Term

Linguistic definition

Music structure example

Music semantic example

lexeme:

An ordinary linguistic expression. An example of this is a word.

A motif or phrase that is seen as a single unit and iterated through the composition. An example of this is the opening motif in Beethoven's 9th Symphony.

A motif or phrase that is seen to evoke an emotion or refer to a cultural/social icon. An example of this is Berio's use of quotes from Mahler's 2nd Symphony in his 'Sinfonia'.

seme:

Semantic atoms, that is a minimal unit of meaning that is always present in the lexeme, this semantic atom can have an ambiguous meaning.

An example of this is the suffix 'ness' to denote having the qualities of the noun to which the suffix is attached.

A pitch interval or timbre that is always present in the motif/phrase and which can change structural meaning.

A motif, phrase or musical device which is used to denote something extra-musical.

An example of this is the signature melodies in Prokofiev"s "Peter and the Wolf", each of which denote specific characters.

semic nucleus:

Invariable semes that are always present in the discourse. An example of this is the word 'and', which always serves as a conjunction between two ideas.

A pitch interval, rhythmic phrase or timbre that is always present in the motif/phrase and which has an unambiguous role. An example of this is the ring drum in the music of Ghana.

sememe:

A seme that has been clarified by its context

A specific group of notes that function as a I, or any other type of chord in a traditionally tonal piece, chord due to tonicization.

classeme:

A single seme that controls a large passage

A rhythmic motif such as that used in the guiro rhythm in Cuban music.

The predominant rhythmic motif in Ravel's Bolero is an example of this.

isotope:

A predominant theme that controls the meaning of other semes.

A tonic chord in a tonal piece or a tone row in a serial piece.

syntagm:

A pattern of classemes and sememes.

A sequence of specific structural value, for example a sequence of tonicizing dominant chords used to return to the key of a tonal piece.

The interval sequence for the chorus of Everyday People, shown in Figure 4.2 above, is an example of this.

Term

Linguistic definition

Music structure example

Music semantic example

Global isotopies:

Global isotopies remain constant throughout the length of the discourse.

Orchestration of a piece, in that the instruments chosen create certain structural possibilities and expectations.

Audiences build semantic expectations on the described orchestration of a piece. For example a piece listed as for solo violin may have create different expectations in an audience than a piece for violin and timpani.

Partial isotopies: (isosemies)

These are isotopies that can disappear when the passage is condensed.

Using different instruments of the orchestra at different times for the purpose of structural clarification is an example of this.