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TheUrgentReformofMusicTheory
ContributiontoFestschriftinhonourofJeanJacquesNattiez1byPhilipTagg
Intro
InthistextIargueforanurgentoverhaulofmusictheoryterminology.Itrytoexplainthe
inadequacyofsomewidelyusedconceptsandtosuggestalternativestothemisleadingandethnocentricconfusiontheycancause.
Iwillalsohighlightsomeaspectsofstructuraldenotationsidelinedorabsentinconventionalmusictheory.
Themainreasonformyinsistenceonreforminthisareaofstudyisthatfrom1971until2009Itaughtthehistoryandanalysisofpopularmusic(includingmusicformovingimages),andthatIcouldnotexplaintheworkingsofsuchmusicsusingsolelytheconceptsofthemusictheoryIdbeentaught(Tagg,2014:16).Sinceretiringin2010,Ivehadtimetoreflecton,andbecomeincreasinglytroubledby,theinabilityorreluctanceofconventionalmusictheorytoaddresstheseissues.
SincemycampaignforreformhassofarfocusedmainlyonproblemsofTONALterminology,Illgiveherenomorethanabriefoverviewofsomeofthose.ThenIllsummariseafewissuesrelatingtoTIMBREandFORM,omitting,forreasonsofspace,mattersofmetre,rhythm,durationandauralstaging.2Illendwithsomereflexionsontheprogressofmyeffortstobringmusictheoryoutofthenineteenthcentury.ButfirstIneedtoclarifyafewbasicissues.
1.
ThisarticlewascompletedinSeptember2015andacceptedbytheeditorsforinclusion.ItdoesnotappearintheFestschriftbecauseIwasregrettablyunabletosignthepublishingcontractwhichrequiredmetorelinquishrightstousemytextasIsawfitandtonotmakeitpubliclyavailablebeforeitsappearanceinthevolume.Itwastoolate:Idalreadyputitonline!Besides,otherconditionsinthecontractwerecontrarytoprinciplesofknowledgeaccessibilitythatIveexplainedinTheAcademicPublishingProtectionRacket(
tagg.org/rants/AcPubPizzo.html)andPayforknowledge:why?(
tagg.org/articles/PayForKnow2.html)[both 160418].
2. SeeinsteadTagg(2013:281303)andLacasse(2000,passim).
http://tagg.org/rants/AcPubPizzo.htmlhttp://tagg.org/articles/PayForKnow2.html
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2 Tagg: The Urgent Reform of Music Theory
BasicdefinitionsandabbreviationsMUSICTHEORY
isitselfastrangeterm.Itspartofmusicologybutdistinct from
anthropological, political, semiotic, social or
anyothertheoryofmusicinvolvingadynamicbetweenmusicassonicmaterialityanditsusesinhumansociety,ratherthantheidentificationandsystematisationofmusicalstructuresperse.Infact,themeaningofmusictheorymaybeevenmorerestricted.Mostcommonly,thetermdescribestheacademicstudyandanalysisoffundamentalelementsofmusicsuchaspitch,rhythm,harmonyandform.3
Defined in thisway, music theorysharesa lot
incommonwithwhattheFrenchusedtocallsolfgeinthatbothsubjectsfocusonnotatablemusicalstructures(pitch,rhythm,harmonyandform)detached
from theirculturalmeaningsanduses.Now,while
itsclearthattheoriesofsonicstructureareessentialtotheidentificationofelementsinatripartitemodelofmusicsemiotics(Nattiez,1990),itsobviouslyunsatisfactoryifsuchidentificationisbasedonfalsepremises.ItsthosefalsepremisesthatItrytoexposeinthistextwhoseaimistoadvocatenottheabandonmentbuttheradicalreformofmusictheory.ThatswhyIhavetodistinguishbetweenMUSICTHEORYingeneral,reformedorunreformed,and,withapologies
for the clumsy expression, CONVENTIONAL [MUSIC]
THEORYthatisinacuteneedofreform.Tosavespaceandavoidconfusion,Iwillusetheabbreviationsoftonaldesignationpresentedintables1and2.
Table1.Abbreviationsfornote,chordandkeynames(e.g.E)
LeadsheetandromannumeralchordabbreviationsfollowtheconventionssetoutinEverydayTonalityII,pp.223,231233.4
3. MusictheoryentryinWikipedia,20150907.
Denotationtype Symbol Typography Example
note lower-case sans-serif isamajorthirdaboveleadsheetchord
upper-case sans-serif FromB7to (majortriad)
key(Tonart) E upper-case serif constitutesaV-IcadenceinE.
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Tagg: The Urgent Reform of Music Theory 3
Spacesavingreferencesymbols( , , , ,
,etc.)areexplainedatthestartoftheReferenceAppendix.Pleasenotethatallsourcetypesareincludedinthatsingleappendix.5
Table2.Commonscaledegreeabbreviations
Ialsohavetopositaxiomaticdefinitionsofsomeverybasicterms.
NOTE(n.):asingle,discretesoundoffiniteduration.
TONE(n.):aNOTEwithaudiblefundamentalpitch.
TONAL(adj.):havingthecharacteristicsofaTONEoroftones.
TONIC(n.):referenceTONE,keynote.
TONALITY(n.):systemorpattern,explicitlycodifiedornot,
accordingtowhichTONEsareconfigured.6
MODE(n.)TONALvocabulary(oftenabstractedandarrangedin
scalarformfortheoreticalpurposes)ofapieceorextractofmusic.
MODAL(adj.):havingthecharacteristicsofamode.
EUROCLASSICAL(adj.):relatingtoorhavingthecharacteristicsof
Europeanclassicalmusic.7
4. Thesepagescanbeviewedonlinewithoutdownloadingthewholebook:
tagg.org/bookxtrax/FFabBk08/EvTon07ChordsSample.pdf.
5.
Forfullexplanation,seeProducingaReferenceAppendixforStudiesofMusicinthe21stCenturyat
tagg.org/xpdfs/RefAppxs.pdf [150919].
Scaledegree noteinC Popularverbalisation
one
flatorminor2|[major]two|sharp2
flatorminor3|major3
4(four)|sharp4
flat5|5(five)|sharp5
flatorminor6|major6
flatorminor7|major7
6.
