Melody

 Most European music prior to the 20th century had melodies with "fixed and easily identified frequency patterns" and were frequently repeated "events that were sometimes repeated at all structural levels" and "recurrences of patterns and durations lengths." Melodies from the 20th century "used a greater range of pitch resources than is typical in any other period of Western music time." The diatonic scale remains in use, but the chromatic scale is now extensively used. "Composers also assigned a structural role to "the qualitative dimensions" that were previously "almost exclusively reserved for pitch and rhythm". Kliewer states, "Composers also gave a structural function to "the qualitative dimensions" that were "almost exclusively reserved for rhythm and rhythm."