The Anatomy of Melody: Exploring the Single Line of Song [Paperback]

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. This unique guide allows readers a new insight into the composition of songs and focuses 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.

Alice Parker, internationally renowned composer, conductor, and teacher, studied composition and conducting at Smith College and the Juilliard School, where she began her long association with Robert Shaw. The many Parker/Shaw settings of American folksongs, hymns, and spirituals from that period form an enduring repertoire for choruses all around the world. Her list of published compositions has over five hundred titles, ranging from operas through song cycles, cantatas, and choral suites to many individual anthems. She has been commissioned by hundreds of community, school, and church choruses, and her works appear in the catalogs of a dozen publishing companies. Each year she tours the United States and Canada, leading performances and workshops on improvisation, rehearsal techniques, and score study. To take part in one of her SINGS is to have a rare experience of group improvisation, remarkable for its high level of musical sound. In 1985, with the founding of Melodious Accord, Inc., she focused her activities on the heart of vocal music: the melody. The Musicians of Melodious Accord, a sixteen-voice professional chorus, has released fourteen albums in the last two decades. Through the Melodious Accord Fellowship Program, mid-career professional musicians are brought together for inspiration and refreshment in their teaching, composing, and conducting under her mentorship. The organization also sponsors workshops, symposia, Parker appearances, and publishes an e-Newsletter. Now a resident lã'