InneoLatinlanguagestonalit,tonalit,tonalidadetc.meanTonart(German)orKEY(English).IusedtoadvisemyfrancophonestudentstokeeptonalitinthesenseofkeyandtouseidiometonaltocoverTonalittandTONALITY.
7.
TheEUROprefixavoidsconfusionwithnonEuropeanclassicaltraditions,e.g.Tunisiannouba,Indianrga,theyyuofimperialChina;seeTagg(2014:488).
http://tagg.org/bookxtrax/FFabBk08/EvTon07ChordsSample.pdfhttp://tagg.org/xpdfs/RefAppxs.pdfhttp://tagg.org/xpdfs/RefAppxs.pdf
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4 Tagg: The Urgent Reform of Music Theory
TonalityThecentralproblemwithtonalterminology
inconventionaltheory isencapsulated in the two falseandmutually
contradictorypairsofoppositesTONALv.ATONALandTONALv.MODAL.
Tonalv.atonal(?!)
Here Imassuming, in linewithbinaries
likehistorical/ahistorical,typical/atypical,etc.,thattheinitialAinatonalisanalphaprivative,i.e.thatatonalmeanswithouttones,nontonal.Ifso,itssmallwonderthatSchnbergdislikedthelabelatonalappliedtohismusicbecausemostofitfollowedthetonalrulesoftwelvetonecomposition.Besides,neitherhe,norBergnorWebernwere
famous
fortheiruseofhihat,snaredrum,sampledtrafficorothernontonal(=atonal)elementsintheiruvre.Indeed,itshardtounderstandhoweuroclassicalmusictheoristsmanagedtoconfusethenotionofmusic
fulloftonesbutwithno intendedTONIC,as in
theworkoftwelvetonecomposersorinmusicfortheshowersceneinPsycho(Herrmann,1960),withmusiccontainingno
tones,as in,say,
taikodrumming(e.g.Kod,1985)orthecueCrowsattackthestudentsfromTheBirds
(Herrmann, 1963).Music theoryneeds
todistinguishbetweenTONEandTONIC.Justasclinicalthingsoccurinclinics,
justasmusicalthingshappeninmusic,andjustasrhetoricaldevices, like
this just as, areused in rhetoric,music featuring aTONIC should be
called TONICAL and tonalmusicwith NO
INTENDEDTONICshouldbecalledeitherATONICALorNONTONICAL.
Tonalv.modal(?!)
TONALV.ATONALmaybeapreposterousbinarybutitscertainlynosillierthanTONALv.MODAL.8Forexample,askedtocommentonthesongcitedinexample1,mystudentsoftenreplieditsmodal.Whichmode,withwhatastonic?,Iwouldretort.
Dorian inCwasagoodguess,I thought,butstillwrong,because
thedorianconsistsofscaledegrees (
inC)whereasTheFemaleDrummercontainsnothird,neither ( )nor
8.
Iamneithertheonlynorfirstscholartoobjecttotheabsurditiesexplainedinthissection;see,forexample,Berger(1963)andThomson(1966,2010).
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Tagg: The Urgent Reform of Music Theory 5
(
).Whatmodearewein,then?wasperhapsanunfairquestionbecausethemusictheorymystudentshadlearntdidnthaveanameforit.NordidIatthetime.UnabletofindanytheoryofeventhemostcommontonicalhexatonicmodesIhadtoinventasystemtoclassifytuneslikeItsNotUnusual(TomJones,1964:dohhexatonic),Jolene(DollyParton,1973:lahexatonic)andTheFemaleDrummer
(rhexatonic).9Moreover, euroclassicalmusic theorysnotionof
pentatonicismwas limited to twoanhemitonic
specimens,itsheptatonicismtojustthesevenchurchmodes.10
Ex. 1. Steeleye Span: The Female Drummer (Eng. trad., rec.
1971)11
9. Ofcourse,thewholetonescaleishexatonic,butitisnottonical(no no
).Forasystematictheoryoftonicalhexatonicmodes,seeTagg(2014:165173).
10.
Onlythedoh/majorandla/minorpentatonicmodeswereatallfamiliartomystudents.Thethirdlessrandsolpentatonicmodesweretotallyunknown,aswerehemitonicpentatonicmodes.Eventhechurchmodeswereunfamiliartomanystudents,andcommonheptatonicmodeslikeHijazandNiavent(Tagg,2014:112145)wereunheardof.
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6 Tagg: The Urgent Reform of Music Theory
Now,ifitcanbeagreedthatmodenameslikeionian,dorian,rhexatonicandHijazdenoteconfigurationsofparticulartonalvocabularies,thenmodesmustbe
intrinsicallytonal,Noonemodecanthereforebequalifiedasmoreorlesstonal(ormodal)thananyother.
However, thats exactlywhat conventionalmusic
theoryseemstoassume:theionian(
)andtheionianisedminorheptatonicmodes( and
arethoughtofastonalandasconstitutingtonality,whileothersforinstance
(dorian)or
rpentatonic)arecalledmodalandcategorisedasexemplifyingmodality.
Itshardtoexplainsuchbizarrecategorisationinothertermsthaneither
ignorance of, or unwillingness to recognise equal importance in,
severaldifferent types of tonal configuration
(tonality).Circumstantialevidenceofthisblindspotaboundsininstitutionsofmusical
learning and in the culturally restricted
repertoire[s]fromwhichtheirterminologiesderive.Itsaconceptualblindspotthat
is to all intents andpurposes ethnocentricbecause it
effectivelyrelegatesalltypesoftonalityotherthanthatoftheeuroclassical
and classical jazz repertoires to the nontonal ragbag
ofmodality.Littlewonder,then,thatmystudentscoulddonobetterthanidentifytheentirelyrhexatonicFemaleDrummerasmodal(nottonal)whileatthesametimelabellingtheentirelyionianfirsteightbarsofTheBlueDanubeastonal(notmodal).Studentsshouldnothavetoputupwithsuchnonsense.
Conversely, failure to conceptualise the ionianas
justonemodeamongmanyothershasat least twoseriousconsequences. [1]
Iftheionianisnotconsideredamode,itcannotbereadilycomparedwithothersineffortstodiscoverhowitsparticularcharacteristicsbecamesocentraltoEuropeancultureintheageofEnlightenmentduringtheriseofthebourgeoisie.[2]Themoretheionianandtheionianisedminorkeymodesareregardedas
the
tonalnormalityfromwhichothertypesoftonalityarethoughttodiverge,themore
11. isplayedasanopen5thdyad , as
etc.Thetune,assungandasplayedonfiddle,variesslightlyfromversetoverse.
