ABSTRACT
When the melody in Figure 12.1 rings on my mobile phone, I’m able to infer a sense of stability and repose when it has reached its conclusion, and the final note, C-natural, sounds like a resting point: a tonic. Yet, from looking at the melody, it’s not really clear why that would be the case. The melody doesn’t begin on C, and the note that it does begin with (G) occurs more frequently than C. In fact, the only time C occurs before the final measure is in a position not emphasized rhythmically, as a part of descending motive that I’ve already heard twice before. For some reason, however, I’m able to hear closure and rest on the C at the end of the phrase, as if the melody has “arrived home.” Thus, our perception of tonality is a complex network of relationships that are often not apparent upon first glance.
