# What is your favorite melody in a work by a composer?



## omnislacrima (Nov 19, 2014)

Some works are really well known just for having a really great repeating melody or theme and it can make a work more memorable, looking to check out some new stuff so i figured this a good way to start

personally I really like the melody in great gate of kiev by mussorsky


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

My favorite Tchaikovsky melody is the opening oboe solo of the second movement of Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony.


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## trazom (Apr 13, 2009)

So many to choose from, I was listening to Handel's _Ariodante_ and was surprised at the amount of melodies; but I can't think of any specific ones. There's also so many from Schubert, Tchaikovsky(especially the 4th symphony) Brahms, and of course Mozart. I'll pick one of my favorite Mozartian ear worms that was bouncing around in my head for hours after seeing the opera performed live:

_È amore un ladroncello- Love is a little thief_. In this, Dorabella basically admits to Fiordiligi that she gave in to her "Albanian" suitor and suggests that Fiordiligi should stop resisting and embrace her inner ****--






Simple and playful aria just like the character. It's in rondo form, some chromaticism at the end of the second section which suggests complex mixed feelings, then a jagged figure in the bass suggesting emotional pain if one fights against love, then ends the same way it began: innocently and naive, and Dorabella's obviously made up her mind. Mozart's gift in opera is exemplified in the contrast between an innocent melody, the changing tone colors, and agitated sections of the orchestral accompaniment which represent her coming to terms with more adult, mature emotions. In a sense, this piece has a lot of what I like about Mozart in it.Oh! and the clarinets!!


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## The nose (Jan 14, 2014)

Dvorak's _New World Symphony_'s Allegro con fuoco


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## MoonlightSonata (Mar 29, 2014)

omnislacrima said:


> Some works are really well known just for having a really great repeating melody or theme...


Repeating melody or theme? Ravel's Bolero leaps immediately to mind.


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## QuietGuy (Mar 1, 2014)

Ravel: Le Jardin féerique from Ma Mere L'Oye.

There's something quite noble and dignified about it. And I like the pure-as-snow C Major and the fanfare at the end! Fantastic!


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## D Smith (Sep 13, 2014)

This is an interesting question. What immediately popped into my mind was the melody from the 4th movement of Brahms' First Symphony so I'll go with that, even though I've thought of 10 others!


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## Dave Whitmore (Oct 3, 2014)

I would have to go with the Largo movement in Dvorak's New World Symphony. The violin playing in that is so haunting and beautiful. Beethoven's Violin Concerto also has some wonderful melodious moments.


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## Kopachris (May 31, 2010)

Initially tempted to say Scheherazade's theme from (no surprises) Scheherazade, and subsequently tempted to agree with hdpowers, I have finally decided on the four note motif from Beethoven's fifth symphony.


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## poconoron (Oct 26, 2011)

Well, this is right up there:


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

The main march theme of Tchaikowsky's _Capriccio Italien_, because that's where it all started for me.


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## musicrom (Dec 29, 2013)

hpowders said:


> My favorite Tchaikovsky melody is the opening oboe solo of the second movement of Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony.


This was actually the first melody I thought of too. It might not actually be my favorite though - there are just way too many excellent melodies to choose from!


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## dgee (Sep 26, 2013)

Two unheralded great melodies are the opening of the andante of Beethoven symphony 5 and the second subject of the opening allegro of Beethoven symphony 8 - so gracious! Prokofiev melodies are wonderful too - finale of symphony 5 and the slow movement of the classical symphony stand out to me. Or how about late Bartok? The 3rd piano concerto opens with a very beautiful melody and the slinky lopsided tune in the fourth mvmt of concerto for orchestra is really delightful.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

The voice of musical perfection and simplicity


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

I'm digging the melody at 0:44. And the accompanying note's rhythms just gives the greatest contrast that works _perfectly_ in that moment!


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## Blancrocher (Jul 6, 2013)

The one at the opening of Beethoven's 24th piano sonata:






I can't help waiting for it to come back, even though I know it never will.


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## scratchgolf (Nov 15, 2013)

This is still one of my favorites, although I don't listen often. Also, the opening passage of movement 5, Beethoven Symphony 6.


