Johann Mattheson, in his Vollkommener Capellmeister, suggests that a composer have at his disposal a number of what are called "moduli." These consist of "modulations, little turns, clever motives, pleasing figures" and the like, that the composer can apply to his own melodic invention. The origins of these "moduli" are not as important as their usage, because even great ideas poorly used will amount to nothing. Handel used the "moduli" often as an integral part of his compositional process. Three different melodic figures are given, with numerous examples of how Handel developed these into themes.

Index Classifications: 1700s

Contributed by: Felix Cox