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Date: | Thu, 22 Aug 2002 11:57:46 -0500 |
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Ron Chaplin replies to me:
>>I think a lot of people are getting tired of the old tension-release
>>"formula" that has been so essential in western music since harmonic
>>tensions started evolving in the medieval period
>
>I wonder if you would explain a little more about what tension-release is
>in music.
I use the term "tension-release" to refer to the way most "modern"
Western music has a build up of tension, and a resolution of the tension.
This pattern occurs on multiple scales, small and large. For example,
on the small scale you have harmonies that become "tense", i.e. the ear
wants them to resolve. When a song ends on a cadence, the harmony goes
from a tense state to a resolved state. The I-IV-V-I harmonic sequence
encapsulates this (The song "Hear & Soul" uses this sequence). An example
of the larger scale is Beethoven's 5th Symphony. The first movement is
full of conflict, and the last movement is a resolution of the conflict.
Disclaimer: this is just my opinion. I'm not an expert on the subject,
and I don't know if you'll find this in any text books:-)
Mike
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