231 Motive

New Material • Motive content • Motive writing

Motive (motif) A motive (sometimes referred to in the French: motif) is a melodic fragment that is repeated or varied to form a full melody, theme, or phrase. Motives are established by continued use; a group of notes that is not repeated is not a motive. The end of a motive is marked by either 1) its immediate repetition, 2) a rest, or 3) contrasting material. Usually, the repetition of a motive immediately follows its first appearance. Occasionally, contrasting material may forestall the repetition—but the motive will always be heard again at a later point in time.

Germ Sometimes a longer motive can be heard as the summary of two or three smaller ideas. Each of these would be called a germ.

Good motives have a distinctive profile created by simple, memorable and a few melodic intervals.

Motive Examples

Melodic and rhythmic elements tend to be balanced in common practice motives. However, if a motive is meant to be primarily rhythmic, it may have little melodic curve.

Primarily Rhythmic Motives

If a motive has a particularly interesting interval, the rhythmic profile might be less memorable.

Primarily Melodic Motives

Harmony can play a significant role in emphasizing a particular interval. Note the way the minor-to-major supports the melodic half step in the following example.

Melodic-Harmonic Motive

Most good motives, though, have an interesting and a unique melodic feature.

Melodic-Rhythmic Motive

Length and Meter

Examining the length of the motives above will show that motives tend to be a few beats to a few bars. Most found in the common practice music are two measures, but motives of one measure, four measures, and one-half measure (in 4/4) are abundant. Motives of irregular lengths -- three measures, five measures, or odd fractions of measures -- are more common in music of the last 100 years.

Examining the motives above in terms of meter reveals nothing out of the ordinary. This, too, is an important aspect of motives of the : most motives emphasize the given meter rather than work against it.

The two examples below represent exceptions to the above tendencies of length and meter. In the Beethoven Piano Sonata Op. 31, No. 1, the melody (taken by itself) seems to work against the meter, making it seem off by one sixteenth-note. But when the left hand is added to the melody, the meter becomes quite clear. Note, however, that the motive has an unusual length: five measures. The 1924 Gershwin Facinating Rhythm also presents both an unusual length and unusual association with the written meter.

Motives of Unusual Length

Please note: the information on this page has been supplied by Dr. Ronald Caltabiano