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The Routledge Companion to Philosophy and Music
Theodore Gracyk, Andrew Kania
Publication details https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/doi/10.4324/9780203830376.ch3 Roger Scruton Published online on: 07 Feb 2011
How to cite :- Roger Scruton. 07 Feb 2011, Rhythm, Melody, and Harmony from: The Routledge Companion to Philosophy and Music Routledge Accessed on: 23 Sep 2021 https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/doi/10.4324/9780203830376.ch3
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Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 16:21 23 Sep 2021; For: 9780203830376, chapter3, 10.4324/9780203830376.ch3 they dosoasagroup. concert halltheysubmitto thatforcecollectively,inconsciousawareness their activitiesgovernedby a ignore itsabilitytogenerate asenseofcommunity.Throughrhythmpeoplefind a dance.Asthatsentencesuggests,wearenotgoing tounderstandrhythmifwe when theyareworkingtogether,worshipping orrelaxingtogetherin that hasanobvioussocialfunctionincoordinating themovementsofpeople, I beginwithrhythmsinceitseemstobeaspecies-wide phenomenon,andone them. of musicthatbothusesthethreedimensionsand consciouslydistinguishes and IshallfocusontheWesterntraditionas clearestexamplewehave all themanywaysinwhichmusichasignoredoneormoreofdimensions, neous butconsonantmelodies.Inwhatfollowsitwillnotbepossibletoreview Greeks, apleasingmelodicline,ratherthantwoormorevoicessingingsimulta- which seemedtothemexplainthedifference.But nious fromcacophonousintervals,andexploredthemathematicalrelations Greeks, whofirstinquiredintotherulesofharmony,distinguishedharmo- ing many-voicedharmonyasadistractionfromthemelodicline.Theancient and muchoftheworld’sfolkmusicishomophonicorheterophonic,eschew- the threedimensions.Africandrummusic,forexample,ispurelyrhythmical, sible foritsmanyaesthetictriumphs.Othertraditionsuseonlyoneortwoof axes thattheydefine,isbothdistinctiveofWesternartmusicandrespon- ity ofallthree,andmusicthatdevelopssimultaneouslyalongeachthe ody andharmony.Oneorotherdimensionmightbelacking,butthepossibil- Music intheWesterntraditionisspreadoutthreedimensions:rhythm,mel- RHYTHM, MELODY, AND HARMONY Roger Scruton shared force Rhythm 3 24 , andinboththedancehall andthe harmonia meant,forthe Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 16:21 23 Sep 2021; For: 9780203830376, chapter3, 10.4324/9780203830376.ch3 Figure 3.1 alone. sequences whichgenerateastrongrhythmicpulsethrough phrasingandgrouping must bebroughttothebeatbyonewholistensormovesit. traveling. Butthatonlyemphasizesthefactrhythmisdistinctfrombeat,and rhythm of nization thattheydonotcontaininreality–aswhenGershwinbegantohearthe Lamentatio Jeremiaeprophetae, In hisstrikingpolyphonicandserialtributetothe Benedictinetradition,the it isnot,andinmanyinstancescannotbe,measured out(Messiaen1996–). that Gregorianchantisprofoundlyrhythmicalinitsorganization,eventhough subsequently takenupbyOlivierMessiaen,hasfamiliarizeduswiththefact gorian chant.TheworkofDomAndréMocquereautheAbbeySolesmes, count againstthat.First,thereistheexampleofunmeasuredrhythm,asinGre- sion thatrhythmandmeasurearethesamething.Twoimportantobservations relative toeachother. rhythmical, thatis,itcontainsconflictingrhythmsservetoshifttheaccent in jazzreflectstheoriginsofrhythmsAfricandrum-music,whichispoly- movement. Somescholars(e.g.Schuller1968)arguethattheuseofsyncopation forcing thelistenertogroupnotesinawaythatconflictswithunderlying tion, asinFigure3.1.Theseeffectsarefeltandunderstoodbecausetheties be tiedacrossthebeatandalsobarlines,toproduceeffectsofsyncopa- themselves bedividedbytwo,three,ormoretoproducesmallerbeats.Notescan rhythm ofanynewpiece.Abarcontainsacertainnumberbeats,whichcan understand thewaysofmeasuringitoutinbars,youwillquicklylatchonto Rhythm isnotmeasure,thoughifyouarefamiliarwithWesternmusicand course wecanhearsuchpulses be heardinthingswhichhavenorhythm,suchasthepulsesofamachine.Of extended melismaofGregorianchant.Itisnotsufficient,sinceregularpulsecan melodic lineswhichcannotbedividedintotherelevantsections–suchas rhythm. Itisnotnecessaryforthereasonthattherearerhythmscontainedin by regularlystrikingadrum.Beatisneithernecessarynorsufficienttogenerate The issuehereisobscuredbytheWesternhabitof The emphasisonmeasure,andthedivisionofbar-line,leadstoillu- We shouldnotthinkofrhythmsimplyasabeat,suchmightbeproduced " D DaveBrubeck,“Everybody’sJumpin’” Ð Ð Ð © Rhapsody inBlue © D © RHYTHM, MELODY,ANDHARMONY D© © Ð Ð P Ð Ð Ð Ð Ð intheclickingwheelsoftrainwhichhewas as ©© rhythmical,importinginimaginationanorga- Ernst Kr 25 ˇenek produces entirelyunmeasured ˇenek D D D © © © © © X ½ ½ measuring © © © © © , , Ð Ð Ð Ð Ð inbarlines. Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 16:21 23 Sep 2021; For: 9780203830376, chapter3, 10.4324/9780203830376.ch3 of theIndian bar-line –apracticeagaintakenupbyMessiaen.Aleadingexampleisthat single units,andtheuseof of themeasuresintroducedbySharngadevaarejusttoolongtobegraspedas musical setting.) the Sanskritlanguage,andthisfeatureoflanguagehascarriedoverintoits lengthen asyllableforemphasis.(Thatis,indeed,howemphasiswaseffectedin into beats,andwhicharederivedbylengtheningindividualnotesasonemight them –havefollowedMessiaeninconstructingrhythmswhichresistdivision century theoristSharngadeva.Manycomposers–BoulezandStockhausenamong sequence, asintheexcerptfromBrahmsFigure3.3. mic ambiguity,stressingnowonenote,another, inaregularlyrepeated choose togroupnotesincontrastingways,andsoenjoy theexperienceofrhyth- that remainwithintheprovinceofwill:itisawell-known factthatwecan in imagination.Groupingofthiskindbelongswith thoseimaginativepowers we mayhearakindofpulse,andcan“movewith” thatpulseeitherbodilyor to eachblock.Iftheseblocksarerepeated,evenif they areofunequallength, pitched orpercussive–inblockssections,andhear abeginningandanend chords. and stresswhichitselfdependsonthe“slicing”ofsilencebyrazor-sharp is capturedbyneithermeasure,sinceitarisesfromanexperienceofgrouping orchestral andthefour-hand-pianoscores.The is measuredoutwithirregularbarlines–butdifferentlyinthe capturing therealrhythmofapiece.The“Dansesacrale”from listener. measure, thisisanintenselyrhythmicalpiece,whichexertsastronggriponthe occur whichhavebeenlengthenedbyasixteenth-note.Despitetheirregular in thebar,butnobarislengthoffoureighth-notes,sinceeverybeats the bar,asinBulgarianChristmascarolFigure3.2.Thishasfourbeats and Hungarian,beatsareoftenlengthened,withoutdestroyingtheirnumberin are twodifferentthings.InEasternEuropeanfolkmusic,especiallyBulgarian heard inWesternmusic.Thispointfurtheremphasizesthatmeasureandrhythm beats anddivisionsintoclassicalragasthatarenotunlikethe Figure 3.2 Second, thereisrhythmformedbyadditionratherthandivisionwithinthe Additive measuredoesnot,however,determinerhythmicorganization.Some Such examplespointtotheimportanceofgrouping.Wegroupnotes–whether Such examplesremindusthatmeasuredbarlinesmayornotsucceedin ©© ©© BulgarianChristmascarol © © © © mâtra © © © © , assetoutinthesystemof D © © © © © © © ROGER SCRUTON © © tabla © © © © andotherpercussiondevicesintroduces 26 © ©© © real © © D © © deçi-tâlas rhythmoftheopeningbars © © © © D © © bythethirteenth- © © © Rite ofSpring D D © © © © © © © © ©
Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 16:21 23 Sep 2021; For: 9780203830376, chapter3, 10.4324/9780203830376.ch3 Figure 3.3 ences thatderivefromit,cannot hear(Scruton1974:pt.1). melody issomethingthatbirds, whichlackimaginationandthegroupingexperi- sequence itself.Wecantherefore hearmelodyinbird-song,eventhoughthis a sequenceofpitchedsounds, andwhichisnotamaterialpropertyofthesound rhythm, however,itissafetoassumethatmelody somethingthatwehear that distinguishesgenuinemelodyfromameresequence ofpitches.Aswith vary wildlyfromculturetoculture,anditisdifficult togiveageneralaccount often inseparablefromrhythm.Theshapes,lengths andintervalsofmelodies Melody isashardtodefinerhythm,and–the lastparagraphimplies–is symphony. a measureofexternalsupport;forinstance,bythe useoftimpaniinaHaydn are manyintermediaterhythmicexperiences,inwhichinternalrhythmisgiven two extremesofthedrum-kitinpopandmelismaGregorianchantthere nal rhythm,andcertainlyyoucannotdoittoaGregorianchant.Betweenthe external rhythmwithoutdestroyingit,youcannotdothissoeasilytoaninter- the paradigmofrhythmicorganization.Whileyoucantaporbeatalongwithan wise surprisingfactthatMessiaen,inhislectures,constantlyrevertstochantas rhythmic orderthatwesenseinGregorianchant,andwhichexplainstheother- within themelodicline,andhasnoindependentreality.Aprimeexampleis the melodicmovement:itarisesfromstressesandgroupingsthattakeshape