The emancipation of the dissonance was a concept or goal put forth by composer Arnold Schoenberg and others, including his pupil Anton Webern. The phrase first appears in Schoenberg's 1926 essay "Opinion or Insight?" (Schoenberg 1975, 258–64). It may be described as a metanarrative to justify atonality. Jim Samson (1977, 146–47) describes:
Chords, featuring chromatically altered sevenths and ninths and progressing unconventionally, explored by Debussy in a "celebrated conversation at the piano with his teacher Ernest Guiraud" (Lockspeiser 1962, 207).
As the ear becomes acclimatized to a sonority within a particular context, the sonority will gradually become 'emancipated' from that context and seek a new one. The emancipation of the dominant-quality dissonances has followed this pattern, with the dominant seventh developing in status from a contrapuntal note in the sixteenth century to a quasi-consonant harmonic note in the early nineteenth. By the later nineteenth century the higher numbered dominant-quality dissonances had also achieved harmonic status, with resolution delayed or omitted completely. The greater autonomy of the dominant-quality dissonance contributed significantly to the weakening of traditional tonal function within a purely diatonic context.
Composers such as Charles Ives, Dane Rudhyar, Duke Ellington, and Lou Harrison connected the emancipation of the dissonance with the emancipation of society and humanity. Michael Broyles calls Ives tone-cluster-rich song "Majority" as "an incantation, a mystical statement of belief in the masses or the people" (Broyles 1996, 125). Duke Ellington, after playing some of his pieces for a journalist, said, "That's the Negro's life ... Hear that chord! Dissonance is our way of life in America. We are something apart, yet an integral part" (Ellington 1963, 150) harv error: no target: CITEREFEllington1963 (help). Lou Harrison described Carl Ruggles's counterpoint as "a community of singing lines, living a life of its own, . . . careful not to get ahead or behind in its rhythmic cooperation with the others" (Harrison 1946, 8). Rudhyar gave the subtitle "A New Principle of Musical and Social Organization" to his book Dissonant Harmony, writing, "Dissonant music is thus the music of true and spiritual Democracy; the music of universal brotherhoods; music of Free Souls, not of personalities. It abolishes tonalities, exactly as the real Buddhistic Reformation abolished castes into the Brotherhood of Monks; for Buddhism is nothing but spiritual Democracy" (Rudhyar 1928, 10–11).
Just as the harmonic series was and is used as a justification for consonance, such as by Rameau, among others,[citation needed] the harmonic series is often used as physical or psychoacoustic justification for the gradual emancipation of intervals and chords found further and further up the harmonic series over time, such as is argued by Henry Cowell in defense of his tone clusters.[citation needed] Some argue further that they are not dissonances, but consonances higher up the harmonic series and thus more complex.[citation needed]Chailley (1951, 12); cited in Nattiez 1990 gives the following diagram, a specific timeline he proposes:
A 1996 book by Thomas J. Harrison, 1910, the Emancipation of Dissonance, uses Schoenberg's "revolution" to trace other movements in the arts around that time.
Sources
Broyles, Michael. 1996. "Charles Ives and the American Democratic Tradition", in Charles Ives and His World, ed. J. Peter Burkholder. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press.
Cooper, Paul. 1973. Perspectives in Music Theory: An Historical-Analytical Approach. New York: Dodd, Mead. ISBN0-396-06752-2.
Ellington, Duke 1993. "Interview in Los Angeles: On Jump for Joy, Opera, and Dissonance as a 'Way of Life,'" reprinted in The Duke Ellington Reader, ed. Mark Tucker, 150. New York: Oxford University Press.
Harrison, Lou. 1946. About Carl Ruggles. Yonkers, N.Y.: Oscar Baradinsky at the Alicat Bookshop.
Harrison, Thomas J. 1996. 1910, the Emancipation of Dissonance. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Lockspeiser, Edward. 1962. Debussy: His Life and Mind, p. 207. ISBN0-304-91878-4 for Vol. 1. cited in Nadeau, Roland (Sep., 1979), "Debussy and the Crisis of Tonality", p. 71, Music Educators Journal, Vol. 66, No. 1, pp. 69–73.
Nattiez, Jean-Jacques. 1990. Music and Discourse: Toward a Semiology of Music (Musicologie générale et sémiologie, 1987). Translated by Carolyn Abbate. ISBN0-691-02714-5.
Rudhyar, Dane. 1928. Dissonant Harmony: A New Principle of Musical and Social Organization. Carmel, California: Hamsa Publications.
Samson, Jim. 1977. Music in Transition: A Study of Tonal Expansion and Atonality, 1900–1920. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. ISBN0-393-02193-9.
Schoenberg, Arnold. 1975. Style and Idea: Selected Writings of Arnold Schoenberg. Edited by Leonard Stein, with translations by Leo Black. New York: St. Martins Press; London: Faber & Faber. ISBN0-520-05294-3. Expanded from the 1950 Philosophical Library (New York) publication edited by Dika Newlin. The volume carries the note "Several of the essays ... were originally written in German (translated by Dika Newlin)" in both editions.
Further reading
Oja, Carol J. 1999. "Dane Rudhyar's Vision of American Dissonance." American Music Vol. 17, No. 2 (Summer), pp. 129–45.
Stegemann, Benedikt. 2013. Theory of Tonality: Theoretical Studies. Wilhelmshaven: Noetzel. ISBN978-3-7959-0963-5.
