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:''For the album by dredg, see Leitmotif (album)''.
A 'leitmotif' (IPA pronunciation: ) (also 'leitmotiv'; lit. "leading motif") is a recurring musical theme, associated within a particular piece of music with a particular person, place or idea. The word has also been used by extension to mean any sort of recurring theme, whether in music, literature, or the life of a fictional character or a real person.
Although usually a short melody, it can also be a chord progression or even a simple rhythm. Leitmotifs can help to bind a work together into a coherent whole, and also enable the composer to relate a story without the use of words, or to add an extra level to an already present story.
The word is usually used when talking about dramatic works, especially operas, although leitmotifs are also used in other musical genres, such as instrumental pieces, cinema, and video game music.
The word itself has a mixed etymology, as a further meaning to the German word ''Motiv'' was borrowed in the 18th century from the French ''motif'', meaning "motive" or "theme", while the German word ''Motiv'' itself can be traced back to the 16th century, meaning only "motive" (cf. Latin ''motivus''). Prefixing it with ''leit-'' (coming from the German ''leiten'', "to lead"), produces ''Leitmotiv'' (German plural: ''Leitmotive''), meaning "leading motif".
Carl Maria von Weber was the first composer to make extensive use of leitmotifs. Indeed, the first use of the word "leitmotif" in print was by the critic F. W. Jähns whilst describing Weber's work, although this was not until 1871.
Beethoven made inventive use of a harmonic leitmotif in his late string quartets. The motif—which consists of a melody descending in pitch by a semitone, a minor third, and another semitone—can be most easily heard in the final movement of his String Quartet No. 14 in C sharp minor, but also inverted in the Große Fuge and the opening of the String Quartet No. 15 in A minor. Curiously, Beethoven's first usage of this motif appears as the opening statement in one of his pre-Quartet experiments, the String Trio in C minor. Beethoven also employed ''motto themes''. For example, in his Fifth Symphony, a particular melody is said to be representative of "fate", after a critic famously described the recurring musical phrase as "The sound of fate knocking on the door".
The idea of the 'idée fixe' was coined by Hector Berlioz in reference to his ''Symphonie Fantastique'', a purely instrumental work that has a recurring melody representing the love of the central characters.
It is Richard Wagner, however, who is the composer most often associated with leitmotifs, and his operas make liberal use of them. His cycle of four operas, ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'', uses dozens of leitmotifs, representing characters, things, or situations; while some of these leitmotifs occur in only one of the operas, many occur throughout the entire cycle. Wagner used the word "Grundthema" (basic idea) when speaking about his leitmotifs, although the first use of the term with reference to Wagner's music was in 1887 by H. von Wolzogen, the editor of the ''Bayreuther Blätter'', in discussing ''Götterdämmerung''.
Since Wagner, the use of leitmotifs has been taken up by many other composers. Richard Strauss used the device in many of his operas and several of his symphonic poems. The Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev made heavy use of leitmotifs in his work ''Peter and the Wolf'', a musical story with narration; in it, each character is represented by a specific instrument in the orchestra, as well as an associated melodic theme. Other notable examples of leitmotifs are Aida's theme in Verdi's Aida and Scarpia's theme in Puccini's Tosca. Edgard Varèse reintroduced the 'idée fixe' in his early orchestral works, notably Amériques and Arcana.
Leitmotifs are very common in movie scores; a well known example is the ''Star Wars'' Imperial March associated with Darth Vader in the ''Star Wars'' series of films composed by John Williams. John Williams also composed music for Jaws, the Indiana Jones films, the Superman films, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Schindler's List that uses leitmotifs. Sometimes, a leitmotif of a main character is the same as the theme music of the movie or TV show.
One of the very earliest leitmotifs in film was in Fritz Lang's ''M'', where Peter Lorre's character, a serial killer, always enters whistling "In the Hall of the Mountain King" (actually though, Lorre couldn't whistle, and it is Lang's whistling that is heard).
