Parsons code: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 19:14, 30 April 2020

Revision as of 13:18, 1 May 2020

Line 1:

{{no footnotes|date=March 2017}}

{{primary sources|date=March 2017}}

The '''Parsons code''', formally named the '''Parsons code for melodic contours''', is a simple notation used to identify a piece of music through [[melodic motion]] — movements of the [[pitch (music)|pitch]] up and down. [[Denys Parsons]] developed this system for his 1975 book ''[[The Directory of Tunes and Musical Themes]]''. Representing a melody in this manner makes it easier to index or search for pieces, particularly when the notes values are unknown.

The book was also published in Germany in 2002 and reprinted by [[Piatkus]] as ''[[The Directory of Classical Themes]]'' in 2008. An earlier method of classifying and indexing melody was devised by Harold Barlow and Sam Morgenstern in ''[[A Dictionary of Musical Themes]]'' (1950).

{{quote box|title=Parsons Code of [[Ode to Joy]]