Cedric's Lesson #023
Albert Silverman
ANCIENT IRRELEVANCE
Mystique About Dissonance (MAD)
by Albert Silverman
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Note:
Those who are not interested in UNDERSTANDING the _principles of chord
relationships_ (which is essential knowledge for anyone who would "compose"
music based upon the triad) are urged to stop reading immediately and move
on to more soothing material, in order to avoid that well-known disabling
affliction: "brain strain."
INTRODUCTION
As you should know by now, Cedric (yoo hoo, Cedric, are you still awake out
there?), it is my sinful purpose, in an ongoing extensive set of articles,
to present a _THEORY of chord relationships_ which has an excellent
correlation (including an explanation of all-important aural dynamic
effects) with triadic-based musical composition.
This is no mean feat, considering the obstacles which lie in the way. The
first step in the process is to decrypt what is referred to as "Ancient
Art." This is a virtually incomprehensible (look around you and see how
many folks "understand" it!) bizarre concoction. It has been cast into
Academic Concrete, in order to preserve Ancient Art (and avoid the revision
of Musical History).
In point of fact, the Ancient Art which is foisted upon the hapless and
unwary student consists of a fatally-flawed theoretical formulation, buried
under a suffocating mass of common-practice stylistic detail and "artistic"
fluff/trivia. It should be noted that stylistic matters are an APPLICATION
of theory; i.e., they contribute nothing to the UNDERSTANDING of chord
relationships
Apart from the mass of stylistic detail, the fatally-flawed "theoretical"
principles embodied within Ancient Art are IRRELEVANT, since they fail to
conform with compositional practice. Particularly damning, they lack the
essential
*AURAL CORRELATION*.
The extraction of a set of chord-relation principles from Ancient Art and
their subsequent formulation into an abstract, aurally-correlatable triadic
THEORY (invariant without regard to a particular compositional STYLE) has
predictably outraged those who have been indoctrinated under musical
Ancient Authority.
The reason for this outrage and/or indignation is clear. The notion that
Ancient Art is "theory" having been repeatedly drummed into his head by
those within Musical Academia who are entrusted with the preservation of
Ancient Art/History,
the indoctrinee can neither understand the nature of an ABSTRACT
theoretical principle nor draw the crucial distinction between a
theoretical principle and the _practical application of that principle
(style)_.
Since it is human nature to fear what one does not understand, the
indoctrinee, tucked neatly away under his Ancient security blanket of
"theoretical" knowledge, will fiercely resist its shredding. In other
words, one who has been defrauded by this educational sham (*KNOWINGLY*
teaching a fatally-flawed "theoretical" formulation as the gospel truth)
cannot admit to the existence of a _theory of chord relationships_. This is
a strange and incomprehensible concept which is alien to Ancient Art--the
only thing that he "knows."
That is,
the indoctrinee cannot accept the fact that Ancient Art (with its
fatally-flawed "theoretical" formulation) does not *NOT* provide him
with an UNDERSTANDING of chord relationships.
For lack of a better name, I refer to the indoctrinee's denial of harmonic
reality as the "Ostrich Complex."
As I have previously stated several times, those who major in musical
composition will, if they are lucky, eventually "pick up" these theoretical
principles, DESPITE their being well-hidden under a blanket of Ancient
irrelevance. The luckiest few will go on to become competent, if not great,
composers. Those who are not so lucky may well find their way into this
newsgroup, attempting to impress others with their "theoretical" knowledge.
Non-composition music majors are merely grist for the Academic Mill; after
all, those who are seriously interested in composition cannot foot the bill
for the entire establishment. No one will be any the wiser (or will they?)
if they come away from school believing that they know "theory," when all
that they have to show for their "theoretical" education is an
incomprehensible tangle of Ancient b------t.
It ("theory" in Musical Academia) is a MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD, World!
In this ongoing educational sham (are you listening, Perfessor?) the name
of the Academic Game being played at the student's expense is
**IRRELEVANCE**
That is, since the purpose of "theoretical" education in Musical Academia
is to preserve Ancient Art/History, rather than to teach (real) theoretical
principles, there is no necessity that what is being taught be
theoretically relevant.
Topping the long list of Ancient Irrelevance is one of the most colorful
cornerstones of The Doctrine of our Ancient Theorist (or Artist, if you
prefer): Mystique About Dissonance (abbr. MAD). The original (Ancient,
Ancient) premise of his ingenious "theory" of consonance and dissonance is
that the source of "tension" or "restlessness" in music is the presence of
one or more so-called "dissonant" intervals in a chord. Such tension is
then released by following the aural urge; i.e., progressing to a more
stable chord containing only "consonant" intervals. The ebb and flow of
tension and release of tension is supposedly a vital factor in musical
composition.
The "dissonant interval" defined!!
For a definition of the dissonant interval, we can do no better than turn
to the classic Pistonese dialect of Ancient Gibberish:
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"A consonant interval is one which sounds stable and complete whereas the
characteristic of the dissonant interval is its restlessness and its need
for resolution into a consonant interval. These qualities are admittedly
open to subjective, personal, and evolutionary interpretation but it is
clear that in the common practice of composers the following classification
holds true.
