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Music as Tradition, Transcendence, or Both What makes a piece of
music strong? This question could be
approached in many ways—some might say the harmonies make a piece strong,
others the adherence to a particular structure, |
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or the lyricism of the
melody. However, one good way to
understand how to write a strong work is the idea of tradition, as well as
“transcendence” of familiar reality in the piece. Establishing Tradition It is almost
universal—from chant to the Romantic period to jazz—that compositions seek to
establish tradition. A theme is
introduced, and that theme is repeated.
There is nothing more familiar, reassuring, or traditional once the
theme finishes than to hear it played again.
Perhaps the theme is slightly altered, a pitch changed or a harmony
moved, but many times the composer gives the audience what they want to hear—establishment
of a tradition, a familiar sound. Examples of this simple
establishment of tradition are found in almost any piece of music. Mozart’s Rondo in A Minor, for example, opens with the theme with the
ornamented E and going to A, and then repeats the theme, slightly
altered. Mozart actually repeats the
theme ten times in the work. Or look
at almost any jazz standard, such as Blue
Bossa. The theme, in this case a
descending scale with a major seventh interval at the end, is played and
immediately repeated, and repeated again, changed in harmony and with the
notes at the end. Or look at
Beethoven’s 5th, or Bach’s Preludes and Fugues, or even rock
pieces—in each case we see an initial theme played, and then brought back,
repeated, establishing tradition and familiarity. Providing More Information But the composer usually
does not just stop with establishing tradition. The next step is to change the theme, often
just slightly, to “shed more light” on the theme. The composer answers the questions, “What
does this theme really mean? Why is it
here? What is it saying?” Maybe the composer adds just one note, or
one changed rhythm, or just transposes the theme higher on the keyboard. Then he repeats this slightly changed theme
again, establishing the change similar to how the initial theme was
established. The Essence of Reality, Transcendence of Reality,
or Both Finally, oftentimes the
last step is “transcendence.” In this
stage, the composer often asks “What is this theme really about at its
essence?” Many themes can be stripped
of their ornamentation, and passing notes, and less significant tones or
beats. They can be reduced to their
main concept. This could be just one
note, or an interval, or a movement, but usually there is some center or
heart to a theme. The composer then brings
out this main concept. The whole theme
is no longer repeated, the altered theme in the second stage is no longer
repeated, instead there is just the core, just the heart of the theme. It is as if the composer is saying, yes,
all those other things were present, but really, the theme is this, this is
what it really means. In one sense this is a
movement to the essence of the theme—but at the same time it can also be used
as an escape or transportation, moving the listener from the familiarity of
tradition to the composer’s imagined, ideal world. The composer is saying, here is what
reality is, tradition, but this distillation or development shows what could be. The theme was presented, repeated, altered,
distilled, and finally transcended into the realm of the composer’s
imagination and ideals. |
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All articles (c) 1999-2006 by LIFTOFF! |