Welcome to LivingPianos.com, I’m Robert Estrin. The subject today is about the necessity of melody in music. Does music need to have melody? When you think of almost any music, the first thing you think about is the melody. What is melody? Melody consists of two elements: pitch and rhythm. Some of the most beautiful music that we know and love is based upon melodies. For example, Chopin’s famous Nocturne in E flat. Listen to the beginning of this piece to understand the beauty of melody, and how we think of melody and music as synonymous. Another example of melody that everyone is familiar with is the gorgeous second movement of Beethoven’s Pathétique Sonata.
Not all music is based upon melody.
Does music need to have melody? The answer is no! There are whole genres of music that don’t utilize melody. But the vast majority of the music that we all know and love is based upon melody. Why is this? Most music throughout the millennia was never written down or recorded and was not played on any particular musical instrument. It was the human voice! The human voice has been with us as long as we have roamed this planet. The imitation of the human voice in wind instruments and bowed instruments is pretty obvious. Yet, we can also evoke that same quality of a singing line on a keyboard instrument. It’s in our biology. It’s in our DNA.
Some music is based solely on rhythm.
There are other types of music that could have been around in primitive times, rhythmically-based music that utilizes percussion instruments and is devoid of melody. In fact, African rhythms have permeated Western music since the introduction of jazz. This is the combination of Western harmonies along with African rhythms, which is very compelling. But does it have to have melody? Not necessarily. Many offshoots of jazz, particularly hip hop, can be devoid of melody to some extent or entirely and still it has musical context.
Another example in the classical world is minimalism.
Listen to Steve Reich, John Adams and Philip Glass, and you’ll hear music that has textures. It has pitch, but not necessarily melody. When you think of a melody, you think of a line. You think of a rise and a fall, just like the human breath. Yet, there is some great music that does not utilize this aspect.
While the vast majority of music is based upon melody, some music can just be rhythmically-based and still offer rich possibilities. Melody is vitally important in the vast majority of music. We all love the melodies that are dear to our heart. They speak to us in a visceral way because it’s part of our DNA. Throughout history and prehistory, melody has been with us and I hope it stays with us for a long time!
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6 thoughts on “Does Music Need to Have Melody?”
sometimes you can feel a melody where in a certain sense none is present. Schubert is a great example. In something like his “Ave Maria” the melody is really there. We can sing it without even missing the accompaniment. But then think of the “Death and the Maiden” (quartet) theme. If you try to sing the “melody line” you can’t. It’s just drab. The real “melody” emerges somehow from the harmony, and is beautifully moving.
It’s amazing how harmonies can make otherwise rather innocuous melodies sound profound. Another example of this is Chopin’s Prelude in E minor: https://youtu.be/m5vCm7sYAuY?t=311
Oh my. Did you give up on your gorgeous acoustic pianos? I would be devastated!
Never! I have the rare privilege of playing many fine American and German grand pianos, semi-concert grand pianos, and concert grand pianos. I also enjoy playing my prototype modular concert grand system which provides a virtual concert grand experience anywhere.
I play on so many pianos and enjoy all of them for what they offer. The instrument on this video works great for recording work since it is a concert grand piano action with physical modelled piano sounds that are always perfectly voiced and tuned. If you watch the whole video, there is a performance on an acoustic semi-concert grand piano for you!
Concerning the video on ‘melody in music’: would you agree that as an amateur pianist, the melody is important for begin recognized? We may not readily know the title of a familiar Classic, but we quickly recognize the melody, having heard it many times throughout our life. Personally, I enjoy listening to a piano piece if I can recognize and follow the melody. Other music, without a melody, is just a lot of chords going nowhere, and I am looking forward to the ending.
QUESTION: Why are you using a different piano for your videos now instead of a grand piano in the past videos? Thanks!! (retired Church Pianist/Sports Official)