What's The Name Of That Song?

You can’t get that song out of your head.  You find yourself singing and humming the melody over and over again.  It’s haunting you.  While Ode To The Yellow River and Exogenesis Part 1 seem to be very different musical works, they do share a common link: they both use melody dominated homophony.  A single voice is present in both pieces that clearly carries the dominant melody of the piece.  The other instruments merely accompany the main melody.  Each piece develops in very different ways but both are using melody-dominated homophony texture.  Homophony is prevalent in western music so it’s presence in Xian’s composition is interesting and reveals he was influenced by western culture during the creation of the piece.  

Ode to the Yellow River introduces it’s melody immediately in the cello voice.  

Measures 1-6 Ode To The Yellow River Cello Melody

The cello is joined by the viola in measure 8 and the two play in unison.  The cello and viola carry the simple melody without embellishment or ornamentation until measure 16.  

Ode To The Yellow River:  Cello and Viola play melody in Unison

The piano picks up the melody and continues with the main theme from measure 16 to the end of the movement.  While the cello melody is playing, all other instruments are simply accompanying the melody with chords.  When the main melody is picked up by the piano, the accompanying chords are broken into arpeggios and this arpeggio accompaniment is carried through the majority of the piece.  

Ode To The Yellow River:  Piano Melody  and Measure 18 Begin arpeggios

The Overture of Exogenesis uses a single vocal to carry it’s melody.  The melody is not introduced immediately but begins in the 35th measure.  

Exogenesis: Measure 35 Melody begins in vocals - single voice

Throughout the 34 measure introduction, the instruments are playing basic chords with no foreshadowing of the melody.  Similarly to Ode To The Yellow River, the chords are broken up into arpeggios by the cello and they continue through the majority of the piece.  

Exogenesis The Overture: Measure 34 Begin Arpeggio

The melody is almost exclusively carried by the vocal line with exception of measures 59-66 where the electric guitar picks up the main melody and carries it while the vocal carries a single note in the chord.  

Both Ode to the Yellow River and the Exogenesis Overture have a distinct melody that is present throughout the piece.  Although the lead role of playing the melody may change throughout the piece, there is no other theme or melody that is evident in either piece.  Ode to the Yellow River and the Overture of Exogenesis are clearly linked by their use of melody-dominated homophony and for this reason either song will have you humming it’s tune all day.