Melodies that "talk"

[Derek]

I'm not drawing an analogy between language and music directly here;

but have you noticed that the best melodies, the most satisfying ones, almost seem to "talk?" They have rhythmic patterns which move in a surprising and satisfying way and land in places which "rhyme" as it were, like poetry. This may seem like a trivial post, but...its pretty easy to find examples of pieces with melodies that just kind of meander around, and other examples where the melody has this wonderfully....tangible quality to it.  Some might say this has to do with a strong harmonic progression, but then sitar music, which arguably has no real harmonic movement at all, often has this quality I'm talking about, though in a different manner than Western music.

[ted]

Yes, that quality is more or less essential to me in a melody. If it has that, it doesn't really matter whether or not its metre is balanced, fits in a certain number of bars or beats, stays in a scale or obeys or flouts any melodic rule. I often wonder if it's because, somewhere deep in my unconscious, I perceive melody as human speech - not meaningful words and sentences, but just its emotive abstract forms. Improvisation can certainly occur that way for me but the whole process is too deep for me to understand where it comes from.

[galonia]

That's bizarre, coz I've always thought about it the other way around - I've always perceived human speech to be melodious, rather than melodies being speech-like.

I can speak several languages - one of my friends said the way I learn languages is scary, coz I never attempt to learn any rules or conciously learn vocabulary, I just listen and then speak it - for me, I suppose it's like what people have to do in aural tests, singing back a melody and clapping back a rhythm.

For me, each language has its own defining rhythmic and melodic style, and once you catch it, then the language is really easy.

[rafant]

Rather than in the melodies themselves, I find that talking-likeness as an achievement of the piano by means of a very good interpretation. One could play the notes correctly but only very good pianist can reach that effect. Some pieces suitable to hear it:

- The Adagio of the Chopin's 2nd concert. Can you hear the tenders whispers of love near to the lady's ear?

- Duet, one of the Mendelssohn's Songs without Words. A clear male-female dialog.

Interesting! There are another pieces where the piano seems to talk, but I can't remember them at this moment. Can you help?

[rafant]

Another piece where the piano declaims is the Chopin's Etude Op 25-7. The left hand don't appear to sing, but recites wonderfully.

[MattL]

A couple that really seem to "talk to me" and chopin's wrong note etude Op. 25 no. 5
The scherzo mvmt of chopin's second sonata (middle sectiosn of the mvmt) and of course the BIg THEME in the Rach 2

But Chopin was undeniably the king of melodies and in my opinon was the only composer who could mimic the human voice on the piano with his music, and of course its gotta to be played well in which i trust Argerich to deliver

[Daevren]

Music is a byproduct of the language processing part of the brain. So this is not that strange. We write music the way we like to hear it. So phrasing of melody and language is the same.

(or the other way around, who knows )

[pianonut]

dvorak seems to be the composer that talks the most imo.  'songs my mother taught me.' is one that comes to mind.  also tchaikovsky.  symphony #6? i think

[tenn]

If you do a search on the net for "meter in poetry" or "scansion" you'll see that poetry has similar rhythms to music. Music is really just made up of beats of 2 or 3 duration no matter how complicated it seems to be.

[minimozart007]

Schubert's A minor Quartet(No. 13).  The development of the 1st mvmt is like a chorus of orators driving a point so forcefully that i cannot help but cringe at the justness and power of their words.  I hope I'm not too far out

[bachmaninov]

Hmm... Chopin's 'Andante Spinato' Polanaise.  using the term 'talk' as in the melody is really standing out.

Liszt's Concerto No. 2... I believe it is the 2nd movement, where it is almost like a conversation between the piano and cello over the main theme, maybe it's my imagination.

[nanabush]

Ummm Op9 1 nocturne, as I know I've mentioned, once you play u'll know, after the 22uplet sry don't know what it's called, the melody for the next like 8 bars 'talks' to me...

[apion]

but have you noticed that the best melodies, the most satisfying ones, almost seem to "talk?"

Actually, the greatest melodies "sing," not "talk".  But you're on the right track!     

[Teddybear]

Shostakovich Concerto No. 2, 2nd movement, anyone? 

T

[klavierkonzerte]

chopin valse in f minor, never heared a melody similar to speach more than it.
also the second movment of barber violin concerto.

[jhon]

Chopin's 2nd Ballade is like a conversation between two individuals where one is gentle while the other is furious!

[broken heart is blue]

 Does anyone have the piano transcription of "Songs my Mother Taught me"? I've been searching for it. 

[gorbee natcase]

k545 2nd movement, Pure poetry