The work of Howard Shore in his ''The Lord of the Rings'' scores includes extensive use of leitmotifs which occur throughout the length of the three films. The themes represent different characters, cultures, and places. Some film critics have made connections (if only by name) between Shore's work on ''The Lord of the Rings'' and Wagner's monumental ''Ring'' operas.
Max Steiner used many leitmotifs in ''Gone with the Wind'', with a theme for almost every character who was seen more than once. He used the main theme of the movie ("Tara's Theme") as a regular leitmotif.
Each of the main characters in Mary Poppins (i.e. Mary Poppins, the children, Mr. Banks, Mrs. Banks, and Bert) has a leitmotif, usually the melody of a song sung by the character. In addition, various minor characters also have leitmotif, such as Admiral Boom.
In the James Bond films, the "James Bond Theme" music is often explicitly heard during action sequences, or referenced with similar chord changes and structure.
The music within Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical) contains leitmotifs for some of its characters. The most popular example is likely the powerful pipe organ chord progression for the Phantom himself. Others include "Angel of Music" to represent Christine and the Phantom's relationship, "Think of Me" and "All I Ask of You" for Raoul and Christine's relationship, and "Notes" for Monsieur Andre and Monsieur Firmin. The final scene of the musical features a brilliant blend of "Point of No Return," "Angel of Music," and "All I Ask of You" that accompanies the intense and climactic mood of the scene.
Among Westerns, perhaps the most famous film to make use of leitmotifs is Sergio Leone's ''Once Upon a Time in the West''.
The song "This Old Man" is frequently used as a leitmotif in the Columbo television series, usually whistled by Peter Falk.
Curt Massey, the composer for the television series ''The Beverly Hillbillies'', created several leitmotifs for the show's characters, most notably the memorable theme for Mr. Drysdale and the Commerce Bank. Before Massey joined the show, composer Perry Botkin had limited the themes to an "opening" theme, a theme for Elly May, and the ubiquitous series theme. Massey also toyed with the idea of leitmotifs for his other series, ''Petticoat Junction'' and ''Green Acres''.
The television soap opera ''Dynasty'' also used musical themes for each character, as did the action cartoon ''. Angelo Badalamenti wrote "Laura Palmer's Theme" on ''Twin Peaks''.
Another example from a television soap opera is the use of the leitmotif in ''Days of Our Lives'' for whenever supervillain Stefano DiMera, or one of his minions, was nearby, or whenever his handiwork was being discovered--a distinct three-note tune on a panflute was played.
Michael Giacchino's score for the television serial ''Lost'' includes one leitmotif used when groups of characters are shown engaging in long climbs up hills or mountains. The first such scene was shortened considerably for broadcast but included separately in the published DVDs. The music over the dissolving, otherwise silent long shots expresses effort and passage of time. Another leitmotif emphasizing kettle drums was used over shots dissolving into blackouts during the semi-synoptic episode "The Other 48 Days" to say, "You already know this part."
In the revival of ''Doctor Who'', a track known as "The Doctor's Theme" on the soundtrack is heard during references to Bad Wolf, which became more conspicuous as the 2005 series progressed, or when things get "too Time Lord-y". Variations on the theme are heard in the 2006 series over some references to the Doctor's companion, Rose Tyler. The Daleks and Cybermen also had leitmotifs which were used in episodes in which they appeared.
In the Friday the 13th (film series), Harry Manfredini implemented a vocal effect to indicate the presence of the killer. While watching a rough cut of the original Friday the 13th, and while contemplating a leitmotif for the picture, the line “Kill her, mommy,” entranced Manfredini. He distilled the line down to "kill mom," and then truncated it even further into "ki" and "ma." He then spoke each syllable a single time into an Echoplex, creating the signature ‘ki-ki-ki ma-ma-ma’ motif that went on to be used in each subsequent sequel.[1][2]
Fred Myrow's score in Don Coscarelli’s ''Phantasm'' relies rather heavily on the use of leitmotif, as do the following films in the franchise.