phony. Internalrhythmicorganization,bycontrast,is“precipitatedout”from Violin Concertoor,moresubtly,inthefirstmovementofWalton’sFirstSym- a classicalorchestralpiece,suchaswefindinthelastmovementofSibelius’s melodic line,asbythedrum-kitinapopgroup,oranostinatorhythm comes fromdrapingthemusicoverbarlinesthataredefinedoutside organization –theexternalandinternal.Externalrhythmic This suggestsadeepdistinction,inconclusion,betweentwokindsofrhythmic or measure,doesnotrequireregularity,butissensitivetogroupingandstress. with whichwemove,whenmovethemusic.Itisnotreducibletobeat temporal organizationwhichwehearinthesequenceofmusicalsoundsand Piano The simplestwaytoexplainrhythmisthereforephenomenologically:itthat
Brahms,“AndieNachtigall”:twowaysofhearing E E ½ © Ð © © © , ©½ RHYTHM, MELODY,ANDHARMONY © Ð © © © , © © ½ Ð © © © ©½ , © Ð Melody © © © 27 , © © ½ ÐÐ © © © ½½ © © © © © ½ © © ½ ÐÐ © © © © ½½ © © © © ½ © © ½ ÐÐ © © © © ½½ © © © © © ½ in
Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 16:21 23 Sep 2021; For: 9780203830376, chapter3, 10.4324/9780203830376.ch3 sonata-form movementsin theclassicaltradition.Thefirsttwomelodickinds else filledinbytheaccompanying voices.Familiarexamplesarethethemes of underlying harmonicrelations andkeyrelationswhichmaybeonlyimplicit, or which aredrivenbyharmonic relationsamongtheirsuccessivenotesandreflect is bothorchegenicandmelismatic.Finallythereare the harmonegenicmelodies, line: considerthemelodiesofDvor These (theorchegenic)areoftennotverysingable, however compellinginout- ketplaces ofEdwardianEngland.Othermelodies are essentiallydancetunes. and mostofthemodalfolksongscollectedbyCecil Sharpinthepubsandmar- we mightcalllogogenic,andtheyincludemosthymns intheAnglicanHymnal, driven bywordsetting,andbearthemarksof words thattheyset–these und dasMädchen,”“Seimirgegrüsst”and“Getrockene Blumen.” song, nowasathemeinfullyinstrumentalelaboration –consider“DerTod and treatment.Schubertwasabletopresentonethesamemelodynowasa the courseofit.Thedistinctionhereisnothardandfast,butdependsoncontext phony. Suchthemescalloutfordevelopment,andacquiretheircharacteronlyin board works,orthefamousfour-notethemethatopensBeethoven’sFifthSym- unsong-like, howeverattractive–suchasthe“thesis”melodiesofBach’skey- masterpieces oftheWesternclassicaltraditionoftendeploythemesthatarevery dies ofthefirstkind,andastrophicformsuitabletotheiruse.Theinstrumental in thecourseofelaborationanddevelopment.Folksongshymnshavemelo- being, andsoundinglike,musical the firstbeingcompletemusicalindividualsthatcanstandalone,second distinguish songsandsong-likemelodiesfromthematictheme-likemelodies, immediately aftertheopeningdeclamationofActII rate todeservesuchalabel.(Consider,forexample,thelongmelodythatoccurs between them.Notallmelodiesaretunes:sometooopen-endedandelabo- last movementofBach’sThirdBrandenburgConcerto. where itcanrenewitsongoingenergy(Szabolsci1965).Aclearexampleisthe few clearboundaries,butonlyhalf-closures,asthemelodiclinepausesatplaces the ensuing“baroque”showyetanotherkindofmelodicorganization,with deep (butpurelyphenomenological)sensethesame.Renaissancepolyphonyand and tobediminished,augmented,variedinverted,whileremaininginsome role ofmusicalindividuals,tobetransportedwholearoundthepitchspectrum, Parker andJohnColtrane).Intheclassicaltradition,however,melodiesplay in heavymetal,andcertainkindsofjazzimprovisation(forexample,Charlie can bebrokendownintoindividualmelodies.Thesameistrueoftheguitarsolos (usually) anend.TheGregorianchantisacontinuousmelisma,whichonlyrarely from melodies,whichareboundedindividuals,withabeginning,middleand melodic organizationthatextends“horizontally”throughasequenceofpitches– Melodies arealsodistinguishedbytheimpulsesthat drivethem.Someare The languagewithwhichwerefertomelodiesindicatessomeofthedifferences In theWesternclassicaltradition,itishelpfultodistinguishmelisma– ROGER SCRUTON ˇák’s scherzos,orthatofRavel’s ˇák’s material 28 , whichwillrevealitscharacteronly Tristan undIsolde Bolero , which .) We Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 16:21 23 Sep 2021; For: 9780203830376, chapter3, 10.4324/9780203830376.ch3 Figure 3.4 Bach’s an achievement,suchasthatofBerginincorporatingthewhole-tonemelody in anewdirection–forexample,soastoendanotherkeythisisregarded most condemnedaswrong.Ifacomposerisabletochangemelodyandtakeit