Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Of or relating to a motif.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective music Used as a
motif
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Haydn was the first great master of what is called motivic development, in which bits and pieces of music - a few notes, a melodic twist, a rhythmic gesture - become the building blocks for an entire symphony in several movements.
NYT > Home Page By ANTHONY TOMMASINI 2011
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I have tried to preserve the natural rhythm of the Latin text, while still uncovering some type of motivic repetition.
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Does Mr. Adams hear this as a tie to Bruckner's legacy or as evidence of a similar penchant to build large structures out of tightly constructed, repeated motivic cells and a very slowly moving harmonic rhythm?
Bruckner in a New Light Barrymore Laurence Scherer 2011
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Just as heavily influenced later was Weber's Der Freischütz, the first German romantic opera, and one which has motivic elements lifted directly from Medea.
Rodney Punt: Medea Takes Revenge in an Abandoned Warehouse Rodney Punt 2011
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Right from the start the ideas of slow motivic growth and slow harmonic rhythm proved ideal for the creation of large structures.
Bruckner in a New Light Barrymore Laurence Scherer 2011
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Pianist Ahmad Jamal (a man even Miles Davis credited as a big influence) is now 81 – and he remains a genius at the art of motivic improvising, repeating a catchy theme (so listeners don't lose the plot) while transforming it with fresh melody.
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The eighth and ninth songs in the cycle are another reminiscent pair, with harmonic and motivic connections to the sixth and seventh songs, respectively.
Categorical denials Matthew Guerrieri 2008
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The eighth and ninth songs in the cycle are another reminiscent pair, with harmonic and motivic connections to the sixth and seventh songs, respectively.
Archive 2008-07-01 Matthew Guerrieri 2008
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The title track is growly and raw, but Brötzmann deploys an immense variety of motivic shapes that his power sometimes disguises.
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Often the motivic shape of the music overrides the otherwise clear text-setting.
Archive 2009-06-01 Lu 2009
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