January 26, 2023
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The emancipation of the dissonance was a concept or goal put forth by composer Arnold Schoenberg and others including his pupil Anton Webern The phrase first appears in Schoenberg s 1926 essay Opinion or Insight Schoenberg 1975 258 64 It may be described as a metanarrative to justify atonality Jim Samson 1977 146 47 describes Chords featuring chromatically altered sevenths and ninths and progressing unconventionally explored by Debussy in a celebrated conversation at the piano with his teacher Ernest Guiraud Lockspeiser 1962 207 As the ear becomes acclimatized to a sonority within a particular context the sonority will gradually become emancipated from that context and seek a new one The emancipation of the dominant quality dissonances has followed this pattern with the dominant seventh developing in status from a contrapuntal note in the sixteenth century to a quasi consonant harmonic note in the early nineteenth By the later nineteenth century the higher numbered dominant quality dissonances had also achieved harmonic status with resolution delayed or omitted completely The greater autonomy of the dominant quality dissonance contributed significantly to the weakening of traditional tonal function within a purely diatonic context Composers such as Charles Ives Dane Rudhyar Duke Ellington and Lou Harrison connected the emancipation of the dissonance with the emancipation of society and humanity Michael Broyles calls Ives tone cluster rich song Majority as an incantation a mystical statement of belief in the masses or the people Broyles 1996 125 Duke Ellington after playing some of his pieces for a journalist said That s the Negro s life Hear that chord Dissonance is our way of life in America We are something apart yet an integral part Ellington 1963 150 harv error no target CITEREFEllington1963 help Lou Harrison described Carl Ruggles s counterpoint as a community of singing lines living a life of its own careful not to get ahead or behind in its rhythmic cooperation with the others Harrison 1946 8 Rudhyar gave the subtitle A New Principle of Musical and Social Organization to his book Dissonant Harmony writing Dissonant music is thus the music of true and spiritual Democracy the music of universal brotherhoods music of Free Souls not of personalities It abolishes tonalities exactly as the real Buddhistic Reformation abolished castes into the Brotherhood of Monks for Buddhism is nothing but spiritual Democracy Rudhyar 1928 10 11 Just as the harmonic series was and is used as a justification for consonance such as by Rameau among others citation needed the harmonic series is often used as physical or psychoacoustic justification for the gradual emancipation of intervals and chords found further and further up the harmonic series over time such as is argued by Henry Cowell in defense of his tone clusters citation needed Some argue further that they are not dissonances but consonances higher up the harmonic series and thus more complex citation needed Chailley 1951 12 cited in Nattiez 1990 gives the following diagram a specific timeline he proposes Timeline of the emancipation of the dissonance unison octave perfect fifth major third minor seventh ninth eleventh twelfth and Prehistoric music music of ancient Greece Medieval music c 500 1400 Renaissance music 1400 1600 Baroque music c 1600 1760 Classical music c 1730 1820 Romantic music c 1815 1910 Impressionist music c 1880 1900 20th century music Cooper 1973 6 7 proposes the following timeline A unison and octave singing magadizing in Greek music and Ambrosian and Greek chant B parallel fourths and fifths in organum from c 850 C triadic music from c 1400 D chordal seventh from c 1600 E chordal ninth from c 1750 F whole tone scale from c 1880 G total chromaticism twelve tone technique and microtones in the early 20th century A 1996 book by Thomas J Harrison 1910 the Emancipation of Dissonance uses Schoenberg s revolution to trace other movements in the arts around that time Sources EditBroyles Michael 1996 Charles Ives and the American Democratic Tradition in Charles Ives and His World ed J Peter Burkholder Princeton N J Princeton University Press Chailley Jacques 1951 Traite historique d analyse musicale Paris Leduc Cooper Paul 1973 Perspectives in Music Theory An Historical Analytical Approach New York Dodd Mead ISBN 0 396 06752 2 Ellington Duke 1993 Interview in Los Angeles On Jump for Joy Opera and Dissonance as a Way of Life reprinted in The Duke Ellington Reader ed Mark Tucker 150 New York Oxford University Press Harrison Lou 1946 About Carl Ruggles Yonkers N Y Oscar Baradinsky at the Alicat Bookshop Harrison Thomas J 1996 1910 the Emancipation of Dissonance Berkeley University of California Press Lockspeiser Edward 1962 Debussy His Life and Mind p 207 ISBN 0 304 91878 4 for Vol 1 cited in Nadeau Roland Sep 1979 Debussy and the Crisis of Tonality p 71 Music Educators Journal Vol 66 No 1 pp 69 73 Nattiez Jean Jacques 1990 Music and Discourse Toward a Semiology of Music Musicologie generale et semiologie 1987 Translated by Carolyn Abbate ISBN 0 691 02714 5 Rudhyar Dane 1928 Dissonant Harmony A New Principle of Musical and Social Organization Carmel California Hamsa Publications Samson Jim 1977 Music in Transition A Study of Tonal Expansion and Atonality 1900 1920 New York W W Norton amp Company ISBN 0 393 02193 9 Schoenberg Arnold 1975 Style and Idea Selected Writings of Arnold Schoenberg Edited by Leonard Stein with translations by Leo Black New York St Martins Press London Faber amp Faber ISBN 0 520 05294 3 Expanded from the 1950 Philosophical Library New York publication edited by Dika Newlin The volume carries the note Several of the essays were originally written in German translated by Dika Newlin in both editions Further reading EditOja Carol J 1999 Dane Rudhyar s Vision of American Dissonance American Music Vol 17 No 2 Summer pp 129 45 Stegemann Benedikt 2013 Theory of Tonality Theoretical Studies Wilhelmshaven Noetzel ISBN 978 3 7959 0963 5 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Emancipation of the dissonance amp oldid 1044151863, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