changed withoutelicitingprotests.Butallchangesinamelodyarenoticed,and line (Gurney1880:92–4).Anon-melodicsequenceoftonescanbechoppedand enon causesustocryoutinprotestateverydeparturefromtheknownmusical This featurewaspointedoutbyEdmundGurney:the“wrongnote”phenom- in whichnonotecanbealteredwithoutchangingthecharacterofwhole. internal constraintexertedbyeverynoteonother.Amelodyisasequence which wefindintheWesternsymphonictradition. in courtandfinallyconcerthall,didmelodiesbegintotakethethematicform in thecourseoftime,andasaresultlisteningculturethatgrewchurch, preserve thememoryofsocialuses:love-songandhymn,dancechoir.Only sary toguardagainsttakingtheanalogywithlinguistic syntaxtooliterally. rhythmic, melodic,andharmonicclosuresimultaneously, althoughitisneces- again. Itseemsilluminatingtosaythatthisharmonegenic melodymovestoward sure,” goesbacktothedominantandthenmoves step-wise downtothetonic a four-squaresixteen-bartunewhichmovestoward thetonicfora“halfclo- the “syntacticallycorrect”nurseryrhyme,“BaaBaa, BlackSheep”(Figure3.6), may bereinforcedattherhythmicalandharmoniclevel too.Asimpleexampleis dimensions simultaneously,andthatthe“senseofan ending”inthemelodicline size that,intheclassicaltradition,musicalmovementunfoldsalongallthree analogy withsyntacticalclosureinlanguage.Byinvokingthisweempha- note entrancefigures,andakeytothecharacterofmelodyaswhole. the “LondonderryAir”(Figure3.5),whichisinfactfirstofeightsuchthree- pensable partofthemelodicstructure,suchasthree-notephrasethatbegins 3.4. Sometimesaphrasemightsoundlikeanup-beatbutturnouttobeindis- sage thatleadsintothem,andwhichisunderstoodaspreparatory,inFigure that youhearwhenthishappens.Somemelodiesbeginwithanup-beat–apas- damental musicalexperiences,anditisverydifficulttodescribewhatexactly movement, asinmuchBaroquemusic.Hearingamelodybeginisoneofthefun- as Inotedabove,theendingmaybepostponeduntilcloseofasectionor dies haveabeginningandanend,oftenhalf-endingsalongtheway–though, Two featuresservetocharacterizemelodyinallitsforms.First,thereisthe The word“closure”isoftenusedtodescribetheendingofamelody,on The secondfeaturethatcharacterizesmelodyisoftheboundary.Melo- ¨ Es istgenug Englishfolksong,“DaughterintheDungeon” upbeat © © intothelastmovementofViolinConcerto. ©©Ð RHYTHM, MELODY,ANDHARMONY © © © © 29 © © L ©© ©©Ð © © © © Ð ¨ Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 16:21 23 Sep 2021; For: 9780203830376, chapter3, 10.4324/9780203830376.ch3 thing wehearinasequencewhenrespondtoits musical potential. sequence. Amelodyisapurely generis Walton. Theexperienceofhearingamelodybeginand endis,inotherwords, constraints, suchasthemelodywhichopensViolin ConcertoofWilliam Concerto, andmelodieswhichappropriatetonality onlytoignoreitsmelodic dies thatarenottonalatall,suchaswhichopens theSchoenbergViolin Debussy’s on anynote,evenanotethatdoesnotbelongtothescale,asinFigure3.7from tonic included,withoutgeneratingthesenseofanending;anditcanalsoend the soundsequence.Amelodycanpassthroughanynoteondiatonicscale, the phenomenologicallevel,buttheydonotcorrespondtoanyfixedfeaturesof Figure 3.6 Figure 3.5 Figure 3.7 Flute 24 16 8 9
The boundaryexperienceandthe“wrongnote”arefamiliarat D D D D ©©
X X X , andnotreducibletotherecognitionofanydefinable patterninasound © “BaaBaa,BlackSheep” “Londonderry Air” Debussy, ¨ Prélude àl’après-midid’unfaune © © © © © © ©© © © © Å © ©© ©© © © Prélude àl’après-midid’unfaune Ð © © ÐЩ Ð Ð Ð ©© © © ©© © © © © © © © ROGER SCRUTON © © intentional ©© © © © Ð P © © © © ©© © © Ð 3 P © 30 © © © © Щ © © © © Щ objectofmusicalperception,some- . Therearealsorecognizablemelo- © Ð © ©© © Щ Ð © © P © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © 3 © © © © © © © © Ð Ð Ð Ð © © © © © © © ©© © © © P © © © © © ¨Å © © Ð © Ð X © © © © © © sui Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 16:21 23 Sep 2021; For: 9780203830376, chapter3, 10.4324/9780203830376.ch3 a tunebyMozart. of melodies.Nevertheless,theyexhibitthesamehorizontalorderthatwehearin describing suchworks,itismoreappropriatetospeakof in Stravinsky’s such asthechordthatopenssecondepisode(the “Dance oftheAdolescents”) space. Chordscanbeheardasexcludingmelodiesfrom thespacestheyoccupy, Our experienceofharmonybelongstothisexperience. Achord would beunabletounderstandtheartofmusicas we