A great choral melody isn't just a sequence of notes. It is a story. It has gravity, momentum, and breath. The mistake most beginning composers make is treating the melody like a math problem. They pick notes that fit the chord. But singers don't sing chords; they sing lines. If your Sopranos are bored, your audience will be bored. If your Altos feel like they are singing a phone number, they will tune out. Here is the deep physics of how to write a melody that feels inevitable, exploring contour, prosody, and the ancient rules of counterpoint.
Part 1: The Geometry of Emotion (Contour)
Every great melody has a shape. If you were to draw the pitch on a graph, what would it look like?
The Arch (The Hero's Journey)
The most satisfying shape in Western music is the Arch.
- The Ascent: The melody starts low and stable. It slowly climbs, overcoming gravity.
- The Climax: It hits a peak note (usually 2/3rds of the way through the phrase). This is the moment of maximum tension.
- The Descent: It resolves back down to a point of rest.
- Why it works: It mimics human biology. It mimics a breath. It mimics a question and an answer.
The Plateau (Avoid This)
A melody that stays in the same narrow range (e.g., hovering between C and E) for 8 bars is flatlining. It has no direction.
- The Fix: If you have been static for 2 bars, YOU MUST MOVE. Jump up. Dive down. Do something to break the stasis.
The Sawtooth (The Anxiety Shape)
A melody that jumps up and down constantly (Large Leap Up, Large Leap Down) is exhausting. It takes physical energy for a singer to re-tune their vocal cords for large intervals.
- Rule of Thumb: Use leaps as "events." Use stepwise motion as "travel."
Part 2: The Law of Recovery
This is the oldest rule in counterpoint (dating back to Palestrina), and it exists because of vocal physics. Rule: After a large leap (a 6th or more), the melody must move by step in the opposite direction.
- The Physics: Leaping up a full octave builds massive potential energy. It stretches the vocal cords tight. The "step back" allows the voice to recover and balances the energy.
- Example: Look at "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."
- "Some-WHERE" (Leap up an Octave).
- "o-ver" (Step down a half-step).
- If it leaped up again, it would sound hysterical. The step down creates a sense of yearning and comfort.
Part 3: Prosody: The Rhythm of Speech
Choral music has text. Your melody must serve the words, not fight them. Prosody is the art of matching the musical rhythm to the natural speech rhythm.
The "Spoken Test"
Before you write a rhythm, speak the sentence out loud in a dramatic actor's voice.
- Lyrics: "The flower in the garden."
- Bad Prosody: "The flow-ER in the gar-DEN." (Stressing the weak syllables). This sounds amateurish and confusing.
- Good Prosody: "The FLOW-er in the GAR-den." (Long notes or high notes on 'FLOW' and 'GAR').
Syllabic vs. Melismatic
- Syllabic: One note per syllable. Good for storytelling, fast deliver, and clarity.
- Melismatic: Many notes per syllable (Glo-o-o-o-ria). Good for emphasizing a single emotion or vowel. Use melismas on Open Vowels (Ah, Oh), never on Closed Vowels (Ee, Ih).
Part 4: Rhythmic Vitality
A melody consisting entirely of quarter notes is a sleeping pill. You need friction.
The Anchor and The Spark
- The Anchor: Long notes (Half notes, Whole notes) provide stability. They let the harmony bloom.
- The Spark: Short notes (Eighths, Sixteenths) provide momentum.
- The Mix: A good melody alternates. "Run run run, Jump!" (Short short short, Long).
Syncopation
Starting a phrase on the "and" of the beat (the off-beat) creates propulsion. It makes the melody feel forward-leaning and modern.
- The Tie: Tying a note across the barline destroys the tyranny of the downbeat. It makes the line feel floaty and ethereal.
Part 5: Case Study: "O Danny Boy" (Londonderry Air)
Let's analyze one of the greatest melodies ever written to see these rules in action.
- The Build (mm. 1-2): It starts low and conversational. Small intervals. It establishes the key.
- The Rise (mm. 3-4): "The pipes, the pipes are calling." It moves up an octave. The intensity builds.
- The Climax (mm. 5-6): "And I must bide." It hits the high note exactly at the moment of greatest emotional pain/passion. It holds that high note.
- The Recovery: It steps down immediately after the high note.
- The Release: It cascades back down to the low tonic, ending in resignation and peace. It is a perfect emotional graph. It is not random; it is engineered to break your heart.
Part 6: Writing for the Inner Voices
Do not forget the Altos and Tenors. The biggest crime in choral writing is giving the Sopranos a soaring melody and giving the Altos the same note for 16 bars.
- The Test: Sing the Alto line by itself. Is it a song? Or is it a drone?
- Counter-Melody: Give the inner voices a moment to shine. When the Sopranos hold a long note, the Tenors should move. When the Sopranos move, the Tenors should hold. This is the conversation of texture.
Video Masterclass: Melodic Construction
Watch this analysis of how John Williams creates memorable themes using these exact principles. Notice how he uses the "leap and fill" technique.
The Singer's Perspective
Finally, ask yourself: Is this fun to sing? Singers love:
- Fluid, stepwise motion.
- Leaps that feel justified by emotion.
- Space to breathe (literally—put rests in!).
- Vowels that match the register (Open vowels on high notes).
Singers hate:
- Awkward intervals (Augmented 4ths) without support.
- Sitting in the "Passaggio" (the break between chest and head voice) for too long.
- Words that are impossible to articulate at high speed.
If you write with the singer's throat in mind, they will pour their soul into your melody.
Now that we have the melody, let's explore the engine that drives it. Next: The Rhythmic Revolution of Beatpella.
About the Author
HaND. is a choral veteran with 15 years of experience in practice and organization. A primary Bass, HaND. also demonstrates exceptional versatility as a Countertenor and Vocal Percussionist.
