Have you heard the composition, "Peter and the Wolf"? This specific piece of music has some repeating sections of MOTIVE - A short melodic or rhythmic idea that recurs throughout a musical composition.
I've not played this piece probably since high school and not listened to it but one or two times over the last twenty five years, but I can still hear the passages and instruments depicting the specific characters of the story. I hear the timpani which represent the hunters, the french horn which represents the wolf, the flute which represents the birds and the bassoon which represents Peter's grandfather. In this elaborate composition, there are several short melodic or rhythmic ideas that recur often throughout the piece. And the music would not be the same without them.
Please enjoy this YouTube video of Prokovieff's "Peter and the Wolf" narrated by Boris Karloff:
In searching for a musical term to write about this week, this one struck me as motive relates to so many things in our lives. And in thinking about this specific recording, this relates to our lives as well. How so?
- What is our motive behind doing something?
- Do we see a motive (recurring theme) that has occurred in our life?
- Does someone else have a motive for being kind or being dishonest?
- Do we continue to do something that might not be safe for us or those in our lives?
- Is there someone in our lives reminding us of what we should be doing with our life?
- Have we learned from recurrences in or life or are we set to revisit our lives again and again?
- Do we have goals in our life (a motive/direction) to guide us in our decisions?
What has helped you overcome or embrace motives (themes) that have come before? What has helped you stay focused on future motives (goals)?
Has music helped you at all in either capacity?
What motives (plans) do you have with music in your lives for the future?
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