knowit(Scruton1997). Nevertheless, wehearmusicasspatiallyorganized, andifwedidnotdoso are allmetaphors,whichcorrespondtonoactualspace intheworldofpitches. one place,nowatanother,andofthemusicitselfas movingforward,andthese as movingupanddownthepitchspectrum,ofmelodies asoccurringnowat façon deparler The spacebetweentwopitchesthatforma“simultaneity”remainsvacant. as achord,thephenomenalspacebetweenthosepitchesis ference here?Onedifferenceseemstobethatwhentwoormorepitchesareheard pitches. Butwedonot(orasarule)hearchords.Whatexactlyisthedif- Schoenberg’s to bedistinguishedfrom move interdependently,creatinganinterwoventexture.Inbothcases,harmonyis pitches soundtogetherasasinglechord;andcounterpoint,inwhichseparatevoices in ourtradition,takestwodistinctforms:chordalharmony,whichseparate simultaneous pitcheswhenwehearthemasasingleobject.Inthissense,harmony, we nowknowitisanintentionalobjectlikemelody.Itwhathearintwo in thelengthsofstringsorpipesusedtoproducethem.However,harmonyas fifth, andoctave–whichcorrespondtoelementaryarithmeticalrelationswitnessed The studyofharmonyinancientGreecebeganfromthenaturalintervals–fourth, melodic beginningswithoutendings,asinthetonepoem by newbeginnings.ManyRomanticmovementsaresimilar,consistingonlyof ody. Themelodiesthatarebeguninthispieceusuallybreakoff,oroverlaid slow movementofElgar’sViolinSonata,whichismelodiouswithoutamel- act ofWagner’s which tune-likeepisodesemergefromacontinuousmusicalline,asinthefirst ner, melodicboundariesbegantoweaken:anewkindofmelismaemerged,in Stravinsky chordjustmentioned. be transparent,suchasthe openingchordsof Ninth Symphonyleaksinto andpollutesthefifthonDthatreplacesit;theycan puts it(1974:164))–as the openfifthonAatbeginningofBeethoven’s In sayingthat,Iamassumingthatthemetaphorofmusicalspaceisnotjusta During thecourseofnineteenthcentury,andunderinfluenceWag- Pierrot Lunaire , butadescriptionofsomethingthatwehear.Wespeak oftones Rite ofSpring Die MeistersingervonNürnberg RHYTHM, MELODY,ANDHARMONY simultaneity , we hear instruments sounding together at different , wehearinstrumentssoundingtogetheratdifferent . Chordscan“leakinto”eachother(asJanác Harmony . In certain works of atonal music, such as . Incertainworksofatonalmusic,suchas 31 Lohengrin . Agoodexampleofthisisthe , oropaque,suchasthe Don Juan occupied melodic thinking occupies byStrauss.In by the chord. bythechord. music than ˇek ˇek Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 16:21 23 Sep 2021; For: 9780203830376, chapter3, 10.4324/9780203830376.ch3 dissonance –thepreludeto while atthesametimechangingrestofchord, soastolandonanother to exquisiteuse,andRomanticharmonyfrequently resolvesasuspendednote sequences ofsuspensionsoccurinthemusicGesualdo andVictoria,oftenput as the“suspended”noteisallowedtoslidehome toitsproperplace.Whole other noteschange,socreatingadissonance,which then resolvestoconsonance tice ofsuspension,inwhichanotefromconsonant harmonyisheldwhilethe almost entirelybuiltuponit.Andonewayofbuilding onitisthroughtheprac- follows it.Soeffectiveisthisdevicethatthesyntax oftonalharmonyhasbeen of “resolving”thetensionsheardinadissonancethroughconsonancethat tant useintwoways:resolutionandsuspension.Composersdiscoveredways the musicalline. Ninth Symphony.Hencedissonancecangraduallyincreaseanddecreasewithin as such–thedissonancesthatinterrupt“OdetoJoy”inBeethoven’s consonant inBerg.Furthermorebothareamatterofdegree,andunderstood to thestylisticcontext,sothatachordisdissonantinHaydnwillsound Trio). Suchexamplessuggestthatconsonanceanddissonanceareheardrelative when openfifthsandfourthsemergeinpolytonalstructures(e.g.Ligeti’sHorn Beethoven sonatas–whileunclutteredharmoniescansoundhighlydissonant,as heard asentirelyconsonant–closeharmonyinthebass,forexample,late of competingfundamentals.However,harmoniesclutteredbybeatsmaybe could explaindissonanceintermsofthebeatscausedbyclashingovertones property ofthesoundsinwhichitisheard.Helmholtz(1954)believedthathe distinction ispurelyphenomenologicalandimpossibletoalignwithanymaterial tion betweenconsonanceanddissonanceisadistinction when thetonicchordisfinallyreached). and, indeferencetoitsclassical function,calleditthe“sus”chord.However,sus got tolikethesoundof firstofthosechords,withitsaccumulationfourths, dominant andthenresolved ontotheleadingnote(Figure3.8).Jazzmusicians harmonic closureisdeliberatelyavoidedthroughout. cadence