On all of the ''Law & Order'' series, there is a recurring plaintive leitmotif for major catalysts in the storyline such as discovery of a crime or damning evidence.
The original ''Star Trek'' television series was a constant source of leitmotifs; two of the more famous examples being a characteristic electric bass guitar theme that accompanied any scene in which the character Spock was engaged in deep thought, and a well-recognized battle theme heard in many hand-to-hand fight scenes. Likewise, the appearance of other characters were often accompanied by musical motifs, either reflecting the character's ethnicity (e.g., a Scottish ditty can be heard in several of Scotty's appearances) or suggesting an emotional theme (e.g., martial-like themes for hostile aliens and soft romantic themes for female love interests). Use of character-specific motifs was continued in the later as well. Conversely, the modern ''Star Trek'' spin-offs are notable for a complete absence of leitmotifs, a specific decision by former Star Trek producer Rick Berman.
In the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica, a simple 9-note leitmotif is played in scenes featuring Number Six.
''Courage the Cowardly Dog'' has quite a few villains with their own leitmotif. For example, Katz, who could be considered Courage's arch-enemy, is always accompanied by a distinctive melody, a soft but disturbing drum theme. Another was Le Quack, a French duck villain who is accompanied by an accordion melody.
Video games often make use of leitmotifs as well, especially role-playing games. These games are of epic scale and length, which lends well to the use of recurring themes, and a soundtrack can have several hours of music with hundreds of different pieces, each drawing on the same leitmotifs in different keys or with different (often synthesized) instruments. For example, the Japanese composer Nobuo Uematsu uses leitmotifs in many of his video game soundtracks, including the Final Fantasy series, where many characters have their own recognizable musical theme. Many Final Fantasy games have recurring theme for chocobos, the primary means of ground transport throughout the series. In the ''Final Fantasy Tactics'' soundtrack, "Ovelia's Theme" is also drawn upon in "Ovelia's Worries", "For the Love of Ovelia", "Random Waltz", and the opening and ending credits.
Perhaps the first extensive use of leitmotifs in rock music is found in Tommy, the "rock opera" performed by The Who and written, for the most part, by the band's principal songwriter Pete Townshend in 1969. Townshend intentionally used four leitmotifs in The Who's 1973 rock opera Quadrophenia to represent the four personalities of the album's fictional protagonist, Jimmy Cooper, a British youth with a multiple personality disorder. The four leitmotifs are also meant to represent the four members of The Who.
American composer and musician Frank Zappa used a recurring theme throughout the album Uncle Meat by him and his band The Mothers of Invention, the 'Uncle Meat Main Theme' is first played in its entirety but then is played several other times throughout the album, most notably in 'The Uncle Meat Variations'.
Pink Floyd uses leitmotifs throughout several of their albums, including ''The Wall'', ''Wish You Were Here'', ''The Dark Side of the Moon'', and ''The Final Cut''.
The New York progressive metal band Dream Theater is also known for using leitmotifs in their later albums, in particular Scenes From A Memory, Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence and Octavarium.
The American progressive metal band Symphony X used leitmotifs extensively in their concept album, V: The New Mythology Suite.
The progressive rock band dredg named their first album Leitmotif, and, as the title suggests, leitmotifs are used extensively throughout the album.
Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails uses a leitmotif on the album ''The Downward Spiral''. The motif is a downward chromatic scale followed by Eb x2, D, F, F (down one octave from previous F). The motif is used at the end of Closer, the high point of the album, and foreshadows the death of the protagonist by the album's end, "Hurt." The motif makes a brief appearance in Every Day is Exactly the Same off of ''With Teeth''.
The main riff in the Queens of the Stone Age song Feel Good Hit of the Summer serves as a leitmotif for the album Rated R and makes an additional appearance on Rated R's follow up album Songs for the Deaf.
