Melody and harmony: describing melodic features (conjunct and disjunct motion, range, sequence, ornamentation, phrasing, motif), chords and progressions, consonance and dissonance, and the difference between diatonic, chromatic and modal harmony, applied to listening extracts in any style.

What this dot point is asking

This dot point gives you the analytical language for melody and harmony that the WJEC Appraising exam uses across every style, from the symphony set works to jazz, pop and contemporary music. It asks you to describe melodic features (motion, range, sequence, ornamentation, motif, phrasing) and harmonic features (chords, progressions, consonance and dissonance, and the difference between diatonic, chromatic and modal harmony) precisely.

The answer

Describing melody

Good melodic description is specific: instead of "a nice tune", say "a conjunct, arch-shaped melody built from a two-bar motif that is sequenced, in balanced four-bar phrases".

Chords, progressions and dissonance

How tense or restful, simple or rich the harmony sounds is part of the style: pop harmony is often simple and repetitive, Romantic and jazz harmony rich and chromatic.

Diatonic, chromatic and modal harmony

The three harmonic languages to distinguish are: diatonic harmony (chords built from the notes of one key, with functional progressions and clear cadences, heard in Classical music and most pop); chromatic harmony (using notes and chords from outside the key, such as secondary dominants, diminished sevenths and augmented sixths, for colour and tension, heard richly in Romantic music and jazz); and modal harmony (built on a mode such as Dorian or Mixolydian rather than major or minor, giving a distinctive folk-like, modal-jazz or impressionist colour). Naming which language an extract uses immediately places its style.

Putting melody and harmony together

In analysis, melody and harmony interact: a melody is supported, coloured or clashed against by its harmony. A lyrical melody over rich chromatic chords sounds Romantic; a riff over a simple diatonic loop sounds like pop; an angular line over parallel ninth chords sounds impressionist. Describing both the tune and its harmonic backdrop, and how they fit, gives a full picture of an extract.

Examples in context

Model paragraph (describing melody and harmony together). Accurate description names what the ear actually hears. Take a Classical phrase: the melody is conjunct and arch-shaped, built from a neat two-bar motif that is then sequenced a step lower, and it falls into balanced four-bar phrases, an antecedent that ends with an open imperfect cadence answered by a consequent closing with a perfect cadence. Underneath, the harmony is diatonic and functional, the chords drawn from the home key and moving through clear I, IV and V progressions, mostly consonant with a brief dissonance prepared and resolved at the cadence. Set the same melody over chromatic, restless chords and the style shifts towards the Romantic; set it over parallel sevenths and a whole-tone colour and it turns impressionist. The point is to describe the melody and the harmony precisely and to say how they combine, because that combination is what defines the style.

Try this

Q1. What is the difference between conjunct and disjunct melodic motion? [2 marks]

• Cue. Conjunct moves mainly by step; disjunct moves by leap.

Q2. What is a sequence in a melody? [2 marks]

• Cue. A melodic idea restated immediately at a higher or lower pitch.

Q3. Explain the difference between diatonic, chromatic and modal harmony, with an example of where each is heard. [10 marks]

• What the marker wants. Diatonic (chords from one key, functional, with cadences, Classical and pop), chromatic (chords from outside the key, for colour and tension, Romantic and jazz) and modal (built on a mode, folk-like or impressionist), each with a stylistic example.