thatendsStrauss’s the “wrongnote”phenomenoninformofchord”(ascrazy stood asprogressingtowardorawayfromaboundary,withtheequivalentof of “harmonicprogression,”accordingtowhichsequenceschordsareunder- ment orasanintrusion.HencetherehasarisenintheWesterntraditionidea on itssuccessor,compellingustoheariteitheraspartoftheharmonicargu- we hearchordsasbelongingtosequences,inwhicheachchordplacesconstraints chordal melodythatopensDebussy’s chords, ratherthansimultaneities;forexample,thewhole-tonechordsin In theclassicaltraditionthesephenomenologicalfeaturesareputtoimpor- Understanding harmonyinthisway,weareledtotheviewthatdistinc- In onefamiliarformofsuspension, thetonicissoundedoverchordof Chords maybeharmonicallydisconnectedfromtheirneighboursandstill Don Quixote Tristan undIsolde ROGER SCRUTON Pelléas etMélisande 32 –andwhichsoundsrightinretrospect, beingavividinstance,inwhich . Moreoften,however, within harmony.The Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 16:21 23 Sep 2021; For: 9780203830376, chapter3, 10.4324/9780203830376.ch3 Figure 3.9 Figure 3.8 connection withanyofthethreedimensionsmusical syntax. very muchaculture-boundphenomenon,andnotsomething thathasanyspecial and otherexamplesthatthe“goal-directed”character ofWesternartmusicis passing noteasitisinmostclassicalmusic.Indeed,you mightconcludefromthis additions toanytriad,theseventhinadditionbeingamelodicnote,andnot classical tradition,onaccountoftheseventhandninthbeingtreatedasnatural tax. Theconsonance–dissonancedistinctionismuchfainterinjazzthanthe so standard,eventhoughthereisasarulenofeltneedfor“goal-directed”syn- however, thereisafertileabundanceofprogressions,somestandard,not (see, forexample,theTarnhelmandForgettingmotifsin Schumann andBrahms,ormightequallyseemto“losetheirway,”asinWagner ers delightedinexploringnovelprogressions,whichmightleadtoclosure,as chord progressions–thoughtheyareratherdifferent.AndRomanticcompos- closure. TheClassicalstyleofJ.C.Bach,HaydnandMozartalsodeployssuch naturally fromthepredecessor,whilemovinginagoal-directedwaytoward Handel, deploysrecognized“chordprogressions,”inwhicheachharmonyarises Hancock’s “MaidenVoyage”consistsentirelyofsuchchords.) include thetriadonnoteonewhole-tonebelowroot(Figure3.9).(Herbie the stackintoatriad,sothatsuschordongivenrootisnowunderstoodto dissonance inallitsforms.Theconventionaroseofturningtheupperfourth feels theneedtoresolvethem–aclearillustrationofcontext-dependence chords areusedinjazzascompleteandclosedharmonies,arulenolistener The Baroqueharmonicidiom,whichJ.S.BachsharedwithCouperinand Sus chord Suspension RHYTHM, MELODY,ANDHARMONY " " X X X X X X X X 33 X X X X X X X X Ring cycle).Injazz, Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 16:21 23 Sep 2021; For: 9780203830376, chapter3, 10.4324/9780203830376.ch3 truth, andthereisagreatdifferencebetweenchordswhichareheard the spacebetweentheirboundaries.Althoughthisistrue,itnotwhole could beunderstoodinpartthroughthefactthatchordsareheardas“filling” sequence offemininecadenceswithwhichJenu the distinction,howeverdescribed,isveryeasilyheard. (Listentothebeautiful cally weak.Needlesstosay,feministshaveobjected tothisuseoflanguage;but moving toametricallystrongposition,thesecond apositionwhichismetri- There isalsoadistinctionbetweenmasculineand feminine cadences,thefirst nizable toanyonefamiliarwiththeClassicalstyleand itsRomanticderivations. cadences, halfinterruptedanddeceptivecadences –allinstantlyrecog- cluding function,asinScriabin’s or “amen”cadencebecauseofitsuseintheProtestant “amen,”alsohasacon- “perfect cadences.”TheIV–Icadence,knownasthe“plagal”(oblique) sical style,asaretheII–V–IandIV–V–Icadences,allknown,inthisuse, Western idioms.TheV–IcadenceisfamiliarasaconcludingmomentintheClas- tening andperformingwouldlackanessentialaidtothegraspofstructure. pauses inthemusicalmovementthatfacilitategrouping.Withoutthembothlis- Gregorian chant,andinmelismaticcompositionsgenerally,sincetheyrepresent or harmonyemergesasaplaceofrest.Melodiccadencesareveryimportantin porary, inwhichmelodicorharmonictensionisreleased,andaparticularnote boundary –notnecessarilyaclosure,butaneffectof“settling,”howevertem- “cadence.” Thisword,fromLatin An interestingfeatureofbothmelodicandharmonicorderinourtraditionisthe heard toleapacrossunmelodicintervals. ciple, andinsiststhateachchordbeproperlyspaced,sonoinnerpartsare