Consonant--the perfect intervals and the major and minor thirds and
sixths
Dissonant--the augmented and diminished intervals and the major and
minor seconds, sevenths, and ninths.
(Exception--the perfect fourth is dissonant when there is no tone
below its lower tone. It is consonant when there is a
third or perfect fifth below it.
The major and minor thirds and sixths are frequently set apart from the
perfect intervals and termed "imperfect consonances." This distinction has
little significance for the harmonic style of the eighteenth and nineteenth
centuries. Only the sixth, when in certain tonal relationships with the
bass, seems to lack the stability of the perfect consonances and to need
resolution to the fifth.
Music without dissonant intervals is often lifeless and negative, since it
is the dissonant element which furnishes much of the sense of movement and
rhythmic energy. The history of musical style has been largely occupied
with the important subject of dissonance and its treatment by composers. It
cannot be too strongly emphasized that the essential quality of dissonance
is its sense of movement and not, as sometimes erroneously assumed, its
degree of unpleasantness to the ear."
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Yes indeed, Walter
Is this perfectly clear, Cedric?
Our Ancient Theorist regularly turns to "overtones" for his "answers" to
all sorts of puzzling questions. Being ever enchanted with _chord
intervals_ as the "answer," when he doesn't really know the answer, he
quite naturally draws the distinction between a dissonant and a consonant
interval by relating (in some vaguely-defined manner) the interval in
question to the natural overtone series.
However, this is a tortured relationship which breaks down (as does almost
everything else having to do with chord relationships in Ancient Art) under
scrutiny. Our Ancient Theorist's claim that _an interval contained within a
chord_ can be responsible for some ill-defined "tension" is MAD, on its
face. Were this to be the case, a chord containing a dissonant interval,
sounded _in isolation_, would possess such a tension, while a chord
containing only consonant intervals, sounded in isolation, would be
"stable." This is obviously not the case, since the existence of tension in
a chord _is ONLY a function of the manner in which the chord is used in a
musical context_.
Those (if any) who understand what I have said about the origin of
"tendency" (and its manifestation as an "aural dynamic tension") and its
origin are aware that such tension _has NOTHING to do with physical science
(e.g., the overtone series) and EVERYTHING to do with the listener's
_expectation of things to come_. There is not one scintilla of scientific
evidence to the contrary. In simple language, Cedric, such tension arises
from prolonged and conditioned listening to Western music, based upon
triadic theory.
As I have previously pointed out (in a post judged to be "racist" by
"Doctor" Strangelogic), a citizen of Lower Slobovia will NOT hear such a
dynamic tension.
Judging from the posts which regularly appear here, many of these
aliens (whom I have already identified) have invaded this newsgroup!
As discussed in detail in my Secrets of Harmony, there are two (and ONLY
two) sources of "tendency": (1) diatonic (2) prepared melodic. Once again,
_diatonic tendency can be traced to the two semi-tone intervals in the
diatonic scale_ and manifests itself, under proper conditions of phrasing
and proximity to the chord of central significance in the harmonic
structure, as an aural urge for a specific chord tone to progress to
another tone which lies distant by a pitch interval of _one semi-tone_.
NOT one whole tone or a perfect fifth or a perfect fourth or any other
interval, mind you; just one SEMI-TONE. Period.
And once again, prepared melodic tendency is due to a _semi-tone melodic
progression_ which creates an aural expectation that progression will
continue onward in the same direction, by one semi-tone.
NOT one whole tone or a perfect fifth or a perfect fourth or any other
interval, mind you; just one SEMI-TONE. Period. Double period.
Since these are the *ONLY* sources of aural dynamic tendency (or "tension,"
if you will), it is MAD to claim that chord INTERVALS can be responsible
for the creation of tension.
Insofar as the "resolution" of a so-called "dissonant interval" to a so-
called "consonant interval" is concerned, let us take a look at that
traditional Dissonant Devil Supreme: the tritone (shudder!). As Ancient
"theory" goes, the dissonant tritone (6 semi-tones) is "resolved" by
contracting to a 4 semi-tone consonant interval of a major third. For
example, when C is the root-tone of central significance, the major-mode
7th chord at {2} (the Ancient "dominant 7th") contains the tones GBDF.
Note that the interval B-F is that Devil (shudder!), the tritone. In the
progression GBDF-->GCE, the interval B-F appears to "contract" to the major
3rd, C-E. What is actually happening, of course, is that this apparent
contraction is due to two tendency tones which progress to the tones sought
by the tendencies. That is, tone B has an upward semi-tone tendency toward
tone C, while tone F has a downward semi-tone tendency toward tone E, and
the progression GBDF-->GCE follows these tendencies. The crucial point here
is that it is not the INTERVAL B-F (repeat: NOT) which is responsible for
the dynamic tension. Rather, this tension arises from the two diatonic
tendencies B-->C and F-->E.
Now consider the chord DFAbC with tone D in the bass. When C is the root-
tone of central significance, this chord is Dm7-, a minor-mode 7th with a
lowered 5th degree. Note that the interval D-Ab is the dreaded tritone.
