Melody

As Printed on a Score

Printed over a part (Melody) to show which line carries the principal tune, especially in dense textures or where the tune passes between instruments; it holds for the passage.

How Composers Use It

Use it to make the leading line clear where the texture might hide it, and lower the accompaniment’s dynamics to match rather than relying on the label alone. It works like the Hauptstimme bracket of German scores. Mark it selectively, at the points where the tune changes hands; if every line is labelled melody, the label means nothing.

Example

Beach, Symphony in E minor (“Gaelic”), Op. 32, second movement, clarinet 1, m. 161: “Melody” is printed at f, two bars after a cresc.

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