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## Skilmarilion (Apr 6, 2013)

I thought it was long ago established that _that_ melody from Schubert's quintet is like, the greatest melody, like, ever. :tiphat:

@ 2:48


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## scratchgolf (Nov 15, 2013)

or this?

0:43 and then 2:43


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

*Satie, Gymnopedie No. 1*

This melody could go on forever, but it doesn't, because, as Ned Rorem said, he knew when to stop.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Skilmarilion said:


> I thought it was long ago established that _that_ melody from Schubert's quintet is like, the greatest melody, like, ever. :tiphat:
> 
> @ 2:48


Perhaps in YOUR mind. Certainly not in MY mind. 

When I want memorable melodies, I turn to Tchaikovsky. He be da man!!!


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## Dustin (Mar 30, 2012)

Without searching my mind for hours to analyze all the melodies I know, let me throw out the melody from Chopin's 4th Ballade. On my Ashkenazy recording, it is the section from about :45 to 1:15 but near the end of that stretch, there is a stretch of 10 notes that are the pinnacle of the melody in my mind.


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## trazom (Apr 13, 2009)

Skilmarilion said:


> I thought it was long ago established that _that_ melody from Schubert's quintet is like, the greatest melody, like, ever. :tiphat:
> 
> @ 2:48


Hmm. I only hear a cadence at 2:48.:lol: I'm just kidding, I know which melody you meant. It seems like a lot of people always respond to that one when thinking of that quintet. I always thought it was just okay, but that Schubert wrote better melodies. I prefer the opening of his string quartet #13, or most of his late piano sonatas. In the G major, there's this C major melody towards the end of the last movement that always takes my breathe away.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Another favorite is the opening oboe solo of the second movement of Mahler's Third Symphony.


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## Rhombic (Oct 28, 2013)

One of the "softest" melodies, just like a small cotton ball covered in honey... Fauré's pavane.


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## Skilmarilion (Apr 6, 2013)

Dave Whitmore said:


> Beethoven's Violin Concerto also has some wonderful melodious moments.


Tell me about it.

@ 7:22


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

I love the hauntingly beautiful melody that opens Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3, first in the principal clarinet, then joined by the second clarinet and finally, by the strings.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

The beautiful french horn solo about 40 seconds in during the second movement of Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony is unforgettable.


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## trazom (Apr 13, 2009)

Normally I don't think of Beethoven as a melodist, but piano sonata #30 and the Piano trio "Archduke" are stuffed with lots of great melodies.

I forgot to share this early gem from Mozzie:


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## Loge (Oct 30, 2014)

Beethoven's 7th second movement. Been fascinated with it ever since I heard it in an awful movie called Zardoz.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Loge said:


> Beethoven's 7th second movement. Been fascinated with it ever since I heard it in an awful movie called Zardoz.


Zardoz wasn't awful! Well, yes it was, kind of.


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## Musicforawhile (Oct 10, 2014)

Ok I want to see this Zardoz movie now. I'll give it a go and see how bad it really is.


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## Jos (Oct 14, 2013)

Rachmaninoff, vocalise






Maybe not an absolute fav, but one that does pop up in my mind often.


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## Skilmarilion (Apr 6, 2013)

Skilmarilion said:


> I thought it was long ago established that _that_ melody from Schubert's quintet is like, the greatest melody, like, ever. ...


Actually, I may have been mistaken earlier ... and it's all Rachmaninov's fault.

@ 4:06 (it's not often one envies classical saxophonists!)


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## trazom (Apr 13, 2009)

Musicforawhile said:


> Ok I want to see this Zardoz movie now. I'll give it a go and see how bad it really is.


While you're at it, may as well watch Jennifer's Body, Killer Clowns from Outer Space, and finally, the most unintentionally, hilariously bad film made available on Netflix instant: Tamara.


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## Loge (Oct 30, 2014)

Musicforawhile said:


> Ok I want to see this Zardoz movie now. I'll give it a go and see how bad it really is.


No need, just watch the trailer, Beethoven 7 is at the end.






