A musical motive is a short melodic or rhythmic idea that recurs in a composition to create unity and structure.
Motive: a short figure of distinctive melodic or rhythmic configuration that recurs throughout a composition or section and functions as a unifying element. Motives are small musical ideas that are developed and repeated throughout a piece to create unity.
In Western Art Music, an example of a motive is the 'three-shorts and a long' motive heard at the beginning of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5. Motives are often repeated continuously, known as ostinato, contributing to the structure and coherence of a musical piece.
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