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Tagg: The Urgent Reform of Music Theory 7
difficultitbecomestohearandunderstandthedynamicofthoseothertonalities.Herearesevenexamplesofthatproblem.1.
Notionsofdominant,subdominantandperfectcadence
becomeirrelevantormisleading,aswithIV,
VandIinGuantanamera,Labamba(I-IV-V),etc.,orinV-IV(-I)bluesprogressions,ormixolydianchordloops((I-)$VII-IV-I),etc.
2.
Otherharmoniccadencelabelsbecomeabsurd;forexample,interruptedandhalfcadencesareoftenfinalorcomplete.12
3.
Bimodality,shuttlingbetweentwotonalcentres,modalcounterpoiseetc.areignoredaskeyfactorsoftonalconstruction.12
4. Full,finalphrygiancadencesarenotheardasfinal.135.
Manycommonmodesareeithermisnomers(e.g.phrygian
andlydiandominantscaleswithnodominantfunction,frigiomayorizadoinsteadofHijaz)ornotnamedatall(e.g.rhexatonic,dohhexatonic,lahexatonic).14
6.
Giventheexistenceoftonaltraditionsotherthanthetertialeuroclassicalbefore,duringandafterthehistoricalperiodcoveredbyconventionalmusictheorystonality(e.g.pentatonicism),theconceptspretonalandposttonalmakenosense.
7.
Quartalharmonyisradicallyundertheorised.Theseventhpointdemandssomeclarification.
QuartaltonalityPutsimply,QUARTALqualifiestonalityfeaturingfourthsandtheiroctavecomplement,fifths,ratherthanthirds(andsixths).Thefirstconceptualproblemhere
is thatquartal sounds, like thenonionian[ised]modes discussed
earlier, have in
conventionalmusictheorylargelybeenseenasdivergentfromaculturallyrestrictivenotionoftonality.TheyhaverequiredidentificationasanOther(quartal,modal),whereaseuroclassicaltonalityhasunilaterallybeenassumedtoneednosuchcategorisation.However,assoonas
12.
Bimodality:seeTagg(2014:433442,453455);counterpoise:seeTagg(2014:336339,396398).
13. Finalphrygian:seeTagg(2009:15:0519:00;2014:436442).14.
SeeTagg(2014:421450);seealsoTagg(2009).Lydianandphrygiandomi
nantsaremisnomersusedmainlyinjazztheory.
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8 Tagg: The Urgent Reform of Music Theory
theconceptoftonalityhadtobecomefielddependent,15thepreviouslyabsolutenormalsoneededalabeltodistinguishitfromtheabnormal.Atleastfourbizarrelabelsforthirdbased,euroclassicalharmony
resulted from thisprocess: tonal,diatonic,
functionalandtriadic.Thelabeltonalharmonyisuselessbecauseitmerelyreiteratestheoldabsolutenorm.Diatonicisabsurdbecauseiterroneouslyimpliesthatnoquartalpolyphonyevervisitedallnotesinadiatonic
heptatonicmode.16 Functional harmony is no better
becauseitimpliesthatquartalharmonyhasnofunctions.Finally,triadicharmonyis,asshownnext,aseriouslyflawedconcept.
Ex. 2. Four tertial and five quartal chords
Example 2 shows nine chords, the first four based on
stackedthirds,thelastfiveonstackedfourths.Chordnumbers1,2,4,5,6and
7 are triads because each contains three differently namedtones,
chords3and8are tetrads (fourdifferentlynamed
tones)andchord9isapentad(five).Chords5,6and7arequartaltriads,chord8aquartaltetradandchord9aquartalpentad.Sincechords1,2and4areneithermorenor
less triads than
chords57,andsinceharmonybasedonstackedfourthsiscalledQUARTAL,harmonycharacterisedbythestackingof
thirdsshouldbecalledTERTIAL.Inshort, thebinaryTRIADICv.QUARTAL is
falsebecause it
confusestwodistinctcriteriaofdesignationthenumberofnotesinachord(triadic,
tetradic,etc.)andtheprincipleof
intervalstackinginachordTERTIALforthirds,QUARTALforfourths.Chords1,2and4arethereforetertialtriads,chord3atertialtetrad.Assuch,chords14belongtothesphereoftertialharmonyandareindicativeoftertialratherthanquartaltonality.
15.
i.e.whenitbecamenecessarytocompareonetypeoftonalitywishanotheronanequalfooting.Fielddependentargumentation:seeToulmin(1972).
16.
ItsasifBlaBartk,McCoyTyner,ClarenceAshley,JoniMitchellorSokratisMlamashasnevermademusic.
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Tagg: The Urgent Reform of Music Theory 9
QuartalubiquityandstructuraltheoryQuartalsoundsaboundineverydaytonality.Notonlyaretheyafeatureofvernacular
chorality in
ruralRussia,ofCentralAsiankomuzaccompaniment,ofAppalachianbanjoplaying,ofvariousstylesoffolkandprogrock,ofnews
jingles,oflibrarymusicforcorporatemodernity,andofsignalsfordigitaldevices;
theyalsofeatureprominentlyinrecordingsbyjazzartistslikeMcCoyTyner,aswellasintheworkofStravinsky,Copland,HindemithandBartk.17Aswithitsapparentdisregardfortonicalhexatonicism,conventional
music theory has also, it seems, failed to dealsystematicallywith
thewidespreadpracticesofquartal tonality.Unfortunately, theresno
roomhere to exploreborder
areasbetweenquartalandtertialharmony,18butitisworthdrawingattentiontoafewkeyaspectsofquartaltonality.Themostobviouslyfalselabelappliedtoquartaltonalityissus(suspension)becausenoquartal
chord canbea suspension inaquartalcontextanymorethan
canbedissonantinatertialchord.Inquartalharmony,no needsresolvingto
andany , orwill almost certainly be intrinsic to the quartal
consonance
ofwhichitispart.Thenotionofanomittedthirdisalsomeaningless in
quartalharmony.Thesebasic truths affectquartal chorddesignation so
that, for example: [1] the open fifth
dyadshouldbeabbreviatedasA5,notAT3,becausenothingisomitted;[2]thetriad
shouldbeA4,notAS4,and[3]thetriadshouldbeD2,notDS9becausenothingissuspended.19Anothercardinaldifferencebetweentertialandquartalchordsisthat
the former can preserve their tonical identity in
inversion:bothCzq( ,firstinversion)andCzs( ,second)areheardas
17.