There just saved you 2 hours.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Skilmarilion said:


> I thought it was long ago established that _that_ melody from Schubert's quintet is like, the greatest melody, like, ever. :tiphat:


It is until Schubert clubs it to death. And then repeats the whole expo! And then, again in the recap...

By the time the first movement is over, the charm of this little melody has palled substantially.


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## Marschallin Blair (Jan 23, 2014)

Musicforawhile said:


> Ok I want to see this Zardoz movie now. I'll give it a go and see how bad it really is.


If you watch it with the right 'ad-libbing' friends?- its one of the funniest things you'll see in your life.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

In the first movement of Medtner's Piano Concerto No. 2, at one minute and forty six seconds there is a lovely lyrical tune for piano which lasts 'til around two minutes and fifteen seconds. Hauntingly beautiful!


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## AdmiralSilver (Sep 28, 2013)

Mahler 2 4b. Etwas bewegter
the clarinet & the violin 2:36





Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No.1 





The opening of Mozart's Quintet in Gm 





Brahms' 2nd PC 2nd mov.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

A Mighty Fortress in the 4th movement of Mendelssohn's 5th symphony:





Here is the original hymn in organ and piano with words on screen:


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## DiesIraeCX (Jul 21, 2014)

All this talk of the 1st Mvt of Schubert's Quintet, it's phenomenal but I much prefer the haunting and ghostly melody in the 2nd Mvt. Blows my mind every time.

For a fuller set up, start at 4:25. Enjoy!


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## Pyotr (Feb 26, 2013)

This melody has been whirling around in my brain the last few weeks. Can you guess the German baroque composer? How about the work?
View attachment track1.mp3


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

Believe it or not, my favorite melody in classical may be the main theme of *Schumann's piano concerto, movement 3* (starting properly about 22 seconds into the link). The melody is complex, rhythmically bewildering, wanders all over creation before repeating, yet is accessible and memorable enough to hum in the shower. It's uplifting too.

I don't know if you'd think of it as "by a composer," but my favorite non-classical melody is the finale of Jethro Tull's _A Passion Play_ "Hail! Son of kings make the ever-dying sign . . ." I feel so alive when I hear that! It's a celebration of life rivaled only by the finale of Beethoven's 9th. Note: it's rock, so don't be offended. There are many other wonderful melodies in this 48 minute work as well.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

At the start of the second movement of Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto, after a pizzicato introduction, there is a glorious melody for violin.
Nobody did it better than Heifetz. Gil Shaham, while not in that league, will have to suffice here.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

KenOC said:


> *It is until Schubert clubs it to death.* And then repeats the whole expo! And then, again in the recap...
> 
> By the time the first movement is over, the charm of this little melody has palled substantially.


Ummm yes....Schubert ain't in my top 50 for pulling crap like that!!! 

There oughta be a law!!!


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## trazom (Apr 13, 2009)

Just to be fair to Schubert, he probably learned it from one of his idols: Beethoven. The opening theme of the Pastoral symphony gets a bit tedious if both repeats are taken, which is what they did when I saw it performed a couple months ago. It doesn't help that they used it so effectively in Logan's Run, either. I always thought the music was supposed to give them peace in that scene, but maybe hearing the same jaunty theme over and over makes them wish the process would end just a little bit quicker.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Okay, then. I will hold onto my vast collection of two Schubert CD's.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

The third movement of Charles Ives' Concord Piano Sonata contains one of the most hauntingly beautiful melodies ever composed.


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## MagneticGhost (Apr 7, 2013)

Holst's Jupiter - 'I Vow to Thee' but not the song version - the lush string version from the Planets. 

Whilst we're on Holst - his version of In the Bleak Midwinter is probably my favourite carol.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

At the second movement's beginning after a pizzicato introduction from Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto Number One, there is a meltingly beautiful flute solo, after which, is taken up by the piano to memorable effect.

Really now, has there ever been ANY composer as great a melodist as Tchaikovsky?


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## The nose (Jan 14, 2014)

hpowders said:


> Really now, has there ever been ANY composer as great a melodist as Tchaikovsky?


I vote for Bellini.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Here is the glorious oboe solo from Ravel's Le Tombeau de Couperin. I prefer a less "Germanic" oboe with less vibrato, but one takes what YouTube offers.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Perhaps the mother of all melodies is the glorious English Horn solo from the second movement of Dvorak's New World Symphony.


