Intervals are the distances between notes (or "rungs" on a musical ladder) in Western music.
The smallest interval is a semitone, while a whole tone consists of two semitones.
Whole tones are generally easier for people to sing than semitones.
Historical Context
Whole tone movements underpin much of the world's oldest religious and folk music, such as Christian plainchant.
Plainchant is characterized by stepwise movement, avoiding large leaps, fitting within a typical vocal range.
Similar stepwise movement is found in other traditions like Bulgarian folk songs.
Expansion of Intervals
Over time, music expanded to include wider intervals like the third, fourth, fifth, and by the Renaissance, even the sixth and seventh.
Larger intervals allowed for more ambitious, less predictable melodies.
Creating Melodies
Melodies are constructed by mixing different intervals.
An experiment demonstrated creating a melody using random interval selection, illustrating that this can produce a coherent, if not always hit-worthy, tune.
Composers have historically used a range of intervals to craft melodies, similar to creating stories using archetypal plots.
Musical Templates and Modes
Composers often use musical templates or modes, similar to storytelling archetypes, to formulate melodies.
Modes are note groups or scales that evoke specific emotions and are associated with different moods or occasions.
Different cultures have developed unique sets of modes.
Historical Use of Modes
Ancient Greeks, Indians, and Chinese associated modes with various emotions or purposes, like mourning, prayer, or celebrations.
In Europe, modes like Dorian, Aeolian, Phrygian, and Lydian were foundational to medieval plainchant and folk music.
Example: Aeolian Mode
The Aeolian mode is a solemn and sorrowful scale, used in many ancient melodies.
This mode was prominent until around the 16th century.
Evolution and Challenges of Modes
By the 16th century, English musicians began altering modes for more flexibility, leading to the concept of "sharpening" notes.
Sharpening: Raising notes by a semitone to assist in singing upwards phrases.
On descending phrases, notes were left in their original form.
This led to the emergence of "variable rungs" in musical scales.
Challenges arose when singers had different directions in melodies, causing musical clashes.
Conclusion
Intervals and modes play a crucial role in melody creation, with historical practices influencing contemporary music composition.
Understanding these fundamentals allows for deeper appreciation and innovation in music.