Mike Oldfield often uses leitmotifs on his albums, in some cases even returning to the same themes used in one piece on another work not on the same album. One notable example of this is a theme from ''Amarok'' which is heard throughout that album, turning up again as the basis for the track ''Let There Be Light'' on ''The Songs of Distant Earth''.
Leitmotif is also used in the Sirens chapter of Ulysses by James Joyce (chapter 11). Critics argue that there are recurring themes of music that begin at the beginning of the chapter and continue throughout the rest of the chapter, and also the book.
The "leitmotif" is also present in Joyce's ''A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man''. The themes of the Virgin Mary, the Greek myth of Stephen's namesake, Daedalus, are some of the more noticeable leitmotifs throughout the work. The leitmotif in this novel provides unity as the character of Stephen matures.
Other writers who have used the technique include Kurt Vonnegut and contemporary author Chuck Palahniuk also commonly utilizes leitmotifs in his work.
Leitmotif in literature also refers to the repeated representation of certain themes or emotions throughout a book, play, or other literary works. In literature, a Leitmotif is used as a recurring event, object or even a character that the story always makes reference to. In works with counterpoint, leitmotifs can become a figure of analysis in which the different stories constantly/eventually lead to.
Samuel Beckett, James Joyce's ex-secretary, uses Leitmotifs throughout his body of works, within his use of language in his plays and works of fiction. Beckett uses repetition a great deal and explores complex sentence structures, where he chooses to cut short a statement before its presumed conclusion, or the opposite can be the case with a stream of words running into each other with, in some cases no coherence, in others complete lucidity. Beckett uses "voices" as musical instruments travelling through the (specific) combined, language structure, repetitions and a gamut of emotions displayed in the text that cause changes in pitch and tone, unless the playwright has chosen a monotonous speech pattern as he does for particular characters in his plays.
1. 'Get her, mommy!' - A Review of Friday the 13th.
2. Harry Manfredini Interview
★ Motif (music)
★ Motif (literature)
★ Motif (art)
A 'leitmotif' (IPA pronunciation: ) (also 'leitmotiv'; lit. "leading motif") is a recurring musical theme, associated within a particular piece of music with a particular person, place or idea. The word has also been used by extension to mean any sort of recurring theme, whether in music, literature, or the life of a fictional character or a real person.
Although usually a short melody, it can also be a chord progression or even a simple rhythm. Leitmotifs can help to bind a work together into a coherent whole, and also enable the composer to relate a story without the use of words, or to add an extra level to an already present story.
The word is usually used when talking about dramatic works, especially operas, although leitmotifs are also used in other musical genres, such as instrumental pieces, cinema, and video game music.
The word itself has a mixed etymology, as a further meaning to the German word ''Motiv'' was borrowed in the 18th century from the French ''motif'', meaning "motive" or "theme", while the German word ''Motiv'' itself can be traced back to the 16th century, meaning only "motive" (cf. Latin ''motivus''). Prefixing it with ''leit-'' (coming from the German ''leiten'', "to lead"), produces ''Leitmotiv'' (German plural: ''Leitmotive''), meaning "leading motif".
| Contents |
| Usage in classical music |
| Movies, television, and video games |
| Popular music |
| Literature |
| Drama |
| Sources |
| See also |
Usage in classical music
Carl Maria von Weber was the first composer to make extensive use of leitmotifs. Indeed, the first use of the word "leitmotif" in print was by the critic F. W. Jähns whilst describing Weber's work, although this was not until 1871.
Beethoven made inventive use of a harmonic leitmotif in his late string quartets. The motif—which consists of a melody descending in pitch by a semitone, a minor third, and another semitone—can be most easily heard in the final movement of his String Quartet No. 14 in C sharp minor, but also inverted in the Große Fuge and the opening of the String Quartet No. 15 in A minor. Curiously, Beethoven's first usage of this motif appears as the opening statement in one of his pre-Quartet experiments, the String Trio in C minor. Beethoven also employed ''motto themes''. For example, in his Fifth Symphony, a particular melody is said to be representative of "fate", after a critic famously described the recurring musical phrase as "The sound of fate knocking on the door".
