The Language of Music and the Music of Language: A Study in Melodic Necessity and Poetic Singing

Abdel Mawla, Ahmed Adel

doi:10.21608/mjoms.2025.361684.1204

The Language of Music and the Music of Language: A Study in Melodic Necessity and Poetic Singing

Author

Ahmed Adel Abdel Mawla

MISR UNIVERSITY FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

10.21608/mjoms.2025.361684.1204

Abstract

This research explores an important topic concerning the strong bond between the arts of poetry and singing, namely "melodic necessity." Often, when listening to a sung, composed poem, we notice instances where the composer deviates from the prosodic pattern of the poem. Identifying such deviations allows us to examine the dialectical relationship between singing and prosodic meter, oscillating between harmony and divergence.
It is important to acknowledge that singing—and even mere recitation—is never performed strictly according to prosodic segmentation. Rather, meter serves as a structural framework, where rhythmic feet follow a familiar pattern that regulates the musicality of the verse.

This study addresses the following aspects:

First: Changes that deviate from the prosodic pattern but not the linguistic one.

Second: Changes that do not deviate from either the prosodic or linguistic pattern, including:

• Strengthening an unstressed syllable.

• Silencing a moving syllable.

Third: Changes in grammatical inflection.

This study posits that if "poetic necessity" has given rise to what we may call "the language of poetry," then "melodic necessity" has led to what can be termed "the language of singing."
Thus, we can establish a new term to be added to "poetic necessity," which applies to the composition and recitation of poetry—namely, "melodic necessity" in the composition and singing of poetry.

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