MUSICAL COMPOSITION

MELODIES AND THEm TREATMENT 414. F, a summing up of the characteristic falls inA and B.AB--It must not be imagined for a moment from readingthis cold and dry analysis that such a melody as thiscan be made by calculation. We cannot explain theprocess known as inspiration; we can, however, applythe touchstone of the best inspirations of others to testthe value of our own, and we can by comparison andanalysis train our minds to present the results ofinspiration in their most perfect form.A melody isnot necessarily in its most perfect state when itis first written down. Some of the finest tunesin the world have gone through long processesof lengthening, shortening, refining and altering invarious ways before they have reached the form inwhich the world now knows them. The first stagesof the immortal theme of Beethoven's Ninth Symphonyare almost absurd to look back upon, e.g.:Prato. ~II 2r c· c¥f&-fP¥ft#1 t cft$@#Jtl J c rtf c c·lr ["II r c cfffflF5t r IFAllegro.fti if r ~ I r ~ m ~ I r ~ I r ~ I r 1JE