Melody

A melody, also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combination of pitch and rhythm, while more figuratively, the term can include other musical elements such as tonal color. It is the foreground to the background accompaniment.

A line or part need not be a foreground melody.

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Source: Wikipedia · Image: Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

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