this post was submitted on 18 Dec 2024
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Music

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Do you know any albums with leitmotifs? (slrpnk.net)
submitted 1 day ago by hono4kami@slrpnk.net to c/music@lemmy.world
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I know that there are countless amount of movies/games soundtracks with leitmotifs, but other than that I've never found albums with leitmotifs.

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[–] dustyData@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Progressive metal is all about leitmotifs. Dream theater specially uses the technique to great effect. Like in Six degrees of inner turbulence or the meta album (each song in the album is in a different other album but construct a separate sequence) 12 step suite, about alcoholism.

[–] Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 17 hours ago

Gawd I love Dream Theater.

[–] acosmichippo@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I'll have to listen again but I don't recall 6doit having any recurring musical phrases that accompany characters or other ideas throughout the album. there is an overture at the beginning that introduces the songs.

[–] dustyData@lemmy.world 1 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

It does, the overture doesn't only introduces later songs (through leitmotifs), it reuses them again for a reprise and a finale. Other examples include Metropolis part II: scenes from a memory, which is almost a musical, including characters, scenes and acts, and A change of seasons, where leitmotifs are not for characters but concepts.

[–] acosmichippo@lemmy.world 1 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

It does, the overture doesn’t only introduces later songs (through leitmotifs), it reuses them again for a reprise and a finale.

yeah what I'm saying is I don't think that's really what a "leitmotif" is.

[–] dustyData@lemmy.world 1 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago) (1 children)

How is it not?. If anything, DT's instrumental use of leitmotif for composition is more classical and predates the crude and vulgar current interpretation of leitmotif="this character is on screen".

[–] acosmichippo@lemmy.world 1 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago) (1 children)

A leitmotif or Leitmotiv[1] (/ˌlaɪtmoʊˈtiːf/) is a "short, recurring musical phrase"[2] associated with a particular person, place, or idea.

I don't think any of DTs recurring musical phrases are "associated with a particular person, place, or idea." Like there has to be more to it than recurrence to be considered a leitmotif. Recurrence in music happened a lot for various reasons before the idea of leitmotifs, so if you use the term generically to that extent it loses any meaning.