Perhaps it may be a geeky pecadillo on my part, but "tonal" requires that the tonal center (or the tonal center of the moment, as it may be) be established by it's own dominant and leading tone (thank you IU theory department!). So modal (including the pentatonic modes with no 7th and the hexatonic with a flatted 7th) doesn't qualify. And of course (and fortunately) it is not necessary to agree with this (or even understand it) to enjoy the music.
And speaking of "atonality," who here has NOT had the experience of hearing an amateur children's choir's performance where no parent complained a bit about the atonality being produced? Aaron J. Rabushka [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://users.waymark.net/arabushk ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Howell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <finale@shsu.edu> Sent: Sunday, May 27, 2007 12:55 PM Subject: Re: [Finale] OT: John Cage's first national TV appearance (1960) > At 10:48 PM -0400 5/26/07, Aaron Rabushka wrote: > >Hmm--I never heard of Charles Whittenberg, but if he sounds like me he must > >have something on the ball! And yes, there was chromaticism before Wagner > >(late Gesualdo madrigals, anyone?). Or Lasso's Sybillene Prophecy music? > >(remember those, John H?) > > Oh yes!! And not only them, but De Rore, Marenzio, Luzzeschi, and > that young whippersnapper, Monteverdi, each in his own way. It was > in the air. (Or maybe the water!) Only Claudio went more for > unexpected dissonance than for temporarily shifting or temporarily > unclear tonal centers. But Lasso sure showed that he could do it, if > he felt like it! (Mostly he didn't feel like it.) The challenge in > performing the late Italian madrigalists is not just the > chromaticism, but figuring out how to adjust the intervals to keep > them pure in the midst of meandering tonal centers. Equal > temperament need not apply!!! > > John > > > -- > John & Susie Howell > Virginia Tech Department of Music > Blacksburg, Virginia, U.S.A 24061-0240 > Vox (540) 231-8411 Fax (540) 231-5034 > (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]) > http://www.music.vt.edu/faculty/howell/howell.html > _______________________________________________ > 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
