mckendry@exodus.DEC (NER Network Coordinator) (08/07/84)
> When you listen to a piece of intensely polyphonic music, > such as a fugue, how does the polyphony affect your perception > of the music? Do you have to strain to hear the theme > popping up in the inner voices, or does it just leap out > at you? What about inversions, augmentations, diminutions? I can usually hear appearances of the subject. Augmentation and diminution are easy, although I can lose extreme cases of augmentation. Inversions; the quality of the original subject has a lot to do with how easy it is to spot its inversion. The impression I form of a fugal subject is of a melodic shape, and if that shape is well-defined it's possible to recognize it squashed or stretched or flipped over. What I can't hear is retrograde appearances. The best subjects seem to have a large leap (fourth or fifth) at the beginning followed by a return toward the first note. To tackle the broader question of how I hear polyphony; a little bit differently every time if it's any good. The first time I hear a new piece I hear mostly the outer voices. The second time, I try to pick out the tenor and follow it through the piece. This takes some active listening. Having a score to follow along with makes it easier. There's also a category of polyphony that I hear as much with my imagination as with my ears; this is the polyphony built out of arpeggios in things like the Bach Violin Sonatas/Partitas, Flute Sonata, and Inventions. It's interesting that you should ask this question. I've always had a vague impression that good counterpoint somehow makes itself clear. Can't express it any more precisely than that, but it really happens. -John ...!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-exodus!mckendry mckendry%exodus.DEC@decwrl.ARPA