Lesson video

Hello, and welcome to today's lesson entitled, developing a leitmotif.

My name is Mr. Norris and today we're gonna be deepening our understanding of the technique of leitmotif, in particular, working out how film composers use that technique to help tell a story and develop characters and plot through music.

Our outcome is that I can develop a leitmotif through motivic transformation.

Our keywords, the first is leitmotif.

This is a musical idea that represents a specific character, place, or idea.

Motivic transformation.

This is when a motif is changed to represent a change in a story or character.

Reharmonization.

This is when a composer keeps a melody the same but changes the harmony.

So all three of those concepts we're gonna be using throughout the lesson.

The first part of today's lesson is focused on how leitmotifs are used.

Leitmotif in film music are usually developed and changed throughout the film, and this matches changes in the story or the action.

This is a really effective way that film composers help to tell the story through their music, because by changing the way that we hear a leitmotif, it will change the way that we view the character they're associated with.

And this technique is called motivic transformation.

We're transforming leitmotifs.

We're changing leitmotifs.

Composers do this in a range of different ways.

They might, for example, extend the leitmotif or develop it by changing some of the notes.

They might change features of the leitmotif, things like changing the texture, or the instrumentation or the tempo.

They might reharmonize the leitmotif.

That's when we play the same melody, the same leitmotif, but with different harmony underneath.

Or they might combine a leitmotif with other leitmotifs or other musical ideas.

So there's lots of different ways that we can do motivic transformation.

We're gonna look into some of those now.

Extending a leitmotif is a very effective way to develop it.

It allows composers to turn short ideas into much more extended melodies.

Let's start off with this example of a leitmotif.

Let's just hear it to begin with.

(somber gentle music) And that's quite a short, melodic idea, and that's very typical of many leitmotifs in film music.

They need to be short and recognizable.

Now we could extend that in a couple of different ways.

We could turn it into a sequence, where we repeat the same idea, but changing pitch, either ascending or descending each time.

Let's hear that same leitmotif now extended with a sequence.

(somber gentle music) So there, we can hear the last section of that leitmotif has been turned into a sequence, and that's extended the leitmotif into a much longer melody.

We could also add slightly different melodic ideas to extend it.

So rather than using a sequence based on part of the leitmotif, we can add some different notes, create a new section of melody, that extends the original, short leitmotif.

Let's hear an example of that leitmotif, but it's extended with some different melodic ideas.

(somber gentle music) So both of those are good examples of how we can extend a leitmotif to develop it.

Another common method of motivic transformation is to alter some of the elements.

Let's take that same example leitmotif.

Let's just hear it in its original form again.

(somber gentle music) Now we could develop that by changing some of the musical elements.

So for example, we could change the rhythm.

That might sound like this.

(somber gentle music) We can also change the tempo or the meter, that would sound like this.

(somber gentle music) So there it was sped up, and it was put into a different time signature.

We could change the articulation.

(somber gentle music) That example used some staccato notes and some accented notes as well, to change the feel of the leitmotif.

We could change the dynamics.

(somber gentle music) In that example there, it started louder and it did a diminuendo, it got quieter, to a very quiet ending, that transforms that leitmotif.

We can think about changing the pitch.

(somber gentle music) Playing it in that lower octave like that really changes the character of it.

And we could also change the harmony or the tonality.

(somber gentle music) There, the tonality has been changed, so it's now in a major key, and that totally transforms that leitmotif.

So these are all different ways that we can develop it just by changing one or two of the different elements.

Let's check your understanding.

What is motivic transformation? Is it when a new leitmotif is used? When a leitmotif is changed? When we hear a leitmotif for the first time? Or when a leitmotif is repeated? I'll give you a few seconds to choose the correct answer.

And the correct answer here is, motivic transformation is when a leitmotif is changed.

It's when we transform the motif, we transform the leitmotif.

The effective way of changing a leitmotif is to change the harmony.

This is called reharmonization, or you might hear it called reharmonizing something.

In these examples we're gonna listen to now, The melody is identical each time, but the harmony that sits underneath the melody is different.

I'd like you to listen to each example, and I'd like to describe the effect that changing the harmony has on the mood of each example, and how it sort of changes the feeling and the character of the leitmotif.

Let's hear the first one now.

(somber gentle music) Now let's hear the second example where that's being reharmonized, so it uses different harmony.

(cheerful gentle music) Just have a quick think about how the harmony in that example felt different to the first one.

And now let's hear the third version.

So how does this harmony change the mood and the feeling of the leitmotif? (quirky gentle music) And hopefully, there you could hear that the different harmony in each example really changed the mood and the character of the leitmotif.

The first one used minor tonality, the second one was in a major key, and in the third one, there was more chromatic harmony using some extended chords.

And so the change in the harmony really changed the mood.

