Open Tone Harmony

2.1.4 Motivic coherence

Question. Does the piece have one or more recurring motivic cells, and are they developed coherently?

How to check.

1. Identify the cells. Look for short rhythmic-pitch units that appear more than once.
2. Track variations. Each subsequent cell statement should differ in at least one element (transposition, inversion, retrograde, augmentation, diminution, intervallic adjustment to a new chord context).
3. Look for cell distribution across voices. A motif heard only in voice 1 throughout is a missed opportunity for canonic or imitative treatment.

Common findings. Motivic coherence is the dimension most often neglected in OTH writing because the harmonic system is so rich it can carry the ear without strong motivic work. But a piece without motivic coherence quickly loses memorability.