theme
Sign in to saveAlso known as subject, fugue subject, musical theme, musical subject
musical melody on which a composition is based
~6 min read
Encyclopedic overview
First theme of Haydn's Sonata in G Major, Hob. XVI: G1, I, mm. 1–12
In music, a subject is the material, usually a recognizable melody, upon which part or all of a composition is based. In forms other than the fugue, this may be known as the theme.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “theme” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.