ItcouldalsobearguedthatquartalelementsarepresentinmusicbyMussorgsky,DebussyandDvok.Formoreonthistopic,seeTagg(2014:306349).
18.
Forexample,thecontributionofchordsoftheeleventh(fromDvoksNewWorldSymphonyandBurleighsarrangementsofspiritualsviaCoplandtogospelharmonyandfilm/TVunderscores)toasenseofUSAmericantonalidentityinthetwentiethcentury;seeTagg(2014:306315).
19.
Formore,seeTagg(2014:293294).N.B.Thenotionspresentedhere,includingthechordabbreviations,arenotpartofstandardmusictheoryteaching.
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10 Tagg: The Urgent Reform of Music Theory
variantsofC(
,rootposition),sotospeak.Quartaltriadsdontworkthatwaybecauseatriadlike
(C4)invertedas willsoundlikeF2and,invertedto
,itbecomesG.20Theideathatthe tonal centreofquartal chords can
floatup to twopositionsround thekeyclockwithoutupsetting
theirbasicsenseof
tonalrootednesscanalsobeunderstoodbycomparingtheprogressoftertialandquartaltriadsroundthecircleoffifths(example3).Ex.
3. Tertial (1) and quartal (2) triads flatwards round the key
clock
Fivekeypointscanbegatheredfromexample3.1.
Whileeachtertialprogression(1)involvesholdingoneand
changingtwoofthetriadsconstituentnotes,proportionsareinverseforeachquartalchange(2).
2.
Oneofthenotechangesinthemovementoftertialtriadsinvolvesasemitone,e.g.from
to
,aminimalpitchdistancebutalloffivestepsawayonthekeyclock.Thatswhatgives
itsstrongleadingnotedirectionalitytowards (equivalentto
< =
inthetargettriad).Inquartaltriadprogressions,thesinglereplacementnoteisonlythreekeyclockstepsawayattheminorthird(e.g.greplacedbyb$).
3.
Quartalharmonyhastoshifttonalcentrebythreekeyclockstepstosoundlikeanewkey.AtonalareacoveringthreekeyclockpositionsfunctionsasaTONICALNEIGHBOURHOOD.
20.
Forexplanationofquartalchordsymbols,seeTagg(2014:293296).
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Tagg: The Urgent Reform of Music Theory 11
4.
Allnotesinatertialtriadhavedisappearedjusttwohourslaterroundthekeyclock.Eachquartaltriadnotelastsforthree.
5.
Quartaltriadscontainnotesrelatedtoeachotherbyafourthand/orfifth.NotionsofVor
asdominantandIVor
assubdominant,aswellasofmodulationbetweenIandIVorV,arethereforemeaningless.Majorandminorkeys,aswellasperfect,plagal,interruptedandhalfcadencesarealsolargelypointless.
Thesearejustafewofthekeytheoreticalpointsthatcanhelpexplaintheworkingsofwidelyusedtonalidiomsqualifiableingeneraltermsasquartal.21
Timbre
Timbreisprobablytheparameterofmusicalexpressionmostfrequently
singled out by popularmusic scholars as conventionalmusic
theorysmostseriousblindspot.Thisobservationderivesfromsuchevidenceas:[1]timbresconventionalrelegationtothestatusofasecondaryparameter;22[2]conventionaltheoryslackofsystematicvocabularydescriptiveoftimbre;[3]thepaucityoftimbraldatainthenotationthatisconventionaltheoryspreeminentformofmusicalreference,storageandretrieval.Thesethreeinterrelatedsymptomsarepartofavastproblemcomplex
involvingsuchissuesasunawarenessoftherelativeimportanceofdifferentparametersofexpressionindifferentmusicsandinsufficientproblematisationofthenotionofamusicalworkandofitscommodityform.Theresnoroomheretodiscussthisproblemcomplexanyfurther,butIwillsuggesttwo
linesofinquiryonemorestructural, the other relating to thebinary
POESISv.AESTHESIS thatmayshedsomelightonthematter.
21.
Manyimportantfeaturesofquartaltonalityareabsentfromthisaccount,e.g.[1]theconfusion,injazztheory,betweenquartalharmonyandquartalvoicing;[2]thequartalcharacterofmuchdronedmusicusingopentuningsanditstonalkinshipwithanhemitonicpentatonicism,especiallythequartal(thirdless)randsolmodes.
22. See,forexample,Meyer(1989:1422).
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12 Tagg: The Urgent Reform of Music Theory
PowerchordsExample4illustratesamorestructuralapproach.Itshowsthefullpitchcontentofapowerchord,inthiscasethedyadA5playedondistortedelectricguitar.Althoughonlytwonotes
(110Hz)and (165Hz)areactuallyplayedby theguitarist, the full
soundproducedconsistsnotonlyof those two fundamentalsand
theirovertonesbutalsoofanacousticallyquantifiabledifferencetoneat=55Hzthedistortionfundamentalplusallofitsovertones.Analysisofthissoundsuggeststhatpowerchordsareextremelystabletonalentitiesthankstotheharmonicseriesconsistingofpartialsdefiningthemandbytheactualacousticpresenceofadifference
tone. This tonal rootedness makes the power chord
anessentialconstituentofheavymetal,industrialandgrungemusicbecause
it allows for the unequivocal statement of
substantialtonalelsewheres in relation to the tonic (I5).The$II5
ofmanyphrygianheavymetalpiecesillustratethisphenomenon,asdotheboldharmonicstepsinNirvanasLithiumandTeenSpirit(1991).23Ex.
4. Basic power chord harmonics for A5 (a2 110 Hz, e3 165 Hz)24
Itshouldbenotedthattherearenoclearcutbordersbetweentoneandtimbreintheseheavymetalandgrungecontexts.Timbrecannotbeconsideredasasecondaryparametertotone;itshouldinstead
be understood as a codeterminant in the production
oftonalityintherepertoireofwhichitispart.
23.
