Micro Music Laboratories - Music Theory - Part 5 - The Force-Fields in Music - The Motif

The musical motif expresses a trait of the human character. The change of the motif during the composition displays the free play of that quality in the manifold field of human characteristics; but also, the change of the motif describes how a trait of the human character is being freed from the world of limitations.

The skilful musical-compositional handling of the motif corresponds to the skilful handling of our human qualities, and can be compared to the dexterity of a juggler who holds the elements only briefly in his hands, and releases them again as quickly as possible, which allows him to bring more and more elements under his control and to master his play more and more comprehensively.

Here the free power over the elements in motion dominates, as opposed to the rigid possession of non-moving parts; and this analogy signifies the playful ease by which the mastery over our inner-human forces is exercised in the applied motif-technique.

In the world of motifs of a classical composition the free mastery over our lively inner-human forces overcomes the limiting rigidity of our character. Thus, the playful element of life raises the beauty of creative expression into the light of the world of music.

Therefore the composer uses the musical motif to display a more and more comprehensive personal mastery over the many facets of our character.

The musical motifs are manifold, as manifold as the traits of our character; and the expression of the musical motifs may be as subtle as the subtle graduations of the features of our character.

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