Head-Motive Technique

Head-Motive Technique

I. The purpose of the head-motive-style exposition

The head motive is the most basic construction used to create meaningful contrapuntal music
- The most important melodic material is first exposed in a single voice
- Each successively entering voice begins with the same melody
- Thus the listener has the opportunity to mentally process the subject melody by itself before the composer complicates it in further presentations and developments

II. Genres that utilize head-motive technique

III. The 16th-century vocal head-motive style

As mentioned above, each voice that enters begins with the "motive"
The voices can begin on different pitches, as long as the pitches are closely related (usually octaves, fifths, and fourths away from the first entry)
As each new voice enters, the already sounding voice accompanies the new voice with free counterpoint. (However, sometimes the motive is longer than the distance between the voice entrances. This would be a "stretto exposition.")
The distance between entrances is usually very short, and practically never exceeds a distance of 8 beats (minums)
After all voices have entered, they continue free counterpoint (or, occasionally, internal expositions of the head motive) until the end of the phrase of text being exposed
The end of the phrase will always be a clausula vera (perfect cadence)
The cadence can be on notes other than the finalis ("in different keys")
Internal cadences are often "dovetailed," meaning one of the voices (any voice that doesn't have the leading tone) rests on the resolution and begins the new head motive on the next upbeat (or, sometimes the next strong beat).