[Smt-talk] Fwd: First Species Question

[Ildar Khannanov]

There is another side to this problem. The contrary motion from P5 to P12 makes the motion of two voices independent, while parallel motion makes two voices sound as one. Unless we are talking about ribbon polyphony, a la, say, Prokofiev's first Fugitive Vision, we are not going to be satisfied with parallel perfect consonant intervals. It is the same, as motion in parallel octaves, while contrary motion of two octaves, the motion between two intervals, one being unison and nother and octave or two octaves of the same notes is not considered a voice leading error. By the way, diatonic system  of major and minor is genuine modulo 4, it is based upon two disjoint tetrachords. Modulo 7 is a figment of theorist's imagination. Therefore, the P5 behaves like an octave in many cases. After four begins a new register in positional numeric system. 
 
In other words, in counterpoint, directional independence of voices is the most important criterion. As for the source of Dmitri's confusion, it is, again, the concept of so-called pitch class. The reduction of the notes in many octaves into one is undesirable, unnecessary and confusing. 
 
 
Best wishes,
 
Ildar Khannanov
Peabody Conservatory
solfeggio7 at jhu.edu
 
 
 
--- On Thu, 7/8/10, Eytan Agmon <agmonz at 012.net.il> wrote:


From: Eytan Agmon <agmonz at 012.net.il>
Subject: Re: [Smt-talk] Fwd: First Species Question
To: Smt-talk at societymusictheory.org
Date: Thursday, July 8, 2010, 5:29 AM








Tim, Richard, and others,
 
Tim's examples are very interesting, but if one analyzes them very carefully, I believe one will find that the "dissonance" lies elsewhere, not in the unisons or octaves as such.
Richard's observation, that the same (chordal) note may be consonant in relation to one note, while dissonant in relation to another, is unexceptional (in Tim's examples the consonance is in relation to a pedal). Certainly it is no argument against characterizing the intervals in question as "consonant" and "dissonant," respectively.
 
Eytan Agmon
Bar-Ilan University
 

From: smt-talk-bounces at societymusictheory.org [mailto:smt-talk-bounces at societymusictheory.org] On Behalf Of Timothy Cutler
Sent: Thursday, July 08, 2010 12:38 PM
To: Smt-talk at societymusictheory.org
Subject: Re: [Smt-talk] Fwd: First Species Question
 


For more examples along these lines, I have an article in a recent Music Theory Online that discusses a dissonant perfect unsion (!) by J. S. Bach. 

 

http://mto.societymusictheory.org/issues/mto.10.16.1/toc.16.1.html

 

Tim Cutler

Cleveland Institute of Music

 
Richard Hermann wrote:
 
"Another mildly related situation occurs with dyadic definitions of dissonance such as "The Perfect 5th is a consonance." However, in a six-five chord a perfect fifth usually represents the dissonant chordal seventh in 18th- and 19th-century music. Atomistic and rigid definitions and perceptions seem  to run into difficulties when applied to phenomena in the wild. They do have the mixed blessing of being easy to teach and learn. 

 
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