On Jan 6, 2007, at 9:24 PM, John Howell wrote:
OK, I just realized that there's one obvious exception in chant,
the use of "una nota super la semper est canendum fa" (i.e., one
note that exceeds the upper range of the hexachord--la--and returns
to it is sung "fa" or lowered. This almost always involves B
becoming Bb, or rarely E becoming Eb, but it wouldn't be notated in
the chant. You'd have to understand Guido's solmization.
Funny coincidence; this just came across my inbox from a colleague
(theory teacher!)
If you aren't familiar with Kyle Gann, check him out, he's hilarious
and often right on the money.
full text at:
http://www.artsjournal.com/postclassic/2007/01/
my_last_theory_professor_rant.html
January 1, 2007
My Last Theory Professor Rant of 2007
My tombstone is going to read:
Here lies
KYLE GANN
Remember to raise the
seventh scale degree in
minor
so that whenever my students drop by with flowers they'll get an
extra reminder. I wanted to also include the rules for acceptable
resolutions of the six-four chord, but I'm afraid the engraving costs
would be a hardship on my heirs.
Why is it that some students cannot be persuaded to write a triad
without adding a seventh on it? I assume these kids had a jazz
teacher in high school who was very, very successful in drilling into
them that every chord, every friggin' chord, contains a seventh. And
since it's often nice in classical harmony to spice up the occasional
chord with a seventh, you can't flat out forbid them, and it's really
not possible to get across the inexpressible nuances of why sevenths
sound nice in some contexts and not in others. And if you're teaching
four-part writing, the presence of a seventh in every chord wreaks
havoc with voice-leading. And what is it with ending tonal
compositions on six-four chords? If I never mentioned six-four
chords, would their natural instincts lead them to close in root
position? Is it because I so emphatically bring six-four chords to
their attention, as something to avoid, that they subconsciously or
passive/aggressively end up writing epic strings of parallel six-four
chords in their final compositions? What is so freakin' attractive
about having the fifth in the bass on every beat? Did I miss a meeting?
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