The idea of the 'idée fixe' was coined by Hector Berlioz in reference to his ''Symphonie Fantastique'', a purely instrumental work that has a recurring melody representing the love of the central characters.
It is Richard Wagner, however, who is the composer most often associated with leitmotifs, and his operas make liberal use of them. His cycle of four operas, ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'', uses dozens of leitmotifs, representing characters, things, or situations; while some of these leitmotifs occur in only one of the operas, many occur throughout the entire cycle. Wagner used the word "Grundthema" (basic idea) when speaking about his leitmotifs, although the first use of the term with reference to Wagner's music was in 1887 by H. von Wolzogen, the editor of the ''Bayreuther Blätter'', in discussing ''Götterdämmerung''.
Since Wagner, the use of leitmotifs has been taken up by many other composers. Richard Strauss used the device in many of his operas and several of his symphonic poems. The Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev made heavy use of leitmotifs in his work ''Peter and the Wolf'', a musical story with narration; in it, each character is represented by a specific instrument in the orchestra, as well as an associated melodic theme. Other notable examples of leitmotifs are Aida's theme in Verdi's Aida and Scarpia's theme in Puccini's Tosca. Edgard Varèse reintroduced the 'idée fixe' in his early orchestral works, notably Amériques and Arcana.
Movies, television, and video games
Leitmotifs are very common in movie scores; a well known example is the ''Star Wars'' Imperial March associated with Darth Vader in the ''Star Wars'' series of films composed by John Williams. John Williams also composed music for Jaws, the Indiana Jones films, the Superman films, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Schindler's List that uses leitmotifs. Sometimes, a leitmotif of a main character is the same as the theme music of the movie or TV show.
One of the very earliest leitmotifs in film was in Fritz Lang's ''M'', where Peter Lorre's character, a serial killer, always enters whistling "In the Hall of the Mountain King" (actually though, Lorre couldn't whistle, and it is Lang's whistling that is heard).
The work of Howard Shore in his ''The Lord of the Rings'' scores includes extensive use of leitmotifs which occur throughout the length of the three films. The themes represent different characters, cultures, and places. Some film critics have made connections (if only by name) between Shore's work on ''The Lord of the Rings'' and Wagner's monumental ''Ring'' operas.
Max Steiner used many leitmotifs in ''Gone with the Wind'', with a theme for almost every character who was seen more than once. He used the main theme of the movie ("Tara's Theme") as a regular leitmotif.
Each of the main characters in Mary Poppins (i.e. Mary Poppins, the children, Mr. Banks, Mrs. Banks, and Bert) has a leitmotif, usually the melody of a song sung by the character. In addition, various minor characters also have leitmotif, such as Admiral Boom.
In the James Bond films, the "James Bond Theme" music is often explicitly heard during action sequences, or referenced with similar chord changes and structure.
The music within Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical) contains leitmotifs for some of its characters. The most popular example is likely the powerful pipe organ chord progression for the Phantom himself. Others include "Angel of Music" to represent Christine and the Phantom's relationship, "Think of Me" and "All I Ask of You" for Raoul and Christine's relationship, and "Notes" for Monsieur Andre and Monsieur Firmin. The final scene of the musical features a brilliant blend of "Point of No Return," "Angel of Music," and "All I Ask of You" that accompanies the intense and climactic mood of the scene.
Among Westerns, perhaps the most famous film to make use of leitmotifs is Sergio Leone's ''Once Upon a Time in the West''.
The song "This Old Man" is frequently used as a leitmotif in the Columbo television series, usually whistled by Peter Falk.
Curt Massey, the composer for the television series ''The Beverly Hillbillies'', created several leitmotifs for the show's characters, most notably the memorable theme for Mr. Drysdale and the Commerce Bank. Before Massey joined the show, composer Perry Botkin had limited the themes to an "opening" theme, a theme for Elly May, and the ubiquitous series theme. Massey also toyed with the idea of leitmotifs for his other series, ''Petticoat Junction'' and ''Green Acres''.
