A leitmotif ('leading motif') is a recurring theme written for a specific character, idea, or event in opera or television and film music. Leitmotifs are found notably in the works of Liszt, Wagner (the first to use them extensively), and other 19th-century Romantic composers. In Wagner’s Ring cycle, for example, there are leitmotifs for Siegfried, Wotan’s spear, and Fate, among dozens of others, although they often undergo dramatic transformations.

A motto theme is atheme that recurs during a piece of music, similar to a leitmotif.