The minor one feels more dark, more ominous.

The major one feels more positive and hopeful.

And the one with the chromatic harmony feels a little bit more unusual, quirky, or mysterious.

And in all three examples, that melody was exactly the same.

So that change in mood comes just from reharmonizing it, from changing the harmony.

Let's check your understanding.

What is reharmonization? Is it using the same melody, with the same harmony? Using the same melody with different harmony? Or using a different melody with different harmony? I'll give you a few seconds to choose the correct answer.

And the correct answer here is, reharmonization is using the same melody but with different harmony.

Well done if you picked that one.

Now we can also develop leitmotifs by combining them together.

Let's take these two examples.

We're gonna take this first leitmotif, leitmotif A, that represents a character.

Let's just hear that first.

(mysterious soft music) And then let's take the second leitmotif, leitmotif B, that represents a place.

Let's hear that leitmotif.

(gentle music) So you can see there, that they're two very different leitmotifs with very different moods.

If the character was to travel to this place, we could combine their leitmotifs to represent this.

So by bringing the two leitmotifs together, we're not only creating something musically different and interesting, but we're representing the story through music as well, because the character and the place are in the same scene, so we're bringing their two leitmotifs together and combining them to tell that story musically.

In this case, we're gonna use the first half of leitmotif A, and combine it with the second half of leitmotif B.

And that creates a new leitmotif that blends these two leitmotifs together, and gives us a feeling that that character and that place are together.

Let's hear this combined example.

(gentle music) And that's a really common technique that film composers use to help tell the story musically through their leitmotifs.

Let's check your understanding.

Which is not a method of motivic transformation? Is it extending or changing a leitmotif? Reharmonizing a leitmotif? Combining two leitmotifs? Or introducing a new leitmotif? I'll give you a few seconds to choose the one that is not motivic transformation.

And the correct answer is, introducing a new leitmotif is not a method of motivic transformation.

That would be creating a new motif, not transforming an existing one.

All of the other examples there, are different ways that you can transform a leitmotif.

So for task A, we're gonna start off by listening to an original leitmotif.

Then we're gonna complete the table to identify how the composer has developed each variation of the leitmotif.

So we're gonna hear four different transformations of that leitmotif, four different variations.

And for each one, I'd like to identify what features have changed from the original, and how that affects the mood of the new variation.

So how's the mood of this one different to the original? Let's start off by hearing the original leitmotif.

Here it is.

(slow mischievous music) I'm gonna play it a couple more times just so you're really familiar with the sound of that leitmotif.

Have another listen.

(slow mischievous music) And one last time, just thinking about all the different musical elements and how they're used here.

(slow mischievous music) So now let's listen to variation one.

I'd like you to complete the first row in the table, identifying what features have changed in this version, and how does this affect the mood.

Here's variation one.

(slow mischievous music) I'm gonna play that two more times.

So what's changed, and how does this affect the mood? (slow mischievous music) And the third and final time, variation one.

(slow mischievous music) Now pause my video while you finish your answers for variation one.

Now let's move on to variation two.

Here it is for the first time.

(fast-paced mischievous music) Let's see variation two for the second time.

So what's changed here and how does this affect the mood? (fast-paced mischievous music) Now the third and final time, variation two.

(fast-paced mischievous music) And I can pause my video while you fill in the row for variation two.

Now let's move on to variation three.

So what features have changed here and how does this affect the mood? (high-pitched mischievous music) Let's hear it for a second time.

(high-pitched mischievous music) And third and final time.

(high-pitched mischievous music) And now pausing my video while you complete your boxes for variation three.

And now finally, variation four.

So what features have changed here from the original, and how does this affect the mood? Here we go.

(soft mischievous music) Let's hear it for a second time.

(soft mischievous music) And now the third and final time.

(soft mischievous music) And now you can pause my video while you finish off your answers for question four.

Now let's go through this task.

So in the first variation, the changes were that they were quieter dynamics and there was smoother articulation.

It was using legato articulation.

And this affects the mood, because it makes it feel calmer and more peaceful than the original.

In the second example, we had a faster tempo and a different rhythm, and this gave it a more energetic and frantic feeling.

The third example used higher pitch and it used major tonality.

So that created a more positive mood.

And in fourth example, the melody is extended, and if you mentioned that it was done by a sequence, really well spotted.

And the meter is different, so the time signature is moved into triple time or 3/4.

You might have also mentioned there that because the sequence is extended, the harmony feels a little bit chromatic as well.

And all of these combined give it a more unpredictable mood.

So we can see there, just by changing one or two elements in each example, that leitmotif has been transformed to suit lots of different moods and feelings.

Now we're gonna move on to look at how we develop a leitmotif.

Motivic transformation changes the mood of a leitmotif, and we've seen in that task, there's some really good examples of that in action.

