[Smt-talk] Fwd: First Species Question

[Eytan Agmon]

Well, timbre at least partially accounts for "part integrity" in the
examples that  Jonathan cites.

More generally, I think that "being referential" can sometimes take
precedence over "being the lowest part" as far as "the bass" is concerned.
In The Classical Style Charles Rosen gives a wonderful (reverse) example
from Beethoven's G major Piano Concerto (I, 24-28, esp. 27) where a
root-position tonic behaves (and sounds!) very much like a I6/4. This is (I
think) because D (rather than G) is somehow heard as referential.

 

Eytan Agmon

Bar-Ilan University

 

From: smt-talk-bounces at societymusictheory.org
[mailto:smt-talk-bounces at societymusictheory.org] On Behalf Of Dunsby,
Jonathan
Sent: Wednesday, July 07, 2010 5:16 PM
To: smt-talk at societymusictheory.org
Subject: Re: [Smt-talk] Fwd: First Species Question

 

...fifths are (and sound like) fifths, no matter what registers... 

Best regards,

Donna Doyle

 

Aaron Copland School of Music

Queens College

65-30 Kissena Blvd.

Flushing, NY  11367


Well you say that, but almost as another thread I'm wondering just how and
where, from a theory-building point of view, the illusion of 'part'
integrity kicks in or doesn't? When e.g. a voice actually dips under the
piano bass line in a 19C Lied, how come we don't hear it as the 'bass'
(shades of Dichterliebe No. 2, of course, beloved of us theorists, but such
happens all over Western art music, here and there)? My teacher always said
"because that's what Messiaen taught us". But is there a history-of-theory
etiology to this issue or perhaps non-issue? (Obviously, fifths with the
'bass' and fifths entailing only inner parts are not, in general, the same
thing....)

 

Jonathan

______________

Jonathan Dunsby

Chair, Music Theory Department

Professor of Music Theory

Eastman School of Music

 

http://www.ithaca.edu/music/mtsnys/officers.html
<https://webmail.ur.rochester.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.ithac
a.edu/music/mtsnys/officers.html>  

 

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