Some motives can be broken down into smaller parts (fragments). A motive is
perceived as a whole when it is repeated as a whole. Fragmentary ideas, also
established by repetition, can be derived from the original idea. Motive fragments
are often used to figure connecting, transitional or episodic passages.
Example 5: Motive Fragmentation
A protocell is a collection of notes
extracted from a particular scale. It is a pattern of pitches
that can be found at one or more steps in a scale and is an embrionic
idea. Several examples of protocells are included on the
Whole-tone Resources page. One can explore the potential
of a protocell by subjecting it to the variation procedures
described in Motive Variations. Rhythmic ideas should be included in the mix
during this experimental phase with the goal to develop
full-featured motives. This is an excellent exercise that
stimulates thinking and produces motives that have rich
possibilities. Very often, entire compositions are derived from
just a few few such high potential thematic ideas.
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