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## DeepR (Apr 13, 2012)

Zardoz was my introduction to that Beethoven piece. All I remember is Sean Connery running around in bare chest and some half naked women. It's a super weird movie.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

What a beautiful, soaring melody the violin has at the start of the Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 1.

Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev-the two greatest melodists ever. Must be a Russian thing!


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

I can't leave Brahms out in the famous melody sweepstakes.
The second movement of the Brahms Violin Concerto starts with a meltingly beautiful melody for principal oboe, soon to be taken up by the solo violin.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Continuing with Brahms, there is the unforgettable, beautiful melody for solo cello at the beginning of the third movement of Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Some long time favorites:

2nd movement from Beethoven's Pathetique sonata
Ravel- Prelude to Le Tombeau de Couperin
Stravinsky-Royal Marche from Soldier's Tale
Bach- 2nd movement from Brandenburg Concerto no. 1
Debussy-Arabesque no. 1


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## composira (Sep 17, 2014)

The solo violin in the first movement of Suk's Fairy Tale (at about 1:10)


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

hpowders said:


> What a beautiful, soaring melody the violin has at the start of the Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 1.
> 
> Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev-the two greatest melodists ever. Must be a Russian thing!


Shostakovich at his best is at least their equal. But some of his very best melodic creations are polymelodies, that is interwoven complementary strands forming an indecomposable melodic whole. Any part of the slow movement of Shostakovich's Fifth Quartet is melodic genius, an unquiet dream, a sweet labyrinthine nightmare. Start at 10:42:


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## DeepR (Apr 13, 2012)

Some of my favorite melodic lines in solo piano (and quite the selection of pianists too! )

Schumann - Des Abends (Argerich)





Schumann/Liszt - Widmung (Kissin)





Chopin
Nocturne Op. 27 No. 1 (Rubinstein)




Nocturne Op. 72 No. 1 (Richter)





Rachmaninoff - Elegie Op. 3 No. 1 (reproduced Rachmaninoff)





Scriabin - Etude Op. 8 No. 8 (Horowitz)


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

The first Sea Interlude from Benjamin Britten's Peter Grimes contains this hauntingly beautiful melody. Unforgettable!


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

The opening of the Second Movement of Beethoven's Second Symphony contains this glorious melody. One of Beethoven's finest.


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## Avey (Mar 5, 2013)

_"...I wanted to write something for once that was very melodious and straightforward...that is why it all turned out so simply. And it's good that it did."_


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## Skilmarilion (Apr 6, 2013)

Why do there seem to be implications that there is a kind of either/or deal re: Schubert and Tchaikovsky? I'll resoundingly take both every time. :tiphat:

Also, I thought it went without saying that Pyotr Ilyich was a don in terms of melodic genius.

One of his very finest, imo:

@ 0:58


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Hard to beat the soaring opening of Bruckner's Seventh Symphony.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

The opening bassoon solo of Stravinsky's Le Sacre du Printemps gets me every time.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

The very opening melody of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23 is one of Mozart's best.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

The opening clarinet melody of the second movement of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto is another of his finest melodies.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

The second movement of Beethoven's Emperor Piano Concerto catches him in a rare lyrical mood.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

The beginning of Aaron Copland's Clarinet Concerto contains one of Copland's most beautiful melodies as played by the solo clarinet.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

The second movement of Haydn's Surprise Symphony, No. 94 has an irresistible, simple melody that practically anyone can hum.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Who can resist the gorgeous opening melody Of the third movement of Schumann's Second Symphony? The height of German Romanticism!


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

The second movement of Nikolai Medtner's Second Piano Concerto begins with this drop dead gorgeous melody.

Enjoy!


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

The beginning of the Second Movement of Rachmaninov's Third Piano Concerto begins with this lovely, but moody melody.


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## MoonlightSonata (Mar 29, 2014)

How about the eerie main melody of Saint-Saens' _Danse Macabre?_


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

At the beginning of the third movement of the Rachmaninov Second Symphony is this fantastic melody for strings, that becomes truly soaring when taken up by the principal clarinet.


