Message from Rick DeJonge
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Like any good melody, there are two things that need to happen. The first is that there is a part of the melody that sticks in your mind and the second is that the melody allows for implied chords within a tonal center. The winning melody for the 2009 WMEA Melody Commission project by Jon Nelson does both of these things well.
The first two measures of the melody create a well recognized motif that composer Rick DeJonge uses several times throughout the piece. During the fanfare-like opening, this motif is heard in the oboe and bells in measures 5 and 6 followed by the same motif in measures 7 and 8 played by the flute and 1st clarinet.
Jon’s original melody of eight bars is augmented to create really a 16 bar melody and the first time this is heard is with solo saxophone in measures 15 – 21 followed by the original portion of the melody (non-augmented) by first the oboe and bells in measures 22 – 23 and then the flute and saxophone in measures 24-25.
An 8 bar theme is rather short to create a first section so DeJonge repeats the first 7 measures (augmented to really 14) and then adds an ending. The second time through this melody, the theme is played by the horns in measures 27-33 followed by the 1st trumpet and 2nd clarinet in measures 34-37. Finishing up the first section is the oboe again from measures 38-40.
The motif that DeJonge uses features a diminished 5th within the tonal center and this gives the emotional character that the piece was written around. It is also the part of the melody that becomes recognizable when heard mainly due to its uniqueness of a melody with a diminished 5th. DeJonge takes advantage of this by using this recognizable motif throughout the entire work.
It should also be noted that the composer kept the original key(Eb) of Jon’s melody for the first section but after that, takes it through several different tonal centers.
