Mote

In music, the word Mote refers generically to any musical building block that can be used to create a song when utilized alongside other motes. It's the concept of a musical element, in abstract.

Some examples of musical objects that may be labeled as motes are:

• Singular notes
• Note intervals
• Melodies
• Chords
• Chord progressions
• Sounds
• Samples
• Instruments/Synths
• Rhythms
• Words/phrases in lyrics

Although the word mote may sound similar to other terms such as "Musical Idea" or "Leitmotif," their meanings and use cases diverge, depending on their contexts.

Etymology

In common English, "mote" is defined as a small particle or speck, as of dust. The definition is fundamentally the same in a musical context.

Though not etymologically related, the word "mote" is conveniently identical to the middle syllable of the word "leitmotif," which reflects the relationship between the two terms.

Mote versus Leitmotif

While the term leitmotif can be used to describe a general musical idea, it is important to note that leitmotifs are musical ideas that are subsequently repeated (with or without modifications), in order to be associated with a particular person, place, or idea. Motes, on the other hand, can exist without ever being repeated or having any sort of significance.

A mote could be a single melody that is only played once, while a leitmotif can only be considered a leitmotif with repetition of said musical element and association with another object in a story.

Mote versus Musical Idea

Motes and musical ideas have many overlaps, but it is important to mention that motes are musical building blocks of any size while musical ideas imply complete phrases, usually within the context of an entire composition. A singular F# note on its own cannot be a musical idea since it is not a complete phrase, but it can be considered a mote, since it can still be used as a musical building block regardless of its size.

Motes and musical ideas may not the same thing, but they still have an overlap in meaning. A melody or a chord progression can be both a mote and a musical idea at the same time, but "mote" is the broader term of the two, being able to describe many other musical building blocks such as individual sounds, samples, notes, words, etc.

Examples of sentences using the word Mote

• "I really have no ideas for this song I'm working on, I have a lot of different motes written down but I can't find a way to arrange them properly."
• "I am working on a collaboration with one of my composer friends. We haven't recorded anything yet, but we came up with a lot of motes!"