This post is part two of an ongoing series where I document the thought process behind my latest composition: “Opitz One”. If you haven’t read it already, I recommend reading part one, where I discussed the general concept and the musical form I have in mind. In this part, I’ll be covering what I believe is the most important part of the piece: the primary theme.
Music Theory Level: 9 / 10
This article touches on larger formal structures (like sonata-allegro), principles of orchestration, or otherwise fairly advanced concepts.
I recommend being familiar with extended chords, modes, and chromaticism (secondary chords, modulations, etc) before reading through this post.
To learn about this level system and determine what you should be learning, be sure to check my master guide on learning music theory.
The Initial Motif
Disclaimer: It was about a year ago when I first started this particular theme. I’m unsure of exactly how I came up with it. What follows is the general process as close as I can remember it.
If you read part one, you know this piece is about space. To help capture that feeling, I knew I wanted to use the lydian mode. So that was my first starting point in creating the primary theme.
Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. By clicking the link and purchasing the item, I receive a small commission. This is at no extra cost to you. Read my full affiliate disclosure for more information about affiliate links and why I use them.
At the time I started this piece, I was also reading through Fundamentals of Musical Composition by Arnold Schoenberg. Chapter 2 is on the musical phrase. In it, Schoenberg writes:
It is possible to stimulate the inventive faculties and acquire technical facility by making a great many sketches of phrases based on a predetermined harmony.
Schoenberg, Arnold. Fundamentals of Musical Composition. Faber and Faber, 1999.
Examples 5-11 in that chapter, show examples of these sort of sketches.
Initially, I was creating these little sketches using a tonic harmony and the signature #4 of the lydian mode. (Good way to practice ear training, too!) Eventually, I settled on one little idea that became the motif for the primary theme (and to an extent, the entire piece):
Motif to Phrase
With the main motif established, it was time to expand it into a full phrase. Given the narrative of my piece, I knew I wanted it to be rhythmic and upbeat. To help achieve that, I made sure I utilized plenty of…well, upbeats.
After many iterations and variations on the initial idea, I settled on one that I loved.
It has a few strong downbeats. The harmonic changes on beats 1 of measures 1 and 3 are about it. Lots of upbeats keeps things moving forward.
Harmonically, it is fairly traditional: I – V to establish the tonality (which for simplicity, I’ve used C major). However, the melodic choices contradict this. The use of that D major triad (and specifically the F#) in the 3rd and 4th bars implies we’re actually in C lydian. Which is one of the items I knew I wanted in this piece. It’s subtle, but enough to do the trick without being overly in your face.
Melodically, there is an interesting contour. We have a rise up to the climax on that lydian note followed by a move back down. There’s also groups of 3 beats everywhere. Dotted quarter notes = 3 eighths. Measure two has 3 quarters. The two dotted quarters in bar 3 take up the same space as 3 quarters. This will be something that I play with (and contrast) later in the piece.
Also, it establishes the use of upper extension triads over basic harmony. In my case, using the V of whatever the harmony currently is: D major harmony = A major melody. It’s technique I extrapolated from an 8-bit Music Theory video about harmonic relationships in the music of composer Disasterpiece.
If you are interested in video game music, I highly recommend checking out and following 8-bit Music Theory on YouTube. It’s one of my favorite channels. Even led me to discover two games I absolutely love: Persona 5 and Hollow Knight. Bought them both because of his videos.
Phrase to Presentation
As I mentioned, as I was initially creating the primary theme for Opitz One, I was studying the Schoenberg book, which largely focuses on form. Naturally, what I was learning went into the creation. And thus, I started experimenting to find an idea that fit with what I already had.
What ended up working the best was actually an exact translation, but up a perfect 4th. (Harmony adjusted for proper voice leading.)
Despite being an exact translation, it still stays interesting (to me at least). And there are a few reasons for this.
Harmonically, the entire phrase still implies C major (C, F, and G major triads). And aside from the lone F# in measure 3, so does the melody.
But that F# is so important. It’s the #4 of the key and establishes that lydian sound in our mind. But then on the harmonic change in measure 5, it is immediately contradicted by the F♮. This helps draw even more attention to the 4 of the key (whether sharp or natural).
This juxtaposition of notes in outside the key in quick succession with notes inside the key is referred to as cross-relations or false relations.
One of my favorite ways to draw attention to individual notes.
This phrase also establishes the full range of the primary theme: a whopping 11th! This is a larger range than I would typically recommend. However, since this piece is being specifically written for concert band I think I’ll be ok leaving it in. (Would love other composers’ opinions on this.)
Finally, we have a plagal cadence in the move from F major to C major. This helps close this particular section, but it doesn’t quite feel complete. This is a weak cadence that we’ll contradict with a stronger one at the end of the sentence.
Continuation Phrase
With the presentation completed, it felt like from a formal standpoint things were moving towards a sentences (as opposed to a period). So I decided to keep going in that direction. This meant I needed a strong cadence and a build up of energy to get there.
To do this, I wanted to use the part I felt had the most energy from the presentation phrase. In my opinion, that was the dotted quarter rhythm from measures 3 or 7. So that’s what I used. But rather than keep it as is, I added a 2 more dotted quarters (which makes it take up the space of 3 half notes).
Harmonically, we move definitively move outside the key for the first time. The D major establishes that we are in C lydian. But at the same, I use both a G# and a C# (outlining a Amaj7 chord). This puts us in the territory of D lydian (A major) at least. Way outside of what you would expect.
Since we had an overall rising in the presentation, I wanted to have this part feel like it was falling. To do this (and help bring us back to the tonic key), I used a circle of fifths progression. With each step though, I slowly add those cross-relations back in to really emphasize those notes. Helps create a sense of ambiguity as to where we really are tonally.
All the techniques used in the presentation are on display here. But each time, I’ve used them in new ways to help keep things interesting.
Cadence
Finally, it’s time to end the phrase. I chose to us a very common progression in video game soundtracks: bVI – bVII – I (Ab major – Bb major – C major). While not the typical authentic cadence, it’s still stronger than the plagal cadence we used previously. It does a good job of bringing the entire phrase to a close.
Melodically, I’ve chosen to bring back the contour originally used in the measures 1 and 2. This helps bring tie the beginning and ending together. It also exclusively outlines our tonic triad (without the third) to help create a sense of finality.
Measure 18 also creates a bVII 6/9 chord (in this case, Bb major 6/9). This may be something that gets used later in the piece. Haven’t decided yet.
The Complete Opitz One Primary Theme
Now it’s time to put the whole thing together. Here’s how the full Opitz One primary theme sounds:
Final Thoughts
Overall, I think this is a pretty strong primary theme. Still a few things to work out (like the rhythm in the harmony). But I think it does a really good job of conveying my narrative and establishing everything I need for the remainder of the piece.
I hope you’ve found the insight into how my primary theme was created useful. In the next part, we’ll skip ahead a little and view the development section. If you enjoyed this, be sure to follow me and read the rest of the series.
I’m really curious to hear from other composers. We all work in different ways. (Someone tell me I’m not the only one that works rigidly and structured like this?) And I’d love to hear how about your process and how it differs from mine. Constructive criticism is always appreciated.
