MOTIFS

Topic
A motif is an image, spoken or written word, sound, act, or another visual or structural device
that has symbolic significance. It is used to develop and inform the theme of the literary work.

THREE WAYS OF MOTIFS

1. A single object that appears multiple times throughout the work with most of the
emphasis placed on the item.
2. A collection of related objects that appear multiple times to emphasize the theme.
3.A collection of seemingly unrelated items that serve to draw attention to the theme in a subtler
manner.

CLASSIFICATION OF MOTIFS
GEOMETRIC, STYLIZED, ABSTRACT , NATURAL OR REALISTIC
TYPES OF SYMBOLS
1. Iconogram
Are illustrative representations. They are iconic signs which, as an illustrative representation,
emphasize the points in common between the signifier and the signified.

2. Pictogram
Are pictorial representations, such as ISOTYPE. Pictograms are iconic signs which represent
complex facts, not through words or sounds but through visual carriers of meaning.

3. Cartogram
Are topographical representation with complex functions and iconic facts.

4. Diagram
Are functional representation. They are visual signs which are partly iconic representations, but
are more functional carriers that illustrate.

5. Ideogram
It represent the concepts. Typically ideograms correspond to the sign as a symbol which relates
to the object or concept referred to, independently of any format identification with it.
6. Logogram
Are conceptual representations like writing. They are visual, referential linguistic signs that do
not take the phonetic dimension into consideration.
7. Phonogram
Are phonic representation. A phonogram is a sign that used to signify linguistic or other sounds.
8. Typogram
Are typographical representation. A typogram is a sign that is also composed of a sign, deried
from a written repertoire such as the alphabet.

Improvisation in Various Art Forms

Improvisation, in music, the extemporaneous composition or free performance of a musical
passage, usually in a manner conforming to certain stylistic norms but unfettered by the
prescriptive features of a specific musical text. Music originated as improvisation and is still
extensively improvised in Eastern traditions and in the modern Western tradition of jazz . Many
of the great composers of Western classical music were masters of improvisation, especially on
keyboard instruments, which offered such celebrated composer-performers as Johann Sebastian
Bach, W.A. Mozart, Felix Mendelssohn, and Frédéric Chopin virtually boundless opportunities
for the spontaneous unfolding of their rich musical imaginations. Many an idea so generated
eventually appeared in a written composition. Some composers have regarded improvisation as
an indispensable warm-up for their creative task. Prior to the instrumental era in the West,
improvisation within the systematized musical context was largely limited to ornamental variants
of vocal parts in polyphonic compositions and to instrumental adaptations of vocal compositions,
especially by lute and keyboard virtuosos. The monodic textures that originated about 1600, on
the other hand, were ready-made, indeed in large measure intended, for improvisational
enhancement, not only of the treble parts but also, almost by definition, of the bass, which was
figured to suggest no more than a minimal chordal outline.
In essentially monophonic musical cultures, whether Western or non-Western, improvisation has
been of paramount importance, if only because successful improvisation is always more readily
achieved by soloists than by groups. A monophonic oral musical tradition, however, does not
necessarily imply the prevalence of improvisational practices. Quite to the contrary, oral
traditions have been prone to preserve the integrity of particular songs and dances from
generation to generation with a degree of precision virtually unknown in literate musical
contexts.

It Is generally assumed that early European music from Roman Catholic chant to medieval
polyphony was rooted in such improvisational practices as the exploration of motivic
possibilities in the church modes (see church mode) and the addition of a second melody to a
preexisting melody or cantus firmus. Modal improvisations have remained central to much non-
Western music, including the chant of the Jewish synagogue, Islāmic maqām elaborations, and
Indian raga performances.

