Anatomy of Melody: Exploring the Single Line of Song

by Alice Parker

Drawn from the world’s most beloved songs, the more than 70 examples in this book explore the history and crucial elements of melody, which is the very basis of song. Focusing solely on how simple musical lines combined with the right texts can make a catchy melodic phrase that lasts throughout the ages—without consideration of harmony, counterpoint or other constructs—this unique guide allows readers a new insight into the composition of songs.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

216 pages, Print on Demand (Paperback)

First published April 1, 2007

Reviews

[Richard]

I’m not sure if I engaged with the book the way it’s meant to be engaged—singing all the melodies she gives, playing them with different inflections—so I shouldn’t be surprised that I didn’t get out of it what I hoped to, i.e., the 5-step formula to writing the world’s best melody.
Takeaways/Reflections:
- Different vowels demand their own relative pitch, regardless of the text underlying them. (I wish she had written more on this point.)
- A system of fixed notation can artificially limit the melody. Rather, it’s important to see how the melody is actually sung in the setting where it’s loved.
- The score contains about 5% of the information necessary to sing the music.
- We speak syllables in groups of twos and threes, making 5/4 and 7/8 quite natural meters. If we don’t like such ‘natural’ meters in music, perhaps it’s because we want music to be supernatural.

[Robin]

Alice Parker is a legend in the music world for her work with choirs and congregations as a composer/arranger and workshop leader. She reaches into the depths of melody as it resides in the human body and as it shapes song. Lots of musical examples throughout, clear prose, and reflections. This book and its thoughts and analysis of melody helped me understand more clearly the genesis of Parker's arrangements for her choral group Melodious Accord, as those arrangements, in particular, are melodies set in relationship to other melodies.

[Julie]

As a professional musician, I admire Alice Parker's musicianship immensely. This is one of the only books of its kind, if not the only, and I deeply value her thorough exploration of the melody. It is our most primal version of music-making, and is so very important in every culture. I will return to this book for its terminology, and to add more character to my own music-making as well as my choirs.

[Deanna]

Alice Parker, one of my choral heroes, has written a little snow-globe of a book, with multiple insights and philosophies of what makes a good melody, both in singing one and writing one. While the writing style is a bit disjointed, her melodic examples are spot-on.

[Joe]

Some good thoughts (and a great list of questions to ask about a song's text!), but overall, the book seemed to stretch out longer than was truly necessary.

[Joe]

Good stuff - folksy and smart