I think this is a first: I've never seen so much consensus on this list! (Once again I miss David Fenton.)
I am willing to concede Beethoven his use of no key signature with F Lydian. F Lydian is an exception precisely because there is (effectively) no key signature. After all, if I were writing in F Lydian I would probably do the same, since I hardly ever use key signatures for any key. On Tue, Dec 10, 2013 at 11:43 AM, GERALD BERG <gj.b...@rogers.com> wrote: > Except perhaps F Lydian -- Beethoven op. 132 SQ The molto adagio is F > Lydian but keyed in C. That looks right to me. > > > GJBerg > > > ________________________________ > From: Harold Owen <hjo...@uoregon.edu> > To: finale@shsu.edu > Sent: Tuesday, December 10, 2013 11:47:34 AM > Subject: Re: [Finale] OT: Key sig for Lydian mode > > > Dear folks, > > I'm with Lon. What matters most is that performers get it right. Seeing > four sharps used for A Lydian may be correct, but I think fewer mistakes > will be made if three sharps are used and D#s are indicated in the score. > The "accidental" calls attention to the modal nature of the music. In > addition, many modal compositions will have mixed modal flavors and the > modal inflections are best indicated by the appearance of "accidentals.'" > Bartok's use of a scale which has raised 4th degree and lowered 7th degree > doesn't use the signature to indicate it. A case in point is the last > movement of the Sonata for two pianos and percussion. A signature of no > sharps or flats is used, and F# and Bb are used in the music. As the > movement progresses there are other degree inflections. Trying to use the > signature to control them would be confusing and silly. > > ---Hal Owen > > > On Dec 9, 2013, at 3:02 PM, Lon Price wrote: > > > I don't like the use of modal key signatures. I feel that most of us > are conditioned to think in a particular key, in other words, A Major being > three sharps. So if you're hearing the key as A Major, but the key > signature is four sharps, you might miss the D#. I'd rather have it > written in, even if every D in the piece is D#. > > > > On Dec 9, 2013, at 2:50 PM, Robert Patterson < > rob...@robertgpatterson.com> wrote: > > > >> So I am curious what this list thinks. You are writing a piece in A > lydian > >> mode. Do you use four sharps in the key sig or do you use three sharps > and > >> show the raised fourth as a chromatic alteration throughout the piece? > >> > >> I recently encountered this situation in some contemporary church > music. I > >> am a horn player, so key sigs are not my strong suit, but showing 4 > sharps > >> for a piece in A lydian drove me crazy (and this piece was lydian > >> throughout, so the problem manifested over and over in other keys as > well.) > >> There was one solo where I played g-natural until the after the final > >> run-through before I noticed the wrong note and corrected it for the > >> performance. (The conductor was gonna let it go!) > >> > >> Maybe four sharps makes sense in some contexts (jazz? early music?) but > it > >> felt really wrong in contemporary church music, esp. consider the > minimal > >> rehearsal time such music gets. > >> > >> Yikes I just looked at Elaine Gould, and she allows any arbitrary key > >> signature. I hope I never have to face that, and in any case would end > up > >> penciling every one of them in. > >> _______________________________________________ > >> Finale mailing list > >> Finale@shsu.edu > >> http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale > >> > > > > ********************************** > > Lon Price > > lonpr...@att.net > > http://www.txstnr.com/ > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Finale mailing list > > Finale@shsu.edu > > http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Finale mailing list > Finale@shsu.edu > http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale > _______________________________________________ > Finale mailing list > Finale@shsu.edu > http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale > > _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