It only works though if the listener can still recognize the leitmotif after it has changed.

If it's changed too much, it will become unrecognizable.

But if only one or two elements at a time have changed, normally, it will still be recognizable.

So the key to motivic transformation is transforming the leitmotif, changing it, but not changing it so much that it becomes unrecognizable.

Because then, as a listener, we're not gonna make that link for the original leitmotif.

And when we do motivic transformation, we're thinking about the mood at that particular moment or in that scene, and how we can match that in the way that we change the leitmotif.

Which two are key to motivic transformation? Is it keeping the melody recognizable? Keeping the melody exactly the same? Changing lots of features? Or matching the mood to the moment in the film? I'll give you a few seconds to choose two.

And the correct two answers are, the key to motivic transformation is keeping the melody recognizable.

So not changing it too much that we don't recognize it anymore, and matching the mood to the moment in the film.

We don't want to keep the melody exactly the same, like option B there.

We do want to change it a bit, and we don't want to change lots of features.

'Cause if we change too much, it will become unrecognizable.

So well done if you chose the two correct answers there.

We're gonna create three different motivic transformations to change the mood of the leitmotif.

To do this, we're gonna alter the following features.

We're gonna create one variation that changes the rhythmic features, one variation that changes the articulation and dynamics, and one variation that changes the harmonic features.

First, let's start off with rhythmic features.

What different aspects of rhythm could we change about a leitmotif? Pause my video and have a think or a discussion.

And you might have thought of some of the following things.

You might have said, we change the note values, so to change it so it uses longer or shorter notes.

We could create rhythmic contrast or use some repetition in the rhythms. We could create some syncopation.

We could change the tempo.

Or we could change the meter or the time signature.

Let's have a look at how we can develop a rhythm in a leitmotif using some of those aspects.

There are numerous different ways we can develop the rhythmic features of a leitmotif.

I'm gonna show you a few of them now.

Now this is my leitmotif that I'm gonna use.

(stately instrumental music) That's in 4/4.

It's got a moderate tempo, it's got quite a distinct rhythm that uses some long notes and some short notes.

Now the first way I could develop this is just by changing the tempo.

So keeping the same rhythm, but speeding up or slowing down the tempo, so I could do a faster tempo.

(stately instrumental music) Or a slower tempo.

(stately instrumental music) Both of those instantly changed the mood and the feel of that leitmotif, without really changing any notes at all.

I could also try and change the rhythm to fit into a different meter or time signature.

And this takes a little bit of trial and error to get it to work.

So at the moment it's in four.

One, two, three, four.

(stately music) One, two, three, four.

I could put it for example, into three.

One, two and three.

(stately music) One and a two and three.

So that changes the feel of it.

It makes it feel a bit lighter, and a little bit more energetic as well.

Another thing I could do is to experiment with some syncopations.

So at the moment, most of the notes are on the beat.

It's not a very syncopated rhythm, but I could experiment by changing the rhythm to create some syncopated patterns.

(stately music) For example.

And then I could also just experiment with repeating some rhythms or trying to create more contrast, more erratic rhythms as well.

So for us to try and repeat the rhythms. (stately music) That's a much more repeated rhythm, that's sort of repeating idea that goes throughout.

Or I could create some more erratic rhythms that sound much more unpredictable.

(stately music) So all of these ideas are using the exact same notes in the same order, but by changing the tempo, the meter, or just by playing around with different kinds of rhythms, I can come up with some really interesting variations that create different moods.

For our second variation, we're gonna change the articulation and the dynamics.

What are some of the features of articulation and dynamics that we could experiment with, to change our leitmotif? I'd like you to pause my video, have a think and see if you can think some different ways we could change the articulation and dynamics.

And you might have thought some of these.

You might have said we could use legato notes, staccato notes, different accents.

We could try using some extremely loud or extremely quiet dynamics.

And we can add some changes in dynamics.

For example, using a crescendo to get louder, or a diminuendo to get quieter.

And there are many other ways we can experiment with these as well.

So let's have a look now at how we can develop the articulation and dynamics in a leitmotif.

Experimenting with dynamics and articulation is a really effective and quite straightforward way of developing a leitmotif.

At the moment, this is how my leitmotif sounds.

(stately music) It's fairly legato.

I've not really got any staccato notes in there, but there's some strong accents.

It's quite a powerful leitmotif with some accent notes.

So one way I could develop the articulation is just by trying to smooth it all out and remove any accents.

(stately music) That immediately, by using that legato, changes the feel and the mood of it.

Or in the other direction, I could try and make it much more staccato.

(stately music) Gives it much lighter, sort of more playful character, that would suit certain moods or certain contexts in a film.

So playing around the articulation like that while still keeping the notes the same can be quite effective.

I could also combine that with playing around with the dynamics.

So at the moment, it's quite a proud, strong leitmotif.