Phrygianheavymetalexamples:Powerslave(IronMaiden,1984);WhereverIMayRoam(Metallica,1991).Nirvanasequences:Lithium:D5
F#5 B5 G5 B$5 C5 A5 C5inD;SmellsLikeTeenSpirit:F5 B$5 A$5
D$5inF.
24.
Figure4isabasedonLilja(2009:104114,esp.p.113),initsturnbasedonresearchconductedatHelsinkiUniversityofTechnologysDepartmentofSignalProcessingandAcoustics.
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Tagg: The Urgent Reform of Music Theory 13
Poeticandaesthesicdescriptors25
Asnotedabove,conventionalmusictheorylacksasystematicvocabularydescriptiveoftimbre.Italsoreliesonnotationasitsprimarymodeofstorage,which,asalreadystated,encodeslittleornotimbral
data.Moreover, since notation must normally be performed for it to
be heard, it can be considered an intrinsicallypoeticmedium.These
observations seem to suggest that
structuraldescriptorsoftimbremay,atleastatthetimeofwriting,beeasier
tocreateonanaesthesicrather thanpoeticbasis.
Indeed,Ivefoundthatstudentswithlittleornoknowledgeofmusictheorynonmusoshavegenerallybeenlessinhibitedthantheirmusopeerswhenitcomestocharacterisingaspectsofnonnotatablesound.Thistendencyhasbeenparticularlystrikingindiscussionsofvocaltimbrewherepersonadescriptors,betheypsychosomatic/emotional
(e.g. overthetop, edgy, cheeky) or
demographicandarchetypal(e.g.young,workingclass,Celticfolkvirgin,suicidalstudent),occurmorefrequentlythandomoredirectlysounddescriptive
concepts (e.g. highpitched, rasping,
indistinct).26Itsalsoworthunderlining
thataesthesicdescriptorscanalsoconnectwithnotatableparametersofexpression,forexamplethe
finalminormajornine chord at the end of the
JamesBondtheme(Em^9,apoeticdescriptor)referredtoasaspychord,detectivechord,dangerchord,etc.(aesthesicdescriptors).27
Theobviousproblemwithaesthesicdescriptorsisthattheyrelyonlinguisticallyandculturallyspecificpatternsofmetonymy.Forexample,wetechoasanaesthesicdescriptorofreverberationlasting,
say,3 secondswith inandoutput signals set to the ratio
25.
PoesisandaesthesisareconceptsderivingfromMolinoviaNattiez(1976).Theirmeaningsareadaptedhereasfollows.POETICDESCRIPTORSarethosethatdesignatetermsdenotingastructuralelementofmusicprimarilyfromtheviewpointofitsconstruction(e.g.consordino,glissando,majorminorninechord,analoguestringpad).AESTHESICDESCRIPTORSaretermsdenotingstructuralelementsprimarilyfromtheviewpointofhowtheyreperceived(e.g.allegro,spychord,Scotchsnap,cavernousreverb).
26. SeeVocalpersona,chapter10inTagg(2013:343382).27.
TheoriginalnameoftheDrNotitlethemeisactually007(Norman,1962).
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14 Tagg: The Urgent Reform of Music Theory
65:35(poeticdescription)makesnosensetranslatedliterallyintoItalianasunecobagnato,justtheculturallymoreadequaterenderingofwetechoasunecodellaMadonnawouldbemeaninglessiftranslatedback
intoEnglishas
anechoofOurLady.However,notonlycanaesthesicdescriptorsofthistypeworkwellinsidelocalareasofculturalreference:theycanalsobecomparedwitheachother.Theircommonalitiesofspatial,gestural,tactileandkineticconnotation
couldbe investigated and, togetherwith studies
oflexicalpatternsused in thenamingof loops, soundeffects
templatesandsynthesiserpresets,couldformthebasisofamoretransculturallyviablevocabularyofaesthesicdescriptors.
FormAccording to theOxford Concise EnglishDictionary (1995),
FORMmeanstheshapeorpatternintowhichdifferentpartsorelementsarearranged,ordered,orotherwisecombinedintoawhole.Contemplate,ifyouwould,thisbush.
Thebushsconstituentelements(stem,branches,twigs,etc.)havebeenintentionallycutandtrimmed(arranged)intoaformresemblingthatofamushroom.Itmayhavetakenalongtimetoproduce
that form but its perception as a form is
virtuallyinstantaneous.Nowpleaseconsiderexample5.Itlastsforfourseconds
(8beatsat =120)and isheardseveral times in succession,witha
fewminorvariations,beforebeing replacedbyaslightlydifferent groove.
It contains several constituent elementsthe
onguitarandbass, onviolinsand flute,
ontrombonesplushihatandkickdrumpatterns (not
shown).Alltheseelementshavebeencombinedintoanidentifiablewhole(Ge
-
Tagg: The Urgent Reform of Music Theory 15
stalt)thatrepeatsasasingleongoingunit.Ithas,inshort,aform.Ex. 5.
Museme stack (excl. drumkit) in Shaft (Isaac Hayes, 1971)28
Themushroombushandexample5illustrateanotherconceptualconundruminconventionalmusictheorywhich,despitethedictionarydefinition,
isunlikely toconsiderexample5as form. Instead itreserves the term
tomean theway
inwhichepisodesorsectionsareorderedhorizontallyalongtheunidimensionalaxisofpassingtimetocreatelongerpatternsofmusicalchangeandrecurrence.
Sonataform, rondoform, dacapoaria, 32bar
jazzstandardandsoonexemplifythatuseoftheterm.Now,ofcourse,thenarrativeorepisodicaspectofarranging,orderingorotherwisecombiningpartsintoawholeisanessentialaspectofforminmusic,butitiscertainlynottheonlyone.Indeed,ifscholarsseriouslywishtoinvestigateformasformratherthanasform,theywillneedtoconsideratleasttwoequallyimportantaspectsofthephenomenon:
[1] its extensional,
episodic,narrative,diachronic,horizontalpropertiesitsDIATAXISand[2]itsintensional,synchronic,verticalpropertiesitsSYNCRISIS.29SYNCRITICFORMis,asillustratedinthefoursecondsofexample5,perceptiblewithinthelimitsof
theEXTENDEDPRESENT,30and, inmany
typesofpopularmusic,bothintendedandheardasacompositeofaurallystaged,31simultaneouslysoundingmotifs,riffs,chords,instruments,voices,timbres,pitches,rhythms,etc.inaparticularmetreataparticular
28.
