[Smt-talk] The "Governing tone"

[Nicole Biamonte]

Let's leave gendered analogies out of this--especially as they relate to
power dynamics.

I teach that the tonic is the primary *defined* tone of a key, while the
dominant is the primary *defining* tone, an idea consonant (pun intended)
with Michael's and David's characterizations of relative rest and tension
or directionality.  I'm away from home right now and can't check my
library, but I think that I first read this description in Barbara Barry's
_Musical Time: The Sense of Order_.

All best,
Nicole Biamonte
McGill University

On Fri, May 4, 2012 at 3:12 PM, Leinberger, Charles F. <charlesl at utep.edu>wrote:

> Colleagues,****
>
> ** **
>
> May I suggest that in the hierarchy of scale degrees, the tonic is the
> King.  The dominant, however, is the Queen, without whom the King has no
> real power. J ****
>
> ** **
>
> C.L.****
>
> ** **
>
> *  **  ***  *****  ********  *************
> Charles Leinberger, Ph.D., Associate Professor.
>  Department of Music, The University of Texas at El Paso.
>  500 West University Avenue, El Paso TX 79968-0552 (U.S.A.)
>  (915) 747-7800 Office  (915) 747-5023 Fax.
> http://utminers.utep.edu/charlesl/
> Please don’t unnecessarily print email.****
>
> ** **
>
> *From:* smt-talk-bounces at lists.societymusictheory.org [mailto:
> smt-talk-bounces at lists.societymusictheory.org] *On Behalf Of *David K
> Feurzeig
> *Sent:* Friday, May 04, 2012 10:29 AM
> *To:* Michael Luxner
> *Cc:* nicolas.meeus at paris-sorbonne.fr; Dimitar N Ninov;
> smt-talk at lists.societymusictheory.org
>
> *Subject:* Re: [Smt-talk] The "Governing tone"****
>
> ** **
>
> Michael Luxner wrote:****
>
> How do you feel about considering the dominant the "governing tone?"  I
> don't think it's strange at all, and teach it that way all the time.  ****
>
> ** **
>
> This is exactly how I think of, and teach, the dominant function. In the
> common practice, the dominant goes to the tonic--so normatively that when
> it doesn't, we deem this "deceptive" or otherwise exceptional. The tonic,
> by contrast, has no "valency;" it does not "demand" anything of its
> successor sonority.****
>
> ** **
>
> David Feurzeig****
>
> University of Vermont****
>
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