the urgent reform of music theory - taggtagg.org/articles/xpdfs/jjn70yrs.pdf · tagg: the urgent...

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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

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.

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


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).


( ).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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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).


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).


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.


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).


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


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).


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).


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


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.


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


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


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


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

the urgent reform of music theory - taggtagg.org/articles/xpdfs/jjn70yrs.pdf · tagg: the urgent...

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