Theextractstartsat1:44,transcriptionbyBobDavis(2005:299).
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16 Tagg: The Urgent Reform of Music Theory
speedanddBlevel,etc.Syncrisisisinotherwordsabatchofnowsoundthatinvolvesmoretheshapeandformofadynamicstatethanofaprocessornarrative,ofabeingratherthanofabecoming.As
such, it constitutes the ideal formalunit for examiningmuseme
stacks thatmay, through repetition, occupy entire
episodesbutwhichcanalsofunctionasbuildingblocksinlargerformalunits(periods,episodes,sections,entirepieces,etc.).32
Conventionalmusictheorysconceptualmonopolisationofformisinotherwordssimilartoitshijackingoftonality.Themaindifferencebetweenthetwoisthatwhiletheconceptualfalsificationoftonalitygivesrise,asexplainedearlier,toaseriouslyconfusedandflawed
terminologytonalasopposednotonly to
atonalbutalsotomodal,pretonalandposttonal,itsinabilityorreluctancetodealwithformotherthandiataxisconstitutesanerrorofconceptualomission.Thereisinotherwordsnovalidreasonwhynarrativeprocessesinmusic(diataxis)shouldbeprioritisedattheexpenseofmusicsdynamicstates(syncrisis),especiallyinrelationtomusicswherethelattermaybeofprimaryinterest.
29.
DIATAXIS()meansorderofserviceinByzantineOrthodoxliturgy.Asachronologicalorderingofconstituentepisodesintoanoverallform,diataxiscanbeusedtodesignatewhatconceptslikesonataformandthe32barjazzstandardhaveincommon.SYNCRISIS()literallymeansaputtingtogether,anaggregate,combination,etc.Syntaxcanbeconsideredtoconstituteathirdandequallyessentialtypeofmusicalform.Forfurtherexplanationofpointsinthisfootnote,seeTagg(2013:383385;417;586,603).
30.
TheEXTENDEDPRESENT(alsomisleadinglycalledthespeciouspresent)lastsnolongerthanamusicalphrase,oranexhalation,orafewfootsteps,orashortgesturalpattern.Itsadurationexperiencedasasingleunit(Gestalt)inpresenttime,asnowratherthanasanextendedsequenceofideas.TheextendedpresentcanalsobeimaginedasthehumanbrainsequivalenttoacomputersRAMwhereinformationisprocessedimmediately,ratherthanasitsharddrive(longertermmemory)whereaccessandretrievaltimesarelonger.Forfurtherexplanations,seeTagg(2013:1920,272273,588).
31. AURALSTAGING:seeTagg(2013:299303,583).32.
Forexplanationsofdurationalhierarchiesinmusic,seeTagg(2013:281288).
-
Tagg: The Urgent Reform of Music Theory 17
Quefaire?
SinceOctober2011Iveconductedaminicampaignaimedatconvincingcolleaguesandstudentsthatsomethingneedstobedoneaboutthesortofconceptualchaosdescribedinthistext.ProgresshasbeenslowandIvehadtoresorttoseveraltricksofpersuasiontofurtherthecause.Ihave,forexample,distilledsomeoftheissues
down to simple requests, like please distinguish
betweentone/tonalandtonic/tonical,pleasedistinguishbetweentriad/triadic
and third/tertial, please treat all types of form as
form,pleasehelpcreateaviablevocabularyfortimbreandauralstaging,
etc.Then Ivedelivereddifferentversions ofmy Troubleswith Tonal
Terminology presentation in numerous places
andtriedtoreachawideraudiencebyproducingavideocalledWhat(theHell)isTonality?33Ivealsoaddedother,equallyproblematic,factorstothemix,suchasconventionaltheorysinadequateconceptualisation
ofmetre, rhythm, syncopation, periodicity, polyphony, counterpoint
and duration (including the
extendedpresent).Iveeventriedappealingtoacollegialsenseofprideinmusicalscholarshipinthehopeofminimisingtheintellectualandethicalembarrassmentthatmusictheorysterminologicaldisordercancause
in interdisciplinarycontexts.Forexample, Ivehad
topointoutthatnoselfrespectinglinguistwouldeverconcludethat,say,EnglishorSpanishweregrammaticallanguagesandthat,say,ChineseorRussianwerenot,
justbecausedefiniteandindefinitearticlesarekeyfeaturesofsyntaxintheformerbutnotinthelatter,whereasmanymusictheoristsseemquitehappytothink
inthatwayabouttonality:onetypeoftonalitywithitsparticulartraitsiscalledtonalbutothers,withdifferenttraits,arenot.Iverepeatedlyexpressedastonishmentat
theabsenceofanyoutcry inmydisciplineagainstsuchfoolishness.
Moreover,ifmusicsotherthanthoseintheeuroclassicalandclassicaljazztraditionsremainuncodified,theterminologyofconventional
euroclassical music theory will stay unchallenged and
33. 9ZE-DpkRYb0 [150919].
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZE-DpkRYb0https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZE-DpkRYb0
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18 Tagg: The Urgent Reform of Music Theory
continuetomarginalise,trivialiseorfalsifyanytypeofmusicexhibiting
important traits forwhich that theoryhaseither
flawedconceptsornoconceptsatall.Notonlywouldsuchneglectprolong the
undemocratic disrespect and ethnocentric ignorance
itseemstoshowtowardssomanymusicsusedbyamajorityoftheworldspopulation;
itwouldalso,asarguedearlier,obstructeffortstounderstandwhatmadethemusicaltraditiononwhichitbasedthatsameterminologysoinfluentialandunique.
FinalreflexionsReactionstomylittlecampaignhavegenerallybeenmorepositivethannegative.Herearejusttwoofthem.34
Ivetaughtanalysisinmyuniversityfor25yearsandIvemetthesameproblemsasyouWeeventriedtosetupamusicalterminologycommissiontenyearsagobut...Iwasraisedinawiderangeofmusicaltraditions.ThenIrecentlystudiedmusicology,sohadtoconfrontallthose[strangeterms]Well,withthe[local/regional/national]musicaltraditionsIknow...Wow!Alotofthosetermsjustdontworkatall.
