Melos

Melos is an ancient Greek music term referring to melody, song, or a melodic line, especially in the context of ancient Greek music theory.

Melos is an ancient Greek music term referring to melody, song, or a melodic line, especially in the context of ancient Greek music theory. In later music scholarship, it has been used more broadly for melodic concepts and, in some twentieth-century theory, for a twelve-tone row. The term is the source of the modern English word melody.

Origin and meaning

Melos comes from Ancient Greek μέλος (mélos), a word associated with song and melody. In antiquity it could refer both to a musical line and, more broadly, to lyric or sung expression.

Use in ancient Greek music theory

In studies of ancient Greek music, melos is a key concept for understanding melodic composition. It is distinguished from harmony in the modern sense and is linked to the organization of pitch and musical form.

Modern theoretical uses

In the twentieth century, some composers and theorists reused Melos for more abstract ideas of melody. Sources also note its use by Josef Matthias Hauer in twelve-tone theory as a label for the tone row. German music scholarship in the 1920s used Melos for more abstract melodic concepts.

Related terminology

The English word melody is etymologically related to Greek mélos. Music references also record a narrower Wagnerian use of melos for vocal progressions that do not form conventional melodies.