(stately music) With quite loud dynamics and with those accents as well.

Now what I could do is make it quieter, or I could also play around with some changes in dynamics.

So I could, for example, start quiet and do a crescendo to a louder dynamic, or the other way around.

Or I could do a mixture of crescendos and decrescendos as well, to really change the dynamics throughout.

(stately music) So that's a crescendo, from quiet to loud, or the other way round.

(stately music) Both of them create a very different mood, and if I combine that with different articulation, that can help me really transform my leitmotif.

The final variation is gonna focus on changing the harmonic features of the leitmotif.

And this could include using chromatic notes, so notes from outside of the key.

Or changing the tonality.

So for example, putting a major leitmotif into minor tonality, and therefore changing the character of it that way.

Let's have a look at some of the ways we can develop the harmonic features of a leitmotif.

The final way I'm gonna look at developing my leitmotif is through harmonic features.

Now, at the moment, it's in a major key, it's based in C major, and it uses the notes of C major, and it sounds quite positive, because it's grounded in that major key.

I could experiment with using some chromatic notes.

That's notes that aren't from within the key.

So in this case that'd be using some of the black notes, and that make it feel a little bit more ambiguous, a little bit more uncertain or strange.

So instead of this, (stately music) I could play around, trying to add in some black notes and change the harmony in that way.

(stately music) Both of those sound a little bit weird or a little bit more unusual, and in certain contexts in a film, that would be really effective.

The other way I could transform it harmonically is by trying to make it feel like it's in a minor key.

So at the moment, as I said, I've based it on the notes of C major, that's sort of the white notes.

I could try and move it into A minor by basing it on the white notes, but moving it so that it starts on A instead.

So instead of this starting on C.

(stately music) I could move it down to start on A, but still use that same melodic shape.

(stately music) And we can see thereby, starting it on A.

(stately music) That's moved into the key of A minor, just making sure that I'm still using the white notes.

So that instantly transforms the mood of it as well, from this quite positive mood, to something that sounds a little bit darker, maybe more sinister as well.

For task B, you're gonna create three different versions of one of your leitmotifs to suit different moods.

Your first version is gonna develop the rhythmic features, and there's some suggestions there as to how you might go about doing that.

Your second variation is gonna develop the articulation and the dynamics.

And again, there's some examples there as to things you might want to experiment with for that.

And for your third variation, you're gonna develop the harmony.

Make sure when you're doing this, that if you're working in a minor key, use the notes of A minor.

So it's the white notes starting on A.

And if you're in a major key, you use the notes of C major.

So that's the white notes starting on C.

So you can pause my video now, choose one of your leitmotifs and do some motivic transformation, creating three different variations.

Good luck.

For the second part of this task, we're gonna compare these two versions of a leitmotif.

What features has the composer developed in the second version? So start off by listening to the first version.

Here it is.

(gentle music) Let's hear that one more time.

(gentle music) And now let's hear the second version.

What has this composer developed? So what musical elements or aspects have they changed? (somber orchestral music) Let's hear that one more time.

(somber orchestral music) And you can pause my video while you're finishing your answer for this task.

Let's go through this then.

So they've developed many things in the leitmotif.

They've developed the tonality, by moving it from a major into a minor key.

They've developed the harmony by using a pedal.

The dynamics are much louder, and the articulation is smoother with more legato notes.

The rhythm uses longer notes.

The meter is different.

It's in 4/4 instead of 3/4.

And the tempo is slower.

It also uses different instruments, creating different timbres, and it uses a thicker texture.

So it changes a lot of different aspects of that leitmotif there.

However, it is still recognizable, because the notes of the melody are still the same.

So although all these different features have changed, we can still hear that distinct melody.

And this is the key when you're doing motivic transformation and when you're developing your leitmotifs, is if you keep the melody recognizable, you can change a lot of things about the character of the music, while still using that same melodic idea.

Let's review today's lesson.

Developing a leitmotif to reflect changes in the story is called motivic transformation.

Composers do this in many different ways, including extending or combining leitmotifs.

Reharmonizing leitmotifs by changing the harmony, but keeping the melody the same is an effective technique.

Changing features of the leitmotif such as rhythm, dynamics, articulation and tonality is also common.

So playing around with the different musical elements.

And the key to motivic transformation is keeping the leitmotif recognizable, and matching the mood of the moment in the story.

So that brings us to the end of today's lesson.

I hope now you feel like you've got a better understanding of the techniques that film composers use to develop their leitmotifs and their melodic ideas.

And hopefully by exploring some of those techniques, you've learned a few different ways that you can develop your own melodic ideas, whether it's in film, music, or just more broadly, in your composition.

Because a lot of the techniques we've looked at today would apply in any style of music where you're trying to develop melodic ideas.

Thanks for taking part in today's lesson.