Somereactionshavebeenmoreguarded,forexample:Ofcourseyourerightandwhatyousay
isperfectly
logicalbuttheresnotahopeinhellthatanythingwillcomeofit!
Ifearthatthisopinion,expressedbyaseniorprofessorofcompositionafteroneofmypresentationsonthetopic,maybearealisticassessmentofthesituation.Twocloselyrelatedtypesofreactionhavepromptedmetothinkalongsuchlines.OneisthecompactsilenceImetonseveraloccasionswhenpresentingthesortofissuesdiscussedhere.Theythinkyourecausingunnecessaryproblems,a
young researcher toldme outside the venue at a
particularlysouldestroyingmusicanalysiseventinItaly.Theyjustwantyoutodisappearsotheycangetbacktobusinessasusual
in theirivorytowers.35
34.
Ireceivedthesecommentsbyemailinlate2013fromaseniormusicprofessorinVenezuelaandfromamusicianandmusicologystudentinColombia.
35.
Iregretnothavingnotedthestudentsname.Ijustwrotedownhiscomments.
-
Tagg: The Urgent Reform of Music Theory 19
AswiththeSHUTUPANDGOAWAYstrategyjustdescribed,theothertypeofnegativereactionisalsocharacterisedbyacompletelackofwilltoenterintoanysortofdialogue:Imnotevenpresentedwithanycounterargumentsrefutingmylineofreasoning.Thissecondtypeofstrategyis,however,moreaggressivethanthefirst.Iinterpretitasarearguardactionmountedbythosewhofeelthreatenednotjustbybudgetcutstotheartsandhumanitiesbutalsobythoseofuswhoadvocaterealreform.Theproblemisthatinsteadofsafeguardingthefutureofourdisciplinebyaddressingthemulticulturalinternetrealityinwhichstudentsactuallylive,thesefellowscholarsregressintotheillusorysafetyofaninstitutionalpastwithitssingletimehonouredrepertoireandastoragetechnologydatingbacktothefifteenthcentury.36Theseknightsofthemusicologicalrearguard,keentoprotecttheirnotionsofmusic,includingitsstructuraltheory(nottomentiontheirjobs)fromattack,thenpullupthedrawbridgeandshoreupthedefencesoftheirfiefdoms,ensuringthatonlythosewhodefertotheirauthoritycanenter.Theyform
allianceswith others in similar fiefdoms and banish
fromtheirrealmsanyonewhocommitstheheresyofquestioningtheirlegitimacy.Theseactsofexcommunicationareoftenaccompaniedbyderogatory
rumours circulated about theheretic
andhis/herfollowers,whoarethenwillfullykeptoutoftheinstitutionalloopofacademicexchangeandemployment.37Thissortofbehaviourisexacerbated
by themanagerialisation of university life, by
barragesofKafkaesqueauditsandassessmentexercises,aswellasbysubjectiontoleaguetablesthatcanlogicallyfunctionasacompetitive
comparisonmechanism only if theres a consensus
aboutwhateverybodydoesoralwayshasdone.Thosebizarremechanismsfavourseatsofmusicallearningwhichfocusontraditions
36.
Gutenberg(13981468)introducedEuropetotheprintingpresswithmovabletype.Petrucci(14661539)isoftencitedasthefatherofmusicprinting.
37.
ThesituationisparticularlyseriousinItalianinstitutionsofmusicology(seePopularMusicStudiesinItalianUniversitiesapetition
tagg.org/html/Petition1405.html.[150918],especiallyaboutthebaronieacademicheandsettoridisciplinarie).WearecurrentlypreparinganewreportonirregularitiesinthefieldofItalianmusicology.
http://tagg.org/html/Petition1405.htmlhttp://tagg.org/html/Petition1405.htmlhttp://tagg.org/html/Petition1405.html
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20 Tagg: The Urgent Reform of Music Theory
thathave tobe sociallydead,orat leastmoribund, inorder forthem
tobecome fixedascanonsforexample, theeuroclassicalcanon, the
jazzcanon, the
academicsafaricanonand,morerecently,therockcanon.Suchfixationofrepertoire,ofaestheticsandstructuraltheory,ismoreoftenthannotunderstoodasanecessityininstitutionsthathavetorepeatcoursesfromoneyeartothenextinthenameofcoursecontentconsistencyorcostcutting.Allthesemechanismsencouragestagnationandgenerateaclimateoffeardetrimentaltoreformandinnovation.Tosurviveshortterminthesystemyouneedtotoethelineandkeepalowprofile.Tosecurefunding,youandyour
institutionhave
tochasebrowniepoints,ticktherightboxesandsubmittotheacademicpublishingprotectionracket.38Ifyoudontfeedthemanagementmonsterinthesewaysyoullincuritswrathandbevisitedbyitsinquisitors.39
Heresy,inquisition,excommunication?Whoknowshowfarthingscangoinauniversitysystemunderthepallofmarketfundamentalism?40Maybe,now
thatstudentsare customersand teachersservice providers, well soon
have to sell degrees like indulgences.41When
thathappensandenoughofusareexcommunicated, our universities can be
left entirely in the hands
ofaccountants.Then,likeLutherandtheGermanpeasantrebelsofthe1520s,wecanhaveafullblownreformationofuniversitylife.Inthemeantime,wecannotdomuchmorethanexposeflawsinthecurrentsystemandpinourthesestothedoorofmusicallearning.42Thistextisintendedasjustonesuchthesis.
38. SeeTheAcademicPublishingProtectionRacket(
tagg.org/rants/AcPub-Pizzo.html) [160418].
39.
IwassubjectedtoamanagementinquisitionatLiverpoolUniversity;seeAudititis:arampantcontagion
tagg.org/rants/audititis/audititis.html [150919].
40.
SeeGeorgeSoros:TheCrisisofGlobalCapitalismasreviewedbyBeams(1998).41.
ThankstoGoffredoPlastino(Newcastle)fortheindulgencesanalogyandto
KaireMaimets(Tartu)forremindingmeoftheperversionofthestudentteacherrelationshipintothatofbuyerandseller.
42.
