The three steps of a melody : tension or anacrusis, highest point or climax , rest or desinence, and analysis of the melodic phrase. Any melody alternates phases of tension and relaxation. Just notice that all of the major themes of music include three phases: the first phase is the "anacrusis" in which the melody gradually builds a "tension". The second phase is the "climax" or accent which is the place of maximum tension. The third phase is the "rest", a return to calm. It may be noted that the resting phase (ending) is shorter than the "tension" phase. The climax is the culminating point of intensity of a musical sentence or a musical work, and is characterized by a high register (the high A note), a strong dynamic, and a full orchestration. This climax is usually placed at 70% of the duration of a piece. As in the spoken language, a melody uses phrases and punctuations. The melody thus includes phrases and breaths. In our example, the melody is sixteen bars long, and is divided into two sentences of eight measures each, each sentence being different from each other, in terms of mood. The first sentence is called "suspensive" because it does not have a conclusive shape (eighth measure). The second sentence ends (sixteen bars) by a concludive cadence, and is called concludive sentence. Each sentence can be divided into two phrases that are different in terms of melodic and rhythmic mood. For example, the first phrase C is made of long note values, and the second phrase D includes shorter note values.
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