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## grimtraveller (Dec 1, 2014)

MagneticGhost said:


> Holst's Jupiter - 'I Vow to Thee' but not the song version - the lush string version from the Planets.


A month or so ago, I kept hearing this piece in an advert and it was driving me nuts, it's such a beautiful piece. In the end, I thought, "I've got to have this !" so I went into a shop that sells classical records and hummed the tune to the shopkeeper and asked him if he could tell me what it was and who it was by. When he told me, I felt such a fool ~ I already had it at home ! :lol:


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## grimtraveller (Dec 1, 2014)

I love Schubert's "The trout." Long before I knew what it was called or who it was by or what it was, that melody had somehow lodged itself in my head. When my little brother was a baby, I used the melody to construct a song that I used to sing to him to try and get him to sleep. I was 6 at the time.
He actually did go to sleep once or twice.


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## grimtraveller (Dec 1, 2014)

omnislacrima said:


> What is your favorite melody in a work by a composer?


That's an impossible question to answer really. I like so many different genres of music and though I like some avant garde stuff and some free jazz, I'm a sucker for riffs and melodies. And there are so many lovely classical melodies.


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## Musicforawhile (Oct 10, 2014)

grimtraveller said:


> I love Schubert's "The trout." Long before I knew what it was called or who it was by or what it was, that melody had somehow lodged itself in my head. When my little brother was a baby, I used the melody to construct a song that I used to sing to him to try and get him to sleep. I was 6 at the time.
> He actually did go to sleep once or twice.


If you like reading, you might like "An Equal Music" by Vikram Seth - it's a modern book not exactly literature I suppose but well worth reading especially if you are a musician or enthusiast and Schubert's 'Trout' has a particular significance in the book.


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## grimtraveller (Dec 1, 2014)

Blancrocher said:


> The one at the opening of Beethoven's 24th piano sonata:
> I can't help waiting for it to come back, even though I know it never will.


In a way, this is something that separates jazz, classical and Indian at one end from most other forms of popular music at the other. In most other forms of popular music there is a healthy degree of melodic repetition within a fairly short time frame whereas with the other three, the melodic lines can be short and sweet or seriously lengthy or so elongated as to cause one to pretty much forget the melodic run by the time you get to the end of it ! And then for good measure, there's a variation rather than a repetition.
That said, there are so many gorgeous melodies in classical music. It's annoying sometimes when they're not repeated. Ear candy has a healthy place sometimes, Methinks.


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## grimtraveller (Dec 1, 2014)

hpowders said:


> My favorite Tchaikovsky melody is the opening oboe solo of the second movement of Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony.


I think he wrote some beautiful melodies. Two pieces from "Swan Lake" really stand out for me, the "No.2 Valse" and "Danses des cygnes - Pas d'action."
With the latter, I had that tune running around in my head for a good 17 years. My Dad used to play it around the house over many years and I must have absorbed it by osmosis or something. As a teenager, I wrote a song using part of it as a climax {the song was hopeless, it was called "Rotunda" ~ don't ask me why !}. Anyway, when I was in my 30s, I hummed it to and asked my Dad what it was called and who it was by and maybe my humming was that bad but he said it was called "The jewels of the Madonna" by someone called Wolf Ferrari {he sounds like a Mafia hit man from some cheap gangster novel}. I spent ages looking for it because few had ever heard of it or him but eventually I found it on an EP and I was thrilled.......until I got home, played it and it wasn't the one !

I did eventually find it in the library. I remember the guy who put me onto it seeming quite irked when I asked him if he was sure it was Tchaikovsky and Swan Lake. But then, he hadn't been chasing Wolf Ferrari all over London ! :lol:


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## grimtraveller (Dec 1, 2014)

MoonlightSonata said:


> Repeating melody or theme? Ravel's Bolero leaps immediately to mind.


Since 1984, I cannot hear this sumptuous piece of music without seeing, in my mind's eye, a huge ice rink !



Musicforawhile said:


> Ok I want to see this Zardoz movie now. I'll give it a go and see how bad it really is.


It's beyond bad. In fact, on the scale of rubbish, it doesn't even _get up to_ bad !
An old lecturer at college used to say that next would be "Son of Zardoz." For some reason, that's always stuck in my mind. There's only three things he said that I remember and that's one of them.



