<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Dear Dimitar,<div><br></div><div>Re the pedal point (a technique quite different from the cad 6/4, of course, about which I have yet to read all </div><div>the recent commentary): How I hear a pedal point depends upon which level I'm listening to--the middle- </div><div>or the foreground. Generally, my attention is drawn to the bassline, as it gives me more information than the </div><div>top parts about the course of the piece. Listening to the bassline enables me to follow the piece on various </div><div>middleground levels. This takes focused, sustained attention and memory but is extremely satisfying. In this case, </div><div>I hear a pedal as a single function (e. g., as a dominant retrans). However, there are times when I don't want to </div><div>work hard, preferring to sit back and enjoy the scenery (the foreground). In this case, I would probably hear </div><div>activity over a pedal as a separate progression, but, nevertheless, over the <i>prevailing</i> bass. (I believe that, </div><div>because of the strength of the bass's overtones, true bi-functionality is difficult to achieve, if not impossible. </div><div>Scoring has a big influence. Don Sebesky, the film composer/arranger, taught me this.) From another </div><div>perspective--traditionally, the pedal point is classified as a dissonance, like the passing tone, etc. There are times, </div><div>I think, when it is just plain dissonant with the upper part activity--when it fades in and out of agreement. This, too, </div><div>though, argues against bi-functionality, doesn't it?</div><div><br></div><div>Generally, I tend to believe the bass runs the show. (Move your arms all you like, but if your feet stay glued</div><div>to the floor, you ain't dancin'.) </div><div><br></div><div>Best, </div><div>Donna Doyle</div><div>Queens College CUNY </div><div><br></div><div><br><div><div>On Feb 13, 2012, at 2:09 PM, Ninov, Dimitar N wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div>Dear Dona,<br><br>You say: The cadential 6/4<br><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">When the bass ascends the scale from T through S to D, it makes <br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">little sense to me that, upon reaching the ^5,<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">the other voices would sound T above it. This reminds me of Terry <br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Southern's '60s satirical novelette, "Candy":<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">An American young woman travels to Tibet seeking a guru. Upon <br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">reaching the top of his mountain and meeting<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">him face to face, she exclaims, "Daddy!"<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote>I have a question for you. When a passage unfolds over a pedal point (T or D) do you only hear one single function throughout? Do you not recognize bi-functionality per se?<br><br>Thanks,<br><br>Dr. Dimitar Ninov, Lecturer<br>School of Music<br>Texas State University<br>601 University Drive<br>San Marcos, Texas 78666<br>_______________________________________________<br>Smt-talk mailing list<br><a href="mailto:Smt-talk@lists.societymusictheory.org">Smt-talk@lists.societymusictheory.org</a><br>http://lists.societymusictheory.org/listinfo.cgi/smt-talk-societymusictheory.org<br></div></blockquote></div><br></div></body></html>