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This is called fragmentation.
When a composer develops a musical idea, they use a process known as fragmentation.
As a composer develops a musical idea she may use fragmentation as a way to shorten the musical motive.
yes, a theme is a complete musical idea, a motive may be as short as just a few notes, or a recurring rhythm. It can be any fragment of a musical idea that comes back again and again throughout a piece. So, a whole theme can often be broken down into many distinct motives.
Leit-motif refers to the musical theme associated with a person, place or idea.