Weston said:


> I don't know if you'd think of it as "by a composer," but my favorite non-classical melody is the finale of Jethro Tull's _A Passion Play_........Note: it's rock, so don't be offended. There are many other wonderful melodies in this 48 minute work as well.


Progressive rock, when it began in the mid 60s, was an attempt to get away from a strictly blues based form although no band that was deemed to be progressive abandoned blues totally. It was impossible to abandon blues totally. However, many of the artists wanted to move into freer, more complex areas of music composition and recording and the classical side was one area that many musicians brought in wholesale. Quite a number of rock musicians had been classically trained, anyway. Jazz, African, Indian were also fair game. Fusing with different, previously opposing genres is what caused the music initially to be called 'progressive.'
Progressive kind of mutated into prog by the early 70s and lengthy 15+ minute pieces became _de rigeur_ on albums. Much of that came from trying to match classical pieces with their three, four and five movements. Paul McCartney in the mid 70s stated "I used to think, 'well that's very clever, all that stuff [classical music].' But it isn't you know, it's just exactly what's going on in pop at the moment.....pop music is the classical music of now."



hpowders said:


> Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev.....Must be a Russian thing!


I'd add Khachaturian to that, if only for "Sabre dance" {though I really like "Spartacus too}. It's one of those pieces that just always seemed to be around when I was young. I even remember the Railways using it for an advert {I remember the way they weaved in all these British cities and towns into the melody, like "E-din-borough-to South-Hampton"}. But it was a hard rock version by Lovesculpture that first really brought it alive to me. I was sleeping on a chair after a party and freezing because it had snowed and I had the radio on when this piece came on and it was electric and seemed to go on forever. It was really long. Through the haze of tiredness I heard the DJ name it and I determined to track it down, which I did. 
It was a while later that I listened to Khachaturian's version and I have to say, I prefer it. Lovesculpture's is still really exciting but the classical version, being more than just guitar, bass and drums, has the _drama_.
As for Prokofiev, if I was the composer of "Dance of the Knights", "Departure of the guests" and "Peter & the wolf", I don't think I'd be able to stop beaming from ear to ear !


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## scratchgolf (Nov 15, 2013)

Musicforawhile said:


> If you like reading, you might like "An Equal Music" by Vikram Seth - it's a modern book not, exactly literature I suppose but well worth reading especially if you are a musician or enthusiast and Schubert's 'Trout' has a particular significance in the book.


In addition, I highly recommend the following documentary.









The first half focuses on the preparation and the interaction between these amazing soloists, to include Zukerman searching London to find a Viola. The second half is the actual London performance of this beautiful piece of music. This is a must watch for Schubert fans and true fans of classical music in general.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

One of Mozart's most hauntingly beautiful melodies is given to the solo keyboard at the beginning of movement two of his 23rd keyboard concerto and NOBODY has done it better than Artur Rubinstein, whom I have here. Enjoy!!


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

After an introduction of about 12 seconds, there is an achingly tender melody that opens the heart of this great symphony which is the Mahler 9.

Here Leonard Bernstein conducts the Vienna Philharmonic.

Enjoy!


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

How about this beautiful melody from Dance of the Blessed Spirits by Gluck? Rivals any melody by Mozart.


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

Sorry but Ravel's Belero has a way too catchy melody for me .


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## DeepR (Apr 13, 2012)

Ennio Morricone - Gabriel's Oboe


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

The Adagio from Bruckner's Seventh Symphony begins with this exalted melody.


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## Stavrogin (Apr 20, 2014)

Too many to name... I'll try and select five, in a strictly chronological order.

Giuseppe Verdi, Nabucco, "Va', pensiero" (obviously the choir, which starts at the 1'20" mark)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaXE0v0bJoE#t=1m20s

Franz Liszt, Liebestraum no.3, opening melody
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkXOrkeZyqQ#t=0m15s

Bedřich Smetana, Vltava (main theme*, 1'22'' mark)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDBxfFq9EM0#t=1m22s

The glorious melody introduced by the strings in Čajkovskij's 1st Piano Concerto (0'50'' mark) may be the best melody ever.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItSJ_woWnmk#t=0m50s

But no, it's the HARROWING opening of the Dumka in Dvořák's Piano Quintet No.2 which takes the crown.





