Introduction to Motives

Abstract

Chapter 1 of Musical Motives provides a general introduction to the topic of motives. The etymology and origins of the word “motive” are briefly considered, along with its parallels to the “motifs” of visual art and architecture. A working definition for “motive” from Arnold Schoenberg (“the smallest part of a piece or section of a piece that, despite change and repetition, is recognizable as present throughout”) is presented in advance of more formal definitions to be presented in chapters 4–7. For the purposes of this study, motives are required “to move” and “to move listeners.” Analyses of excerpts from Sousa, Beethoven, and Mozart introduce readers to proper motivic identification and labeling technique.