impossible toheargoal-directedprogressions.Jazztooobeysthevoicingprin- its organicintegrity,andtoacquireajerkyqualitywhichmakesitdifficultor position tothenext:disobediencethisrulecausesmusicalsurfacelose offshoots, voicesarerequiredtomovenaturally,asthoughsingingfromone ment ofindividualvoices.IntheClassicalstyle,andequallyinitsRomantic Classical harmony,accordingtowhichchordsequencesarisefromthemove- that flowintothem.Suspensionisinfactaspecialcaseofgeneralprinciple musical units,andchordswhichareheardas much classicalsonata-style musichasanotherusealtogetherinjazz.Ifthechords in another.ThustheII–V–I progressionwhichprovidestheperfectcadence in something real.) plight, inAct1ofJanác Harmonic cadencesaresimilar,andhaveachievedstandardformsinmost Earlier Iremarkedthatthedistinctionbetweenasimultaneityandchord Cadences thatformconclusions inoneidiommighthavequiteadifferenteffect ˇek’s opera,andyouwillseethatthelanguagerecords ˇek’s ROGER SCRUTON The cadence Poème del’extase. cadere 34 (“tofall”),indicatesaspecifickindof ˚ composed fa remindstheselfishŠtevaofher Cadences includeimperfect fromtheseveralvoices simply as Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 16:21 23 Sep 2021; For: 9780203830376, chapter3, 10.4324/9780203830376.ch3 at bestofonlynarrowapplication. Onceagain,weseemtobeconfrontedwith tions (Schenker1979).However, Schenker’stheoryhasprovedcontroversialand harmonies emergingas“middle ground”structuresfrombackgroundtonalrela- ker, whopresentsakindof generativegrammaroftonalmusic,withsubsidiary phenomenon hasbeenprovidedwithaninteresting analysis byHeinrichSchen- around theharmonythatdefinesregioninwhich theyoccur.Thisstriking monies donot,inthemselves,turnthemusicanew direction,butsimplymove vails, sothatotherchordsareheardas“prolongations.” Theseprolonginghar- “home.” Tonalitycreates“regions”oftonalspace, in whichasinglechordpre- from whichitdepartsinwaysthatdonotdisruptthe senseofthattonalcentreas to whichthemusicalmovementreturnsbothmelodically andharmonically, listener tohear,enduringbeneathashort-termprogression, asingletonalcentre, ment willstayononechordforallthattime.The classicalidiomenablesthe such transitionsovermanyminutes.Thisdoesnotmean thatasymphonicmove- again inafewbars,large-scalemovementstheclassicaltraditionmayprolong thinking. Whileasimplesongmayprogressfromtonictodominantandback from theGreatAmericanSongbook. “accompaniments” torecognizedmelodies–suchasthethatweknow hear chordsequencesasmakingsenseinthemselves,wellbeingappropriate hear melodicandharmonicclosureasachievedtogether,alsothatwecan classical traditionrightuptothepresentday.Itisthankstonalitythatwecan privileged chordsandintervals,hasbeenfundamentaltomusicintheWestern tone scales,whichhavenokey.Nevertheless,theideaofatonalcentre,withits ing; scalescanbemodalaswelldiatonic;theyincludechromaticandwhole- between keys.Tonalityisnotastaticsystem,butonethatconstantlydevelop- and, arisingfromthese,thenotionofchordskey,andmodulation Central totheWesternmusicaltraditionhavebeenideasofscaleandkey, strength ofthebeatorrhythmicaccent. are affectedbyrhythmicorganization,andhearddifferentlyaccordingtothe and “feminine”cadencesmakesclear,however,melodicharmonic is seldomifeverdescribedinthisway.Asthedistinctionbetween“masculine” tion thatweknowfrommelodicandharmoniccadences.Nevertheless,rhythm aries, anditispossiblethatcaninducethesameeffectofpauserecupera- moot point.Rhythmicordercancertainlyworktowardandawayfrombound- in differenttonalareas. as in“TuneUp”byMilesDavis,whichpresentsasuccessionofsuchcadences loses itsfinality,andbecomesanopeninggambit,ratherthanaconcludingmove– are voicedwithouttherootandwithaddedseventhninth,progression The presenceofatonalcentreisvitaltocertainkindlong-rangesymphonic Whether thereistheequivalentofcadenceinrhythmicorganizationa RHYTHM, MELODY,ANDHARMONY Tonality 35 Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 16:21 23 Sep 2021; For: 9780203830376, chapter3, 10.4324/9780203830376.ch3 many ofAdorno’sreaders havefeltthatheisgettingataprofoundtruthabout and itssocio-economicorigins. Thistheoryis,tosaytheleast,controversial.But be aprofoundobjectionto jazzanditsoff-shoots–withatheoryofmassculture the popularmusicofhisday. Adornoconnectedhisargument–whichhetook to tion, whatwemightcallthe“addictive”aspectoflistening, thathediscernedin