The television soap opera ''Dynasty'' also used musical themes for each character, as did the action cartoon ''. Angelo Badalamenti wrote "Laura Palmer's Theme" on ''Twin Peaks''.
Another example from a television soap opera is the use of the leitmotif in ''Days of Our Lives'' for whenever supervillain Stefano DiMera, or one of his minions, was nearby, or whenever his handiwork was being discovered--a distinct three-note tune on a panflute was played.
Michael Giacchino's score for the television serial ''Lost'' includes one leitmotif used when groups of characters are shown engaging in long climbs up hills or mountains. The first such scene was shortened considerably for broadcast but included separately in the published DVDs. The music over the dissolving, otherwise silent long shots expresses effort and passage of time. Another leitmotif emphasizing kettle drums was used over shots dissolving into blackouts during the semi-synoptic episode "The Other 48 Days" to say, "You already know this part."
In the revival of ''Doctor Who'', a track known as "The Doctor's Theme" on the soundtrack is heard during references to Bad Wolf, which became more conspicuous as the 2005 series progressed, or when things get "too Time Lord-y". Variations on the theme are heard in the 2006 series over some references to the Doctor's companion, Rose Tyler. The Daleks and Cybermen also had leitmotifs which were used in episodes in which they appeared.
In the Friday the 13th (film series), Harry Manfredini implemented a vocal effect to indicate the presence of the killer. While watching a rough cut of the original Friday the 13th, and while contemplating a leitmotif for the picture, the line “Kill her, mommy,” entranced Manfredini. He distilled the line down to "kill mom," and then truncated it even further into "ki" and "ma." He then spoke each syllable a single time into an Echoplex, creating the signature ‘ki-ki-ki ma-ma-ma’ motif that went on to be used in each subsequent sequel.[1][2]
Fred Myrow's score in Don Coscarelli’s ''Phantasm'' relies rather heavily on the use of leitmotif, as do the following films in the franchise.
On all of the ''Law & Order'' series, there is a recurring plaintive leitmotif for major catalysts in the storyline such as discovery of a crime or damning evidence.
The original ''Star Trek'' television series was a constant source of leitmotifs; two of the more famous examples being a characteristic electric bass guitar theme that accompanied any scene in which the character Spock was engaged in deep thought, and a well-recognized battle theme heard in many hand-to-hand fight scenes. Likewise, the appearance of other characters were often accompanied by musical motifs, either reflecting the character's ethnicity (e.g., a Scottish ditty can be heard in several of Scotty's appearances) or suggesting an emotional theme (e.g., martial-like themes for hostile aliens and soft romantic themes for female love interests). Use of character-specific motifs was continued in the later as well. Conversely, the modern ''Star Trek'' spin-offs are notable for a complete absence of leitmotifs, a specific decision by former Star Trek producer Rick Berman.
In the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica, a simple 9-note leitmotif is played in scenes featuring Number Six.
''Courage the Cowardly Dog'' has quite a few villains with their own leitmotif. For example, Katz, who could be considered Courage's arch-enemy, is always accompanied by a distinctive melody, a soft but disturbing drum theme. Another was Le Quack, a French duck villain who is accompanied by an accordion melody.
Video games often make use of leitmotifs as well, especially role-playing games. These games are of epic scale and length, which lends well to the use of recurring themes, and a soundtrack can have several hours of music with hundreds of different pieces, each drawing on the same leitmotifs in different keys or with different (often synthesized) instruments. For example, the Japanese composer Nobuo Uematsu uses leitmotifs in many of his video game soundtracks, including the Final Fantasy series, where many characters have their own recognizable musical theme. Many Final Fantasy games have recurring theme for chocobos, the primary means of ground transport throughout the series. In the ''Final Fantasy Tactics'' soundtrack, "Ovelia's Theme" is also drawn upon in "Ovelia's Worries", "For the Love of Ovelia", "Random Waltz", and the opening and ending credits.
