A leitmotif (German Leitmotiv — “leading motif”) is a short, vivid, easily recognizable musical theme linked to a particular character, object, feeling, or idea. Each time this image appears on stage or in the narrative, its leitmotif sounds in the music.
The system of leitmotifs was brought to perfection by Richard Wagner in his grandiose music dramas (the tetralogy “The Ring of the Nibelung”): in his work dozens of leitmotifs interweave, develop, and transform, creating a complex “web” of meanings intelligible even without words. The leitmotif allows music to “narrate” and comment on the action. This device was widely inherited by film music: the character themes in soundtracks (from John Williams to the present) are direct descendants of the Wagnerian leitmotif. The leitmotif is one of the most powerful means of musical storytelling.
