User:Aura/Aura's Ideas on Functional Harmony (Part 1): Difference between revisions
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Finally trying to put down my thoughts on some recurring questions |
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One construct from Western Classical music with potential implications for Microtonalists is '''[[Wikipedia:Function (music)|harmonic function]]'''- especially as it pertains to the [[5L 2s|diatonic]] MOS scale and its various relatives. In Mainstream Music Theory there were once two prevailing schools of thought in regards to diatonic functional harmony- '''[[Wikipedia:Function (music) #German functional theory|German Theory]]''' and '''[[Wikipedia:Function (music) #Viennese theory of the degrees|Viennese Theory]]'''- however, in a conversation with [[User:Mousemambo|Mousemambo]] on Discord, it has been revealed to me that in modern practice, the old ideas of functional harmony have largely disintegrated due firstly to the conviction that after around 1900 CE, art music took a turn away from Common Practice Period foundations and those old analyses just don't work anymore as originally formulated, and secondly due to a suspicion that they never really existed beyond the pareidolia of minds trying to see patterns in noise. Mousemambo has also pointed out to me that modern writers have moved away from the convoluted depths of the two Germanic schools, now more often simply identifying scale degrees and the chords for which they are the root as either Tonic; Dominant, which is basically anything leading to Tonic; and Predominant, which is basically anything leading to Dominant. However, upon listening to the ways in which Plagal cadences get used, and how the chords on the perfect 4th above the Tonic get used as a sort of "home away from home", it is obvious to me that the stance taken by modern writers is an oversimplification, and that there are more remnants of the ideas of the two schools in modern music than one would initially think. Furthermore, the genres of music I write call for a reconstruction of at least some of the ideals of the old Germanic schools from the ground up. Thus, ideas from both schools, as well as a number of other ideas, find a home in my microtonal theory and practice. If the reader will bear with me, I shall use narrative set-ups and character metaphors to describe how the various harmonic functions act in composition and the way they relate to one another, and, furthermore, I'll eventually be looking at ways to extend this reconstruction of functional harmony into the microtonal realm. | One construct from Western Classical music with potential implications for Microtonalists is '''[[Wikipedia:Function (music)|harmonic function]]'''- especially as it pertains to the [[5L 2s|diatonic]] MOS scale and its various relatives. In Mainstream Music Theory there were once two prevailing schools of thought in regards to diatonic functional harmony- '''[[Wikipedia:Function (music) #German functional theory|German Theory]]''' and '''[[Wikipedia:Function (music) #Viennese theory of the degrees|Viennese Theory]]'''- however, in a conversation with [[User:Mousemambo|Mousemambo]] on Discord, it has been revealed to me that in modern practice, the old ideas of functional harmony have largely disintegrated due firstly to the conviction that after around 1900 CE, art music took a turn away from Common Practice Period foundations and those old analyses just don't work anymore as originally formulated, and secondly due to a suspicion that they never really existed beyond the pareidolia of minds trying to see patterns in noise. Mousemambo has also pointed out to me that modern writers have moved away from the convoluted depths of the two Germanic schools, now more often simply identifying scale degrees and the chords for which they are the root as either Tonic; Dominant, which is basically anything leading to Tonic; and Predominant, which is basically anything leading to Dominant. However, upon listening to the ways in which Plagal cadences get used, and how the chords on the perfect 4th above the Tonic get used as a sort of "home away from home" in some tunings, it is obvious to me that the stance taken by modern writers is an oversimplification, and that there are more remnants of the ideas of the two schools in modern music than one would initially think. Furthermore, the genres of music I write call for a reconstruction of at least some of the ideals of the old Germanic schools from the ground up. Thus, ideas from both schools, as well as a number of other ideas, find a home in my microtonal theory and practice. If the reader will bear with me, I shall use narrative set-ups and character metaphors to describe how the various harmonic functions act in composition and the way they relate to one another, and, furthermore, I'll eventually be looking at ways to extend this reconstruction of functional harmony into the microtonal realm. However, before I get into that, I must answer a few questions about how function relates to different parts of the chord. | ||
== Harmonic Information, Tonic, and Chord Structure == | |||
In modern theory, it is often contended that the third is the most important scale degree for determining harmonic information, followed by the root and the seventh while the fifth is the least important, however, I disagree with this assessment. | |||
Instead, I contend that it's the root of a chord and the relationship between the chord root and the [[Tonic]] that dictates the bulk of the context for the function of the other notes in a given chord, with other bits of information being dictated by the relationship of other notes in the chord to both the Tonic and the actual chord root- do note that which note is considered to be the Tonic can in fact change based on additional context, such as the location of tritones- and, to a lesser extent, wolf fifths and wolf fourths- in a scale, as these, in combination with a tonality's direction of construction, can tonicize certain notes. From there, I think that only perfect fourths or perfect fifths that are either above or below a chord root can actually create stable frameworks for building chords, while dividing such intervals in two pieces without causing crowding creates the notes that impart character and color to chords. However, because perfect fifths are larger than perfect fourths, there's greater ease and a greater selection of options in dividing a perfect fifth without causing crowding than there is in doing the same with a perfect fourth. | |||
I must also admit that I think additional harmonic information can be supplied by the likes of both otonal and utonal [[primodality]]. While | |||
== Facets Derived from German Theory == | == Facets Derived from German Theory == | ||