In the West, cantus firmus improvisation inspired a great deal of instrumental music as well,
beginning with late Renaissance improvisations over ostinato basses (relatively short repeated
bass patterns) and maintained through the centuries especially by organists who embraced such
popular ostinato genres as the passacaglia and chaconne. Organists have remained in the
forefront of improvisation as a primary musical activity in no way at odds with written
composition, while keyboard improvisation in turn has been responsible for compositions of a
freely associative character of the sort found among hundreds of preludes, toccatas, and fantasies
written during the past three centuries. Improvisations on Protestant hymn tunes gave birth to the
important 17th- and 18th-century genre the chorale prelude. In the later 18th century,
improvisation, often based on variation techniques but not excluding the strictly polyphonic
procedures of canon and fugue, challenged the ingenuity of virtuoso-composers repeatedly in
public improvisational contests, such as those that pitted Mozart against Muzio Clementi and
Ludwig van Beethoven against Joseph Wölfl. In modern times, improvisation survives as one of
the chief distinguishing characteristics of jazz. Here, too, the process is usually inspired by, and
structured (however loosely) in accordance with, salient characteristics of the model in question,
be it a well-known show tune or a ground bass. During the second half of the 20th century, there
arose among certain avant-garde composers and performers a tendency away from any vestige of
traditional structure. A “composition” from this experimental school might be entirely devoid of
conventional notation, consisting rather of a verbal instruction, a prescription for duration, or an
idiosyncratic graphic code. Some works required performers to combine at random “building
blocks” of brief musical phrases or entire sections presented by the composer; it has been
asserted that such a process embodies a more profound creative collaboration between composer
and performer than does the interpretation of a fully notated work or the express but limited
freedom accorded performers at crucial moments in certain fixed compositions (e.g., the da capo
section of an 18th-century aria or the cadenza near the end of a solo concerto movement).

Improvisation – spontaneous, unplanned, or otherwise free-ranging creativity. It is not for

everyone.
Skills & Techniques
Improvisation skills may be artistic, scientific, physical, cognitive, academic and non- academic
disciplines. Techniques of Improvisations are widely used in training for performing arts or
entertainment.
CONTACT-BODY IMPROVISATION
> Improvised dancing that has been developing internationally since 1972.
> It is a dance technique in which points of physical contact provide the
Starting point for movement improvisation and exploration. Using the fundamentals of sharing
weight, touch and movement awareness.
 Originated from the movement studies of Steve Paxton (1970s) and
Developed through the continued exploration of the Judson Dance Theater.

1. FLOWING
Physically practice the art of being fluid in the bodies.
2. STACCATO
Physically practice the power of masculine energy.
3. CHAOS
Physically practice the art of fully releasing are bodies.
4. LYRICAL
Physically practice the art of coming out of chaos.
5. STILLNESS
Being still and doing nothing are totally different. Stillness move both within and all around us.

SOUND IMPROVISATION
Musical improvisation
Sound Improvisation
- Also called EXTEMPORIZATION . The extemporaneous composition or free
performance of a musical passage, usually in a manner conforming to certain stylistic norms but
unfettered by the prescriptive features of a specific musical text.
• “The creation of music in the course of performance”
Music that is created by the performer during the moment of performance. Can include subtle
changes in tempo or dynamics, ornamentations, rubato, exact articulation, various balance,
contour, etc.
Theatre Improvisation
In theatre, is the playing of dramatic scenes without written dialogue and with minimal or no
predetermined dramatic activity. The method has been used for different purposes in theatrical
history.
Improvisational Theatre
Often called improvisation or improv, is the form of theatre, often comedy, in which most or
All of what is performed, is unplanned or unscripted: created spontaneously by the
Performers. In its purest form, the dialogue, action, story, and characters are created
Collaboratively by the players as the improvisation unfolds in present time, without use of an
Already prepared, written script.
Improvisational Theatre
Improvisational theater introduces an interactive relationship between the cast and the audience.

SHORT FORM IMPROVISATION

Consists of short scenes usually constructed from a predetermined game, structure, or idea and
driven by an audience suggestion. Many short form exercises were first created by Viola Spolin,
who called them theatre games, influenced by her training from recreational games expert Neva
Boyd.
LONG FORM IMPROVISATION
Performers create shows in which short scenes are often interrelated by story, characters, or
themes. Long form is usually when suggestions are given at the top of the show or an act.
Sometimes it’s a few suggestions that are written down for all to see, or a “theme”, such as
unrequited love, birth, luck, etc.

THE FIVE PROBLEMS IN IMPROVISATIONS

1. MENTAL BLOCKS
As you learn your piece/movement, you will find at times your works in improvisation flows
easily and
At other times, improvising is much more difficult, and you feel blocked.
2. REMEMBERING NEW MOVEMENTS
Having trouble remembering movements and this can be solve through practice.
3. FITTING IT ALL TOGETHER
You’ll also discover that movement do not always come forth in logical manner. Requires
patience to learn how all parts fit together and also can be solve through practice.
4. DIFFERENT IN CONCEPT
If a piece seems to be taking shape in a certain direction, explore that direction even if it differs
from your original conception on your work. The creative process requires that you be open to all
possibilities as they occur.
5. MINDSET
Fear is the no. 1 killer of creativity in anything and it is not easy to get put on the spot of an
audience and improvise. For a successful performance: must overcome fear, self-doubt, and a
myriad of distractions.