Principles of Music: The Motif

In this video I take a brief look at some of the ways (not all) composers can alter their motifs. I try to keep things as general as possible so that future videos can build off of topics I have already outlined. If you have any questions please feel free to write a comment below.
For those of you wondering why leitmotifs were not mentioned in this video. I feel this is a topic worthy of it's own separate video.

Links to Pieces used in Video:

Beethoven - Grosse Fuge Op.133:

Bach - Goldberg Variation No. 1:

Brahms - Variations on a Theme by Paganini Book I (Performed by Peter Bradley-Fulgoni):

Beethoven - String Quartet No. 15, 3rd Movement:

[jr_oantonio]

It always amuses me how Beethoven sold the "I´m a spokesman of muses, it just flows through me" and left literally thousands of pages of his sketches revealing his highly methodical and analytical process of composition

[jayanthony]

Imagine just beginning to learn music theory and you recognize what he put as A B C D as D E C B and are now entirely and eternally confused as hell

[Ayavaron]

I wish I'd seen this video when i first started composing.

[neilwalsh]

Love hearing the Grosse Fuge in the background - a 'monstrous' motivic example!

[MysteryPersona]

a motif is actually similar to what early hiphop producers would do where they would take the catchy part of their favorite sample and build around it

[AJBlueJay]

JS Bach was a master of motifs. Most baroque composers were because baroque music is based on fortspinnung of motifs.

The first movement of his 3rd Brandenburg Concerto is based on 2 motifs — a mordent at the beginning of each bar (either starting or ending on the beat), and a ascending or descending scales of 16th notes where every other note is an implied pedal point, and a simple pattern of alternating notes in the first bars of the bass, which is trommelbass until it then becomes more melodic. (But there are also other less frequent motifs.)

After the second movement which is only written as a Phrygian cadence, the third movement ties in with the first by also using similar motifs except now changed into compound meter, and by using alternating 16th notes, and, an Alberti bass-like pattern of 16th notes. The trommelbass / pedal points are also used again as sequences of repeating 8th notes. The cadence motifs are also very similar, except in different meters.

He used these same motifs as the basis for his fugue in D minor, BWV 565, which sounds completely different.

[EdWoodJr]

Thank you for this video! I had always been puzzled by the inversion of a melody, but seeing the animation cleared it all up. Looking forward to your series on Albrectsberger.

[artursanincomposer]

Great video, i got once a critic by my teacher, that i put to much ideas in one piece and don't develop anything, so i try now to compose with few ideas and work with them, thanks for the video :D.

[silassrinivas]

It is much useful to me to compose music. This clip really helped me to understand the method of compose of music.
Keep Good Work !

[can_uysal]

May i ask the painting at the background, so calming, i can look at it for hours.
Also, this is one of the greatest explanation videos i have ever seen. Keep up the good work, with that calm and intuitive style of yours, thank you a lot.

[leonhardeuler]

I literally could not focus on anything but the grosse. That fugue is too good.

[keyofesharp]

I very much enjoyed this video and it has opened my eyes to other ways to vary a motif; thank you very much!

[robbesrh]

I like this, a lot. It might have been nice to have encountered and absorbed these ideas earlier in my life, but I probably would not have recognized their fecundity. A very productive seven minutes.

[The_Horse-leafs_Cabbage]

Thank ye, good sir! This magnificent moving picture of the digital variety was most helpful!

[wyattwahlgren]

I think an interesting way to develop a motif would be to fit it into different time signatures.

[connorwalker]

I adore your videos. You really and truly deserve more views!

[neilwalsh]

The ending of the Grosse Fuge - pure exhilarating joy

[JcFiscus]

Wonderful quality AGAIN!!! Second in a row I had to subscribe :D more insight!!!! So good. I crave to understand how the great composers thought about and ultimately composed their music, and motifs give a great angle of insight into this question

[AMB]

Great video and content. Probably much better than I expected!

[piper]

Yes you did broaden my horizons.... thanks‼️