Here, however, the m7- chord invariably resolves to a major-mode 7th chord
with a root-tone in a 5th degree relationship. In this case, the chord Dm7-
will resolve to a G7 chord, containing tones DFGB. Thus, in the progression
DFAbC-->DFGB, the tritone D-Ab does not "resolve" to a major 3rd, as did
the tritone in the above example. In this case, tone D remains at the same
pitch level during the progression. How do you explain THIS, oh Ancient
Theorist? Has the Devil Tritone gone MAD?
Back to the real world, Cedric. What is REALLY happening, however, has
_nothing at all to do with the "resolution" of the so-called "dissonant"
tritone_. Rather, in the chord DFAbC, (1) tone C has a downward semi-tone
tendency toward tone B, (2) tone Ab has a downward semi-tone tendency
toward tone G, (3) the root-tone D has a persistence, and (4) the minor 3rd
degree F has a persistence. These combined dynamic effects completely
define the chord of resolution, which contains tones DFGB.
Mary's Little Lamb: "Dissonant?" (Baaaaaa............humbug!)
Let's now put the final nail in the "dissonant interval" coffin, Cedric. In
a previous example, I illustrated the nature of "tendency" in triadic
composition.
MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB
Line #1: |1 |2 |3 |4 |5 |6 |7 |8 |
Line #2: |E DCD|EEE|DDD |EGG |E DCD|EEEE|DDED |Cr |
Line #3: |48844|442|442 |442 |48844|4444|4444 |22 |
Line #4: |C |C |B |C |C |C |B |C |
----------------------------------------------------
Line #5: |C |B-->|C |B--> |C |
|E |D |E |D |E |
|G |G-->|G |G--> |G |
----------------------------------------------------
Line #6: |C |G |C |G |C |
Line #7: |{1} |{2} |{1} |{2} |{1} |
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Notes:
The "key signature" shows no accidentals.
The time signature is 2/2.
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Line #1 numbers the measures.
Line #2 is the melody.
Line #3 shows the time durations of the melody tones in line #2
Line #4 shows one possible "bass line."
Line #5 shows the chords, along with tone-leading
Line #6 shows the chord-form notations
Line #7 shows the functional roots
By virtue of the chord CEG being the initial chord of the phrase, which in
this case establishes it tentatively as a chord of special significance,
tone B (the 3rd degree) of the G-major triad GBD in measure 3 possesses an
upward semi-tone "tendency" toward tone C (the 1st degree) in the C-major
triad in measure 4. In other words, there is an _aural urge to progress
from tone B to tone C_, which is just one semi-tone distant in pitch.
At the same time, tone G, the constructional "root-tone" of the G-major
triad, possesses a weak "persistence"; i.e., it wants to hang around. Thus,
the combination of the tendency of tone B with the persistence of tone G
urges progression to a chord containing the two tones C and G. These two
tones are component tones of the C-major triad in measure 4.
In other words, the combination of tendency (and persistence) in the
chord GBD manifests itself as a _dynamic tension_ which urges
progression to an incomplete C-major triad (missing the 3rd degree),
whose root-tone is in a 5th degree relationship to the root-tone of
the G-major triad.
Note that the bass tone in the G-major triad in measure 3 (and also in
measure 7) is B, in which case tone G forms the interval of a sixth with
the bass tone. In the Pistonese dialect of Ancient Gibberish, the dynamic
tension in this chord is "explained" in his above statement, which he
sneaked in there as an "exception," while you weren't listening, of course:
"Only the sixth, when in certain tonal relationships with the bass, seems
to lack the stability of the perfect consonances and to need resolution to
the fifth."
Yes indeed, Walter. But then, Walter, suppose that I change line #6 (the
bass line) in the above example to read as follows:
Line #6: |G |G |G |G |G |
Here, the bass tone remains static at G. Yet, the G-major triad in measure
3, in "root" position, STILL has a dynamic tension (although admittedly not
as strong, due to the absence of a tendency tone in the bass) which urges
progression to an incomplete C-major triad. Exactly as before, Walter.
But Walter, the G-major triad in root position (no inversion) is a
CONSONANT chord; no if's, and's, or but's. Right, Walter? So where does
this dynamic tension NOW come from?
Are you going to tell me, Walter, that the dynamic tension of this chord in
root position is NOT due to any "dissonant" interval, but instead is due to
the upward tendency of tone B toward tone C of the C-major triad? Is this
your story NOW, Walter? Maybe you should go ask our Ancient Theorist about
this. Surely HE (the conjurer par excellence) will be able to conjure up an
answer!
Better yet, maybe we should ask The Perfessor.
Are you listening, Perfessor?
CONCLUSION
The "dissonant interval" is a figment of a brilliant Ancient imagination.
It is still taught to hapless and unwary students in Musical Academia as a
viable cause of chord "tension."
If you think that chord intervals have ANYTHING at all to do with dynamic
tension and _chord relationships_ (harmonic structure), then
THINK AGAIN.
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Albert Silverman
(Al is in Wonderland!)