...Hey, so it seems I have a thing for romantic tunes.

_* this actually comes from an Italian medieval tune (Il ballo di Mantova), and Smetana surely wasn't the only one to use it afterwards (e.g. the writer of HaTikvah, the Isreali anthem, also did)._


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

After a brief introduction there is a striking melody in the woodwinds and then supported by the strings in the third movement of Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5; a melody only the great genius of Prokofiev could conceive. Amazing!


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## Dave Whitmore (Oct 3, 2014)

hpowders said:


> How about this beautiful melody from Dance of the Blessed Spirits by Gluck? Rivals any melody by Mozart.


I literally just heard this minutes ago. It's on my A-Z of Opera cd. It _is_ beautiful.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Dave Whitmore said:


> I literally just heard this minutes ago. It's on my A-Z of Opera cd. It _is_ beautiful.


Glad you like it, Dave! People might mistakenly think it's by Mozart, but it's not.


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## Kibbles Croquettes (Dec 2, 2014)

Webern may not be generally regarded as a great melodicist, but for me, many of my favourite melodies come from his compositions. And we do have to remember that he himself was absolutely convinced that some day even the mail deliverer would whistle his melodies on his way to work! Well, that may not have happened but at least some socially awkward music nerds whistle his melodies. That's a start.

There are a lot of great melodies in his lieder and songs, but to keep this as brief as possible, I have picked two that - at least at this moment - I think are _the best of the best_! One from his atonal period, one from his serial period.

"Ihr tratet zu dem herde" from opus 4.






My favourite part is from 0:29 onwards. Piano is playing arpeggio chords and the melody is climbing towards a climax, but instead of a loud BANG-style climax, the line reaches its peak in a high note sang very delicately ("...schein!").

"Wie bin ich froh!" from opus 25.






The piano is playing playful figures that jump around which creates a very lively atmosphere for the song, like children hopping around; or perhaps bring to mind the curved shapes of the stalks of plants. The mood of the song is very different from the opus 4 song: instead of big, dark chords, there's clarity, transparency and light. The most memorable moment is in the end, where the highest note is reached on the final syllable: "...und bin auf Erde". At the same time there's uneasy feeling of existentialism, of being _of the earth_ but at the same time there's something comforting to realize that one is unified with the maternal _Erde_.

Then a couple of melodies from his instrumental ouvre.

The "transfigured melody" from the fourth movement of his Opus 5.






At 0:30 -> we hear a very distorted melody in the low register. After the angelic trio section (which has a pretty fine melody in it too!) we hear the same melody again (1:35 ->) but now transposed to a higher register. The effect is enormous: the distorted figure has indeed been trasfigured in to the most beautiful melody one could imagine! It emerges from harmonics and then quickly again disappears. A fleeting moment of bliss, a short moment of unification with the ungraspable.

2nd movement from concerto, op. 24.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=rIr1xrunnf0#t=138

The broad, wallowing melody at the climax of the movement (3:40 ->). The passing of the line between the instruments is unbelievably beautiful! The melody can be kind of sensed even in the beginning of the movement, but it is more fragmented. The melody in a way is trying to build itself. Then it finally succeeds, but only to be again slowly disintegrated into nothingness which gives a clear overall arch for the movement. There is a noticeable sense of desubjectification in the fragmentation of the melodic line.

These are only a few examples of great melodies by Webern. There are a lot more but these felt like the most important at the moment. To quickly mention some more: "Weiss wie Lilien" from op.19, the... well, I don't remember how manyeth variation, but a variation from his op. 30, which is I guess usually around someting like (3:00-4:00), "Freundselig ist das wort" from 2nd cantata, 3rd movement from op. 10, 4th movement of bagatelles op.9...


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

My candidate for greatest melody by Chopin is found near the beginning of the Berceuse.

Nobody in my opinion has done this piece better than the great Artur Rubinstein.

As close as any piece can be to bringing tears to my eyes.