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The three basic functions have their roots in [[LCJI]]. The functions themselves are labeled as follows: | The three basic functions have their roots in [[LCJI]]. The functions themselves are labeled as follows: | ||
''' | '''Tonic''' - This functionality has its roots in the fundamental at the root of both the harmonic and subharmonic series, which for all intents and purposes, can be thought of as [[1/1]], and, in [[octave equivalence|octave equivalent]] systems, [[2/1]]. To use a character metaphor for how the Tonic acts in functional harmony, the Tonic is the king of the Kingdom of Tonality- a very good king who not only exercises the highest authority in matters of governing the kingdom and does not tolerate challenges to his leadership, but also knows how be a top-notch confidante to his subjects both wherever and whenever possible. For more specifics on the functions of the Tonic, see the linked article. | ||
'''Dominant''' - As per the name, and as noted on the [[Wikipedia:Dominant (music)|Wikipedia article]], the Dominant is the second most important after the Tonic, However, in contrast to what is stated about the Dominant in the article, there are several caveats which must be addressed in the realm of microtonality. Firstly, there's the matter of its origins- specifically, it is generated by the tonic as the first [[3-limit]] interval and indeed the first nontonic note in the "majoresque" direction. Secondly, there's the matter of just what it does, as it typically serves as one, or often more, of the following- a primary creator of instability in the "majoresque" direction that requires the Tonic for resolution, the second most important melodic and or harmonic anchor after the Tonic- a function that requires it to be tuned with a great deal of accuracy in order to blend well with the Tonic- as well as a generator of many of the "majoresque" notes in a [[5L 2s|diatonic MOS]], and or a discourager against the usage of other microtonally nearby pitches. Thirdly, one must take stock of the fact that, aside from the Unison and Octave, each octave-reduced harmonic and corresponding subharmonic interval come together to generate their own axis which has a preferred direction of travel<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBdWxSxxe1M Quartertone Harmony - Beyond the Circle of Fifths SD 480p]</ref> which is determined by a Tonality's direction of construction. Finally, one must take stock of the fact that when you take the notes that occur before the Tonic on each of these axes when moving in the preferred direction of travel and place them in a sequence, one finds that a clear hierarchy of functional strength based on the closeness of harmonic and subharmonic connection to the Tonic becomes apparent, with the [[3/2]] Perfect 5th away from the Tonic in a tonality's direction of construction naturally emerging as the note with the strongest connection to the Tonic, though it should be noted that the relationships in this hierarchy are quite sensitive to detuning, and can even be scrambled by such detuning. Thus, the term "Dominant"- in its most basic form as referred to in this article, and specifically at the root level- is restricted to where it only refers to such notes that occur roughly at a 3/2 interval away from the Tonic in the scale's direction of construction, with acceptable detuning levels being at around 3.5 cents from JI on either side. On the chord level, not only is the root level definition of the Dominant function at play, but it should also be noted that the Dominant does not see the Tonic occurring in the proximal tertian structure of its chord- that is, as a third or fifth. To use a character metaphor for how the Dominant acts in functional harmony, the Dominant is both the Head Steward of the Tonic's castle, and the one that executes the Tonic's directives as a Manager of Civil Service in the Kingdom of Tonality. | '''Dominant''' - As per the name, and as noted on the [[Wikipedia:Dominant (music)|Wikipedia article]], the Dominant is the second most important after the Tonic, However, in contrast to what is stated about the Dominant in the article, there are several caveats which must be addressed in the realm of microtonality. Firstly, there's the matter of its origins- specifically, it is generated by the tonic as the first [[3-limit]] interval and indeed the first nontonic note in the "majoresque" direction. Secondly, there's the matter of just what it does, as it typically serves as one, or often more, of the following- a primary creator of instability in the "majoresque" direction that requires the Tonic for resolution, the second most important melodic and or harmonic anchor after the Tonic- a function that requires it to be tuned with a great deal of accuracy in order to blend well with the Tonic- as well as a generator of many of the "majoresque" notes in a [[5L 2s|diatonic MOS]], and or a discourager against the usage of other microtonally nearby pitches. Thirdly, one must take stock of the fact that, aside from the Unison and Octave, each octave-reduced harmonic and corresponding subharmonic interval come together to generate their own axis which has a preferred direction of travel<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBdWxSxxe1M Quartertone Harmony - Beyond the Circle of Fifths SD 480p]</ref> which is determined by a Tonality's direction of construction. Finally, one must take stock of the fact that when you take the notes that occur before the Tonic on each of these axes when moving in the preferred direction of travel and place them in a sequence, one finds that a clear hierarchy of functional strength based on the closeness of harmonic and subharmonic connection to the Tonic becomes apparent, with the [[3/2]] Perfect 5th away from the Tonic in a tonality's direction of construction naturally emerging as the note with the strongest connection to the Tonic, though it should be noted that the relationships in this hierarchy are quite sensitive to detuning, and can even be scrambled by such detuning. Thus, the term "Dominant"- in its most basic form as referred to in this article, and specifically at the root level- is restricted to where it only refers to such notes that occur roughly at a 3/2 interval away from the Tonic in the scale's direction of construction, with acceptable detuning levels being at around 3.5 cents from JI on either side. On the chord level, not only is the root level definition of the Dominant function at play, but it should also be noted that the Dominant does not see the Tonic occurring in the proximal tertian structure of its chord- that is, as a third or fifth. To use a character metaphor for how the Dominant acts in functional harmony, the Dominant is both the Head Steward of the Tonic's castle, and the one that executes the Tonic's directives as a Manager of Civil Service in the Kingdom of Tonality. | ||