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Music vocabulary · Melody, Form and Songwriting

Leitmotif

Meaning in music, with examples

nounAdvanced term

In music, leitmotif means: A recurring musical idea associated with a particular character, object, place or idea, which can change as the story develops.

In Turkish: leitmotif, kişiye veya fikre bağlı müzik motifi

How it is used

Used in opera and screen-music analysis. A leitmotif can be brief; changes in its harmony or instruments can suggest changes in its meaning.

Example sentences

  1. The hero's leitmotif returns on a solo cello when she remembers her childhood.

    The familiar musical idea links the memory scene to the same character.

  2. The composer shortened the leitmotif so it could fit beneath the brief entrance.

    The associated idea remains recognisable even though its duration is reduced.

Common collocations

  • recurring leitmotif
  • character leitmotif
  • develop a leitmotif
  • scoreWritten music that shows all the parts of a piece together, one above the other. It also means the original music written for a film, series or game.
  • melodyA sequence of single notes that forms a recognisable musical line, often the part that people remember and sing along to.
  • composeTo create an original piece of music, especially instrumental or classical music, film music or music written down in notation.

More terms: Melody, Form and Songwriting

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