Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Melody is the meaning


Rhythm is thought to be the heartbeat to music.  To us, our heartbeat is crucial to every function; however, in music, the melody is more vital.  The rhythm is a helper to the melody.  The melody is more important because it gives the feeling/ emotion the music wishes to evoke.  Life is a game of reading and reacting, and the melody is the facial expression to music.  One could say “I am happy to see you” with my eyebrows high, eyes bright, and mouth in a smile.  Obviously, it is evident that the emotion is happiness.  Just as easily, one could say “I am happy to see you” with eyebrows turned down, eyelids at half mast, and my mouth in a frown; hopefully anyone could identify this as negative. It is possible to sing any phrase of words, but the manner in which it is said or the music is delivered has all the difference in the interpretation.  This interpretation of the melody in music is, “Lorren’s version of lamens terms to define melody” from the section in our book Melody in the Western World: “Summertime” from Porgy and Bess.  Rhythm is said to be the heartbeat to music and is very important to the melody.  However, my opinion of rhythm has been tainted by music of “My Generation”.  Many times the listener can become caught up in a new song.  The general first impression is that this music or song is good.  Take another listen and one might find that they have been caught up in a really good rhythm.  Once the listener comes back to the music and takes it all in, especially lyrics of today music, they in general are incoherent with the rhythm and beat.  A good rhythm can overshadow and catch the listeners in a trance, because of poor thought into the melody.  Why do musicians compose music?  They compose to convey an emotion or bring to light a message.  The melody is more important because the melody is the meaning.    

3 comments:

Unknown said...

I do agree that Melody is impotant in that it gives felling and emotion. When a minor cord is being play in the melody, it brings out a darker or sad side of the heart. Major chords can reveal adventure and happiness. This is a good blog.

Manfred said...

This is a good way of seeing too. Taking the artist's point of view into consideration makes you think twice.

hsage0707 said...

I admire your consistancy. You have a really valid point. What persuaded me to switch my thoughts on the topic was the way you compared the melody and the rhythm to the person's eyebrows and facial expressions. Your blog was well thought out and had a lot of support. I agree with everything you said.