melody

A melody is a sequence of single notes that the listener perceives as a coherent musical thought — the part of the music you can hum or whistle. A good melody has contour (the shape of its rises and falls), rhythm, and a sense of direction that makes it memorable and satisfying. Melody is often considered the most fundamental element of music. While harmony, rhythm, and timbre provide context and colour, it is usually the melody that listeners remember and connect with emotionally. Great melodists — Mozart, Schubert, Tchaikovsky, Lennon and McCartney — have the ability to create tunes that feel both inevitable and surprising.