Leitmotif
noun /ˈlʌɪtməʊtiːf/ — A recurring musical theme representing a person, idea, or emotion.
Definition
A recurring theme associated throughout a musical composition with a particular person, place, or idea; by extension, a recurrent theme in a literary or cinematic work.
Beyond the definition
Wagner invented the leitmotif as a musical memory system — you hear a few notes and instantly know who has entered, who is being thought of, what is at stake. The technique became the grammar of film scoring: John Williams's two-note shark, the Imperial March. A shorthand for identity written in sound.
Origin & history
German: Leit (leading) + Motiv (motive, theme). Coined in the 19th century in discussions of Wagner's operas, where recurring melodic fragments served as musical signatures for characters and themes.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
Darth Vader's leitmotif — the Imperial March — announces him before he appears.
The director's use of a leitmotif let the music tell the audience what to feel before they saw it.
Loss had become the leitmotif of the decade — the theme that played under everything else.
How to use it
This entry uses a noun. Follow the examples for articles and singular or plural forms; not every noun takes “a” or “an.”
Choose “Leitmotif” when the meaning fits your context: A recurring theme associated throughout a musical composition with a particular person, place, or idea; by extension, a recurrent theme in a literary or cinematic work.
Synonyms
recurring theme, motif, signature melody
Related words
Word in the Wild
Illustrative story: an imagined scene, not a documented event or interview.
He didn't notice until a friend pointed it out: every relationship he'd had, the moment it ended, he'd gotten on a train somewhere alone. Not fleeing. Just needing to move.
"It's your leitmotif," she said. "Motion as grief."
He repeated it on the train home. He has been turning that sentence over, slightly differently, ever since.
Questions about this word
What does "Leitmotif" mean?
Leitmotif is noun meaning: A recurring musical theme representing a person, idea, or emotion.. A recurring theme associated throughout a musical composition with a particular person, place, or idea; by extension, a recurrent theme in a literary or cinematic work.
Which words express “story with a deeper meaning”?
Leitmotif — A recurring musical theme representing a person, idea, or emotion.
Where does the word "Leitmotif" come from?
German: Leit (leading) + Motiv (motive, theme). Coined in the 19th century in discussions of Wagner's operas, where recurring melodic fragments served as musical signatures for characters and themes.