Lutherissaidtohavenailed95thesestothedooroftheSchlosskircheAllerheiligeninWittenbergin1517,therebyignitingtheProtestantreformation.IfonlyLutherhadsupportedthepeasantrebelsinsteadofcondemningtheiractions!
http://tagg.org/rants/audititis/audititis.htmlhttp://tagg.org/rants/AcPubPizzo.htmlhttp://tagg.org/rants/AcPubPizzo.htmlhttp://tagg.org/rants/audititis/audititis.html
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Tagg: The Urgent Reform of Music Theory 21
References
Thisappendixcontainsalltypesofreference.Tosavespace,thefollowingsymbolsareused:
bibliographicalsource(writtenword); audiovisualsource;
audiorecording; internetreference; YouTubefile.Pleasenotethat
replaces sothat,forexample, rWlt9Is1nmsmeanstheURL.
BEAMS,Nick(1998)Soroswarnsofmarketfundamentalism.WorldSocialistWebSite,19981222
wsws.org/en/articles/1998/12/soro-d22.html.
[180918].BERGER,Arthur(1963)ProblemsofpitchorganizationinStravinsky.PerspectivesofNewMusic,2/1.
http://disciplinas.stoa.usp.br/pluginfile.php/226656/mod_resource/content/1/Probems%20of%20pitch%20organization%20in%20Stravinsky%20%28BERGER%201963%29.pdf.DAVIS,Bob(2005)WhoGotdaFunk?AnEtymphonyofFunkfromthe1950sto1979.
PhD,Facultdemusique,UniversitdeMontraltagg.org/bookxtrax/DavisFunkPhDv1.pdf
[2012-11-15].
HERRMANN,Bernard(1960)Psycho(Colonnasonoraoriginale).RCACinematreNL33224(1975)
Xd_OolN34eA[131229].
(1963)CrowsattackthestudentsfromTheBirds hplpQt424Ls (0:42, ff.)
[131229].JONES,Tom(1965).ItsNotUnusual.DeccaF12062.
KOD(1985)Miyake.KodHeartbeatDrummersOfJapanSheffieldLabCDKODO.
LACASSE,Serge(2000).ListentoMyVoice:TheEvocativePowerofVocalStaginginRecordedRockMusicandOtherFormsofVocalExpression.PhDdiss.,InstituteofPopularMusic,UniversityofLiverpool.
mus.ulaval.ca/lacasse/texts/THESIS.pdf| [101021].
MEYER,LeonardB.(1989).StyleandMusic:Theory,History,andIdeology.Philadelphia:UniversityofPennsylvaniaPress.
NATTIEZ,JeanJacques(1976)Fondementsdunesmiologiedelamusique.bParis:Ug.
(1990).MusicandDiscourse:TowardaSemiologyofMusic.PrincetonUniversityPress,1990NIRVANA(1991)SmellsLikeTeenSpiritandLithium.NeverMind,Geffen4344252S.
http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/1998/12/soro-d22.htmlhttp://tagg.org/bookxtrax/DavisFunkPhDv1.pdfhttp://tagg.org/bookxtrax/DavisFunkPhDv1.pdfhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd_OolN34eAhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hplpQt424Lshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hplpQt424Lshttp://www.wsws.org/en/articles/1998/12/soro-d22.htmlhttp://mus.ulaval.ca/lacasse/texts/THESIS.pdfhttp://mus.ulaval.ca/lacasse/texts/THESIS.pdfhttp://disciplinas.stoa.usp.br/pluginfile.php/226656/mod_resource/content/1/Problems%20of%20pitch%20organization%20in%20Stravinsky%20%28BERGER%201963%29.pdf
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22 Tagg: The Urgent Reform of Music Theory
NORMAN,Monty(1962)43ThemefromDrNo(a.k.a.JamesBondTheme,a.k.a.007).TheBestofBond,UnitedArtistsUAS29021(1975).
PARTON,Dolly(1973).Jolene(single);alsoonJolene;RCAVictorAFL10473(1974).
STEELEYESPAN(1971)TheFemaleDrummer(Eng.trad.viaTheWatersons).PleasetoSeetheKing.Crest8.
TAGG,Philip(2009)DominantsandDominance rWlt9Is1nms [150919].
(2013)MusicsMeanings:amodernmusicologyfornonmusos.NewYork&Huddersfield:MassMediaMusicScholarsPress
tagg.org/mmmsp/NonMusoInfo.htm [150919].
(2014)EverydayTonalityII:towardsatonaltheoryofwhatmostpeoplehear.NewYork&Huddersfield:MassMediaMusicScholarsPress.tagg.org/mmmsp/EverydayTonalityInfo.htm
[150919].
(2015)TheAcademicPublishingProtectionRackettagg.org/rants/AcPubPizzo.html
[160418].
THOMSON,WilliamEnnis(1966)TheProblemofMusicAnalysisandUniversals.CollegeMusicSymposium,6.
http://kb.osu.edu/rest/bitstreams/211370/retrieve.
(2010).SerialistClaimsversusSonicReality.EmpiricalMusicologyReview,5/2(2010:3650).
http://kb.osu.edu/rest/bitstreams/211370/retrieve.
TOULMIN,Stephen(1972).HumanUnderstanding:TheCollectiveUseandEvolutionofConcepts.1972.PrincetonUniversityPress.
43.
Normanslegalauthorshipisnolongerlegallydisputed,butitspossiblethatthethememaybemusicallyasmuchtheworkofJohnBarryandDonBlack.
http://tagg.org/mmmsp/NonMusoInfo.htmhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWlt9Is1nmshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWlt9Is1nmshttp://tagg.org/mmmsp/NonMusoInfo.htmhttp://tagg.org/mmmsp/EverydayTonalityInfo.htmhttp://tagg.org/mmmsp/EverydayTonalityInfo.htmhttp://users.skynet.be/P-ART/PARADISE/JOURNAL/JOURNL20/journ20.htmhttp://kb.osu.edu/rest/bitstreams/211370/retrievehttp://kb.osu.edu/rest/bitstreams/211370/retrievehttp://users.skynet.be/P-ART/PARADISE/JOURNAL/JOURNL20/journ20.htmhttp://tagg.org/rants/AcPubPizzo.html
IntroBasic definitions and abbreviationsTonalityTonal v. atonal
(?!)Tonal v. modal (?!)Quartal tonalityQuartal ubiquity and
structural theory
TimbrePower chordsPoetic and aesthesic descriptors
FormQue faire?Final reflexions
References