MoMC: Balance III

[WattsUrizen]

Now I'll talk about another aspect of symmetry in music.

 

Symmetry in Melody and Contrapuntus:

 

Symmetry in melody occurs whenever we have a correspendence around an axis. For instance we could have the melody A C D E D C A. This has a reflective correspondence around a vertical axis. We can also have melodies such as A B A F D C D, which has a reflective correspondence around a horizontal axis.

 

There are infinite possibilities to use symmetry in melody, by using different correspondences, not merely around a vertical or horizontal axis. We can also use rotational symmetry, for instance the C major scale has rotational symmetry. If we rotate it 90 degrees we have a reflective correspondence around the horizontal axis, if we rotate it again by 90 degrees, we return to the original idea.

 

Contrapuntus offers even more possibilities. For instance contrary motion is a reflective correspondence around a horizontal axis. Canons are a form of translational symmetry, where the correspondence exists in a temporal sense. We can also have automorphisms, but these exist more in a rhythmic sense, rather than melodic, so I'll mention these later.

 

So how does this all relate to balance? All of these aspects of symmetry can be used to manipulate motifs to create novelty and a degree of contrast, while still maintaining continuity. Being able to develop a theme is one of the primary abilities for a good composer, and using symmetry is a determining factor. So if you can learn to use symmetry to develop a theme, your music will become more balanced as you will have good continuity (by using less 'ideas/motifs') but also good contrast (by altering the 'ideas/motifs').