![]() While some of these leitmotifs occur in only one of the operas, many recur throughout the entire cycle. His cycle of four operas, Der Ring des Nibelungen (the music for which was written between 18), uses hundreds of leitmotifs, often related to specific characters, things, or situations. Richard Wagner is the earliest composer most specifically associated with the concept of leitmotif. ![]() In Don Carlos, there are at least three leitmotifs that recur regularly across the five acts: the first is associated with the poverty and suffering from war, the second is associated with prayers around the tomb of Carlos V, and the third is introduced as a duet between Don Carlo and the Marquis of Posa, thereafter accentuating sentiments of sincere friendship and loyalty. In Il trovatore, the theme of the first aria by Azucena is repeated whenever she invokes the horror of how her mother was burnt alive and the devastating revenge she attempted then. In La forza del destino, the opening theme of the overture recurs whenever Leonora feels guilt or fear. Though perhaps not corresponding to the strict definition of leitmotif, several of Verdi's operas feature similar thematic tunes, often introduced in the overtures or preludes, and recurring to mark the presence of a character or to invoke a particular sentiment. This purely instrumental, programmatic work (subtitled Episode in the Life of an Artist … in Five Sections) features a recurring melody representing the object of the artist's obsessive affection and depicting her presence in various real and imagined situations. The related idea of the musical idée fixe was coined by Hector Berlioz in reference to his Symphonie fantastique (1830). Motifs also figured occasionally in purely instrumental music of the Romantic period. The first use of the word leitmotif in print was by the critic Friedrich Wilhelm Jähns in describing Weber's work, although this was not until 1871. Samiel in Der Freischütz is coupled with the chord of a diminished seventh). The power of the technique was exploited early in the nineteenth century by composers of Romantic opera, such as Carl Maria von Weber, where recurring themes or ideas were sometimes used in association with specific characters (e.g. Their use, however, is not extensive or systematic. In French opera of the late eighteenth century (such as the works of Gluck, Grétry and Méhul), "reminiscence motif" can be identified, which may recur at a significant juncture in the plot to establish an association with earlier events. The use of characteristic, short, recurring motifs in orchestral music can be traced back to the early seventeenth century, such as L'Orfeo by Monteverdi. ![]() ![]() It is sometimes also used in discussion of other musical genres, such as instrumental pieces, cinema, and video game music, sometimes interchangeably with the more general category of theme.Ĭlassical music Early instances in classical music Leitmotifs can help to bind a work together into a coherent whole, and also enable the composer to relate a story without the use of words, or to add an extra level to an already present story.īy association, the word has also been used to mean any sort of recurring theme (whether or not subject to developmental transformation) in literature, or (metaphorically) the life of a fictional character or a real person. The technique is notably associated with the operas of Richard Wagner, and most especially his Der Ring des Nibelungen, although he was not its originator and did not employ the word in connection with his work.Īlthough usually a short melody, it can also be a chord progression or even a simple rhythm. It may also be "combined with other leitmotifs to suggest a new dramatic condition" or development. In particular, such a motif should be "clearly identified so as to retain its identity if modified on subsequent appearances" whether such modification be in terms of rhythm, harmony, orchestration or accompaniment. melodic, harmonic, or rhythmic, or all three", a salient recurring figure, musical fragment or succession of notes that has some special importance in or is characteristic of a composition: "the smallest structural unit possessing thematic identity." A musical motif has been defined as a "short musical idea . The spelling leitmotif is an anglicization of the German Leitmotiv ( IPA: ), literally meaning "leading motif", or "guiding motif". It is closely related to the musical concepts of idée fixe or motto-theme. A leitmotif or leitmotiv ( / ˌ l aɪ t m oʊ ˈ t iː f/) is a "short, recurring musical phrase" associated with a particular person, place, or idea.
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