Popular music
Perhaps the first extensive use of leitmotifs in rock music is found in Tommy, the "rock opera" performed by The Who and written, for the most part, by the band's principal songwriter Pete Townshend in 1969. Townshend intentionally used four leitmotifs in The Who's 1973 rock opera Quadrophenia to represent the four personalities of the album's fictional protagonist, Jimmy Cooper, a British youth with a multiple personality disorder. The four leitmotifs are also meant to represent the four members of The Who.
American composer and musician Frank Zappa used a recurring theme throughout the album Uncle Meat by him and his band The Mothers of Invention, the 'Uncle Meat Main Theme' is first played in its entirety but then is played several other times throughout the album, most notably in 'The Uncle Meat Variations'.
Pink Floyd uses leitmotifs throughout several of their albums, including ''The Wall'', ''Wish You Were Here'', ''The Dark Side of the Moon'', and ''The Final Cut''.
The New York progressive metal band Dream Theater is also known for using leitmotifs in their later albums, in particular Scenes From A Memory, Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence and Octavarium.
The American progressive metal band Symphony X used leitmotifs extensively in their concept album, V: The New Mythology Suite.
The progressive rock band dredg named their first album Leitmotif, and, as the title suggests, leitmotifs are used extensively throughout the album.
Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails uses a leitmotif on the album ''The Downward Spiral''. The motif is a downward chromatic scale followed by Eb x2, D, F, F (down one octave from previous F). The motif is used at the end of Closer, the high point of the album, and foreshadows the death of the protagonist by the album's end, "Hurt." The motif makes a brief appearance in Every Day is Exactly the Same off of ''With Teeth''.
The main riff in the Queens of the Stone Age song Feel Good Hit of the Summer serves as a leitmotif for the album Rated R and makes an additional appearance on Rated R's follow up album Songs for the Deaf.
Mike Oldfield often uses leitmotifs on his albums, in some cases even returning to the same themes used in one piece on another work not on the same album. One notable example of this is a theme from ''Amarok'' which is heard throughout that album, turning up again as the basis for the track ''Let There Be Light'' on ''The Songs of Distant Earth''.
Literature
Leitmotif is also used in the Sirens chapter of Ulysses by James Joyce (chapter 11). Critics argue that there are recurring themes of music that begin at the beginning of the chapter and continue throughout the rest of the chapter, and also the book.
The "leitmotif" is also present in Joyce's ''A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man''. The themes of the Virgin Mary, the Greek myth of Stephen's namesake, Daedalus, are some of the more noticeable leitmotifs throughout the work. The leitmotif in this novel provides unity as the character of Stephen matures.
Other writers who have used the technique include Kurt Vonnegut and contemporary author Chuck Palahniuk also commonly utilizes leitmotifs in his work.
Leitmotif in literature also refers to the repeated representation of certain themes or emotions throughout a book, play, or other literary works. In literature, a Leitmotif is used as a recurring event, object or even a character that the story always makes reference to. In works with counterpoint, leitmotifs can become a figure of analysis in which the different stories constantly/eventually lead to.
Drama
Samuel Beckett, James Joyce's ex-secretary, uses Leitmotifs throughout his body of works, within his use of language in his plays and works of fiction. Beckett uses repetition a great deal and explores complex sentence structures, where he chooses to cut short a statement before its presumed conclusion, or the opposite can be the case with a stream of words running into each other with, in some cases no coherence, in others complete lucidity. Beckett uses "voices" as musical instruments travelling through the (specific) combined, language structure, repetitions and a gamut of emotions displayed in the text that cause changes in pitch and tone, unless the playwright has chosen a monotonous speech pattern as he does for particular characters in his plays.
Sources
1. 'Get her, mommy!' - A Review of Friday the 13th.
2. Harry Manfredini Interview
See also
★ Motif (music)
★ Motif (literature)
★ Motif (art)
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psst.. try this: add to faves