regression oflistening,”meaningthekindshort-circuiting ofmusicalatten- and difficulttoconceptualize.Adorno(1987)wrote inthisconnectionof“the contrast herewiththeshort-termlisteningencouraged bypopisbothimportant and closuresachievedonlyafterextendedventures acrossmusicalspace.The cal thought,inwhichthemesandideasareexplored inalltheirimplications, cal attention.TheWesternclassicaltraditionisa oflong-rangemusi- concerning theplaceofmusicinaculture. view ofthethreemusicaldimensions,andhowthey connect. Sotoodoquestions closure withoutrhythm?Thoseandmanyotherquestionsalldependuponour monic progressionwithoutthedissonance–consonancedistinction?Cantherebe musical dimensions.Cantherebemelodywithoutboundaries?har- the realneed,inphilosophyofmusic,forclarityconcerningnature and release. simultaneities, canbeheardinchordsequencesthatfollownopatternoftension that eschewsallprivilegedpitches,andwhetherrealharmonies,asopposedto particular itremainscontroversialwhethergenuineclosurecanbeheardinmusic need fordissonancestoresolve.Theresultremainscontroversialthisday.In tension andrelease,thedistinctionbetweenconsonancedissonance, tion ofthedissonance”(1975:91),whichwouldremoveentirelyfeeling dies fromhisserialtechnique,andwhoadvocatedwhathecalled“theemancipa- question thattroubledSchoenberg,whobelievedhecouldderivenewmelo- the sameOrderascolumnsbeneaththem. “verticals” onwhichitrests,justastheornamentsinaclassicalfriezeexpound “horizontally” inthemelodiclineisheardasexpounding,itsownway, dies, eventhoughhardlyanotehasbeenchanged.Thatwhichisbeingplayedout C-sharp minor,andthenharmonizedinEmajor.Andwhatwehearistwomelo- movement ofSchubert’slastpianosonatacontainsamelodyfirstharmonizedin tions, andcanchangecharacterentirelywhendifferentlyharmonized.Theslow to relateeachother.Melodieshaveharmonicaswellrhythmicimplica- terns governthesegmentationofwhatwehear,andcanforcealienharmonies musical spaceisprofoundlyinfluencedbyrhythmicorganization:pat- in principle,arenoteasilyseparatedfact.Theemergenceoftonal“regions” a singletheory. a strikingphenomenologicalfeatureofmusicwhichcannotbepinneddownby For example,wemakeadistinctionbetweenshort-term andlong-termmusi- This controversyliesbeyondthescopeofpresentchapter,butitpointsto What happenstomelodyandharmonywhentonalityisabandoned?Thisa Such discussionssuggestthatthethreemusicaldimensions,althoughseparable ROGER SCRUTON 36 Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 16:21 23 Sep 2021; For: 9780203830376, chapter3, 10.4324/9780203830376.ch3 Szabolsci, B.(1965) —— (1997) Scruton, R.(1974) Schuller, G.(1968) Schoenberg, A.(1975[1948])“ASelfAnalysis,”in Schenker, H.(1979) Messiaen, O.(1996–) Janác Helmholtz, H.(1954[1885]) Gurney, E.(1880) Adorno, T.W.(1987[1938])“OntheFetishCharacterinMusicandRegressionofListen- music (Chapter12). Psychology ofmusic(Chapter55),Musictheoryandphilosophy46),Understanding 10), Music,philosophy,andcognitivescience(Chapter54),Phenomenologymusic53), See also on whenalistenerfollowsrhythmic,melodic,orharmonicargument. stated, letaloneassessed,iftheyarenotconnectedtoatheoryofwhatisgoing However, thereisnolikelihoodthatAdorno’scriticismswilleverbeproperly between thedifferentrolesthatmusicmightplayinlivesofitsadherents. music, concerningarealdistinctionbetweendifferentkindsoflistening,and Methuen. versity Press. Schoenberg Leduc. Z. Blazek,Prague:Supraphon. Theory ofMusic Continuum, pp.270–99. ing,” inA.AratoandE.Gebhardt(eds) Press. ˇek, L.(1974[1911–20]) ˇek, Analysis (Chapter 48), Music and imagination (Chapter 11), Music and language (Chapter Analysis(Chapter48),Musicandimagination11),language The AestheticsofMusic , trans.L.Black,ed.Stein,London:St.Martin’sPress,76–91. The PowerofSound , trans.A.J.Ellis,NewYork:Dover. Early Jazz:ItsRootsandMusicalDevelopment A HistoryofMelody Free Composition Art andImagination:AStudyinthePhilosophyofMind Traité derhythme,couleuretd’ornithologie RHYTHM, MELODY,ANDHARMONY Hudebne On theSensationsofToneasaPhysiologicalBasisfor , Oxford:OxfordUniversityPress. , trans.E.Oster,NewYork:Longman. ˇ teoretickédílo , London:Smith,Elder,&Co. References , trans.C.JollyandS.Karig,London:St.Martin’s The EssentialFrankfurtSchoolReader 37 Style andIdea:SelectedWritingsofArnold , vol.2: Úplná naukaoharmonii , NewYork:OxfordUni- , 8vols,Paris:A. , NewYork: , London: , ed.