jeffw@tekecs.UUCP (Jeff Winslow) (07/19/85)
>> J.S.Bach's irreplaceable contribution to Western music was his de >> facto establishment of the rules of "common practice" harmony, i.e. no >> parallel fifths, no voice crossings, etc., that are still taught today >> in harmony classes. > >And which some of my favorite musicians blithely ignore! Of course, >it's probably a good thing that someone established these silly rules, >because if someone didn't, then it would be impossible to break them. Aha! Time to puncture some hoary old myths, I see! First, Bach did not establish, de facto or any other way, the "rules" which you describe. They were already well established by Corelli's time (that is, about the time Bach was born). Second, those rules would not be an irreplaceable contribution to any music. They are simply a description of the typical practice at a certain period in history, although they arose for a very good reason (see below). Finally, far too much is made of these "rules", and far too much heroism is invested in those who "break" them. It's just not that big a deal (except in harmony classes. I once irritated a professor in the extreme when I pointed out a parallel fifth in a Bach organ prelude). Sort of like calling someone a freedom fighter because they trampled a "keep off the grass" sign. Western composers have always (would you believe for the last 900 years?) been interested in polyphony - the sound of several independent voices together. In fact, to my mind, this is the disguishing mark of Western music. The key word here is independence. If voices move in parallel octaves or fifths, the upper voice may be lost in the overtones of the lower, and the independence of the upper voice will be compromised. The "rules" simply point out a set of pitfalls, like this one, which composers of earlier generations found made their music sound in a way they didn't want it to sound. In many pieces written after these pitfalls became generally recognized, one still finds parallelisms, especially in complex or ornate textures. This doesn't mean the composer is some kind of rebel hero for "breaking the rules", it simply means that the composer recognized that the musical context was such that the parallelisms sound just fine. And, naturally, if a composer isn't particularly interested in having independent voices, then all of these "rules" will likely go out the window and good riddance! Of course, it's hard to keep sight of all this when you get your graded and damned harmony or counterpoint homework back. Jeff Winslow