Melody
Scarborough Fair and Arirang both have very simple melodic lines, with a long-short rhythm. Scarborough Fair uses a half note-quarter note rhythm with a dotted quarter-eighth note rhythm to highlight the beginning "Scar-bor-ough." Similarly, Arirang uses the same dotted quarter-eighth note rhythm to highlight the "A-ri" of "Arirang." The accents on the lyrics that are the titles of the song simplifies the song and also makes it more memorable. Additionally, the long-short rhythm creates a sense of longing as tune reaches out but is then abruptly cut short. This simple melody is characteristic of folk songs since they are meant to be catchy. Complicated tunes are easily forgotten and make it hard for the players of the song, which is not desirable for songs mainly passed from person to person orally. Folk songs are meant to be hummed and have simple rhythms.
These melodies also have a similar contour of balanced increasing and decreasing pitches that can be seen on the shape of the music. The connected, legato phrases conveys the sorrowful stories of the two songs It also mimics the natural rise and fall of the voice, which makes the song much more natural and singable. Both of these are also performed with an adagio tempo to portray the forlorn emotions. The 3/4 meter helps to slow down the tempo and adds to the haunting melody.
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