Melody

A melody (from Greek μελῳδία (melōidía) 'singing, chanting'),[1] also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity.

In its most literal sense, a melody is a combination of pitch and rhythm, while more figuratively, the term can include other musical elements such as tonal color.

Beyond doubt, the means is subordinate to the end.The Norwegian composer Marcus Paus has argued: Melody is to music what a scent is to the senses: it jogs our memory.

[4] Melodies in the 20th century "utilized a greater variety of pitch resources than ha[d] been the custom in any other historical period of Western music."

Kliewer states, "The essential elements of any melody are duration, pitch, and quality (timbre), texture, and loudness.