Chapter 4
Melody and Counterpoint
Melody is a defining characteristic of music, along with rhythm, harmony, and form. However, it is not entirely distinct from these other domains; in fact, it relates directly to each of them. Although harmony is often thought of as the “vertical” aspect of music (wherein pitches combine as simultaneities) and melody is considered to be the “horizontal” aspect (wherein pitches unfold in a linear fashion through time), the idea of harmonic progression historically came to be discussed as a separate musical parameter only after composers were combining individual melodies for hundreds of years. Thus, melodies created our notion of harmony by being combined together. Melody, too, is related to rhythm; a melody can ...
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