completion.

3. Melodic fluency = stepwise or predominantly stepwise motion

4. Melodic prolongation: tones in melodically fluent lines can remain active in the eareven when they are not sounding

Bach Chorale 198: Christus, der uns selig macht

Beethoven, Sonata in E-flat Major, Op. 27, no. 1 (III)

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

6. Structure vs. ornament: Schenker theory distinguishes structural tones \ from ornamental tones; works therefore have structural levels/layers.

7. A dissonant note is never a structurally important tone (and is generally

incapable of further prolongation).

Beethoven Sonata in A-flat Major, Op. 26

8. Melodic Prolongation: structural tones can be prolonged (aural retention of a tone)techniques = (NN), linear progressions, (stepwise lines leading into or away from the structural note), et al.

Bach: Subject from WTC I, C# minor Fugue

9. Compound or Polyphonic Melody: Leaps often suggest two (or more)

melodically fluent voices in different registers. 10. Horizontalization: Melodies can horizontalize chords: ^5 ^5 PT ^3 PT ^1

11. Composing-Out: Structural lines often horizontalize (compose out) the tonic triad.

Schubert, Impromptu in B-flat Major

13. Å compound melody dominated by leaps can often suggest two underlying fluent melodic lines.

12. Compound melody or polyphonic melody often suggests long-range voice-leading connections between nonadjacent tones.

14. To Schenker, a melodic leap is often not a mere skip, but a temporary switch to an inner voice.

^3 ^2 ^1

15. Upward leaps can therefore mean that an inner voice has been “flipped” or transferred above the structural melody.

S S

A A

Schubert, Impromptu in B-flat Major

16. Interruption: Antecedant/Consequent Structures often suggest two melodic descents, one incomplete, breaking off at ^2, the descending leading tone, the other a complete descent to ^1.

^4=NN ̂ 3 ^2

^3 ^4=NN ̂ 3 ^2 ^1

^3

17. Substitution. Schenker sometimes infers a note that is not prominent or even present.

??

Mozart, Sonata in F Major

^5 prolonged by chordal skips

^5 prolonged by NN

^5 prolongedby filling in ^5-^3(linear progresson)

Melodically fluent structuralMelody ^5-^4-^3-^2-^1

^2 prolongedby choral skips

I ________________________ Parallel 6ths connect V7 I I to II6 (interm) smoothly

Phrase 1

Phrase 2

ß