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## GioCar (Oct 30, 2013)

Kibbles Croquettes said:


> Webern may not be generally regarded as a great melodicist, but for me, many of my favourite melodies come from his compositions....


Being this your first post....:tiphat:


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

One of my favorite melodies in all of Beethoven is the one that begins the second movement of the Fourth Symphony after a short introduction. Such an underrated symphony, I might add!!


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## Kibbles Croquettes (Dec 2, 2014)

GioCar said:


> Being this your first post....:tiphat:


Oh, thank you for your warm greeting.

My apologies to hpowders if my reply will start a new page. I think it most certainly will. Oh no.

I also feel a little bad for the yellow thing in your post. It just keeps going, the poor thing, it just keeps tipping its hat and smiling. Will it ever stop, will it ever get its rest? Well, at least it's smiling.

edit: We're still on the same page! Oh, how happy I am!


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Kibbles Croquettes said:


> Oh, thank you for your warm greeting.
> 
> My apologies to hpowders if my reply will start a new page. I think it most certainly will. Oh no.
> 
> ...


No apology necessary! Have fun on TC!


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## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

Stavrogin said:


> The glorious melody introduced by the strings in Čajkovskij's 1st Piano Concerto (0'50'' mark) may be the best melody ever.
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItSJ_woWnmk#t=0m50s


Bah! I was thinking, "Who's Čajkovskij's fellow? Why haven't I heard of him and his great melodies?" I just didn't recognize the spelling.


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## Stavrogin (Apr 20, 2014)

GreenMamba said:


> Bah! I was thinking, "Who's Čajkovskij's fellow? Why haven't I heard of him and his great melodies?" I just didn't recognize the spelling.


Sorry.
It's my own futile battle against the most common spelling (which is just plain wrong, even by the standards of the Anglo-Saxon transliteration), in favour of the linguistic transliteration.

But wasn't that brief moment in which you thought you had some new composer to discover worth it?


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

My favorite Debussy melody is from Preludes, Book One, La fille aux chevaux de lin. Ravishing and incredible sensual!!


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## Chronochromie (May 17, 2014)

Stavrogin said:


> Sorry.
> It's my own futile battle against the most common spelling (which is just plain wrong, even by the standards of the Anglo-Saxon transliteration), in favour of the linguistic transliteration.
> 
> But wasn't that brief moment in which you thought you had some new composer to discover worth it?


I just hope that "correct" spelling doesn't become standard. :lol:


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

My favorite melody from Handel is the famous "Air" from his Water Music. This performance is old-fashioned and romanticized beyond belief.


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

hpowders said:


> My favorite melody from Handel is the famous "Air" from his Water Music. This performance is old-fashioned and romanticized beyond belief.


And I love it.


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## Skilmarilion (Apr 6, 2013)

The melody which dominates the opening of Rachmaninov's 4th piano concerto is really special. Yes, it's highly Romantic, but it's tinged with that certain Rachmaninovian nostalgia that gives it a wonderfully bittersweet edge.

From 0:00 (with special attention at 0:39), via the man himself:


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

In my opinion the greatest melody Shostakovich ever wrote occurs at the beginning of the third movement of his Fifth Symphony.
If I had to have any music played at my funeral, and I don't....it would have to be this magnificent adagio.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

My favorite melody by Bizet involves this interlude from Carmen.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

My favorite melody by Franz Schmidt occurs at the beginning of his Fourth Symphony, a hauntingly beautiful chromatic melody for solo trumpet.


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## HaydnBearstheClock (Jul 6, 2013)

Handel's 'For Unto Us a Child is Born' is a great melody.


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## HaydnBearstheClock (Jul 6, 2013)

hpowders said:


> My favorite melody by Franz Schmidt occurs at the beginning of his Fourth Symphony, a hauntingly beautiful chromatic melody for solo trumpet.


His 4th symphony is excellent, seems to be somewhat underrated.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Handel's 'For Unto Us a Child is Born' is a great melody.


I'm singing it now. Whoops!!! Damn coloratura!!


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> His 4th symphony is excellent, seems to be somewhat underrated.


Very, very underrated. Yet Zubin Mehta championed it. Good for him!!


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