TROUBLES with TONAL TERMINOLOGY - Tagg · could muddle through easy arrangements of minuets from ... Troubles with tonal terminology ... like candombe, merengue, rumba or son montuno

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TROUBLESwith

TONALTERMINOLOGY

TextoriginallysubmittedasacontributiontotheFestschriftforCORINAHARONINANDGRACIELAPARASKEVADIS,

NovemberDecember2011,withslightchangesinApril2012andmoresubstantialrevisioninFebruary2013)

PhilipTagg

Preliminaries

Formalconventions AllsourcereferencesarelistedinasingleReferencesappendix. Thefollowingtypefaceconventionsareused:

[1]Courier Boldfornotenames,e.g.b , c, d ;[2]Tahomaforchordnames,e.g.E7 Am;

[3]romannumeralsfornonkeyspecifictertialchordsbasedonequivalentscaledegreeinmonomodalheptatonicmusic,e.g. VII IV I.[4]arabicnumeralsfornonkeyspecificscaledegrees,e.g.12 345 671(ascendingharmonicminorscale).

Acknowledgements IwouldlikethankBobDavis(Huddersfield),DavidMcGuinness

(Glasgow)andLuanaStan(Montral)forvaluableinputduringthewritingoftheoriginalversionofthistext.

2 Tagg: Troubles with tonal terminology (2011/2013)

BackgroundIamverypleased tobepartof thisvolumededicated toCorinand Graciela because Corin was one of those whose ideasencouragedmy efforts to reform and democratise the study ofmusic. I see this textaspartof thoseefforts in that itaddressesfundamentalproblemsof logicanddemocracy inthedenotationofmusicalstructure.Myownawarenessofthoseproblemsstemsfromfortyyearsofworkasamusicologistofthepopular.Backinthe1970sIwascertainlyawareofincongruitieswhentryingtoapply the terminologyof conventionalmusic theory topopularmusic,butitwasnotuntilthe1990sthatIstartedtofullyrealisetheextenttowhichthatterminologycanbebothinadequateanddeceptive. Itwas agradualprocessof awakening that, summarisedinthefollowingsixstages,willhopefullymakeforinstructivehistoricalreadingforanyoneinterestedinmusictheoryortheepistemologyofmusic.

Sixstages[1]WhenIwasveryyoung,mymotherusedtosingtheminorhexatonictuneTheTailorandtheMouse.Ialsorememberherhummingionianminichromaticmusichall numbers like If YouWere TheOnlyGirl InTheWorld.My father,aselftaughtamateurpianist,couldmuddlethrougheasyarrangementsofminuetsfromMozartsymphoniesandaccompanytraditionaltuneslikethedorianWhatShallWeDoWithTheDrunkenSailor?,aswellas ioniannurseryrhymes likeHickoryDickoryDock.1Hecouldalsooccasionallybeheard doodledooing aGlennMilleror JackHyltonhorn riff.Then,asateenager,mypianoandorganteacher,KenNaylor,notonlyintroducedmetobebopandBartkbutalsotaughtmetoplayjazzstandardsandtodocloseharmonyarrangements.Withthatmusicalbackground,whichIlaterdiscoveredwasconsideredunusuallyeclecticbyothers,IbecameamusicstudentatCambridgeUniversityintheearly1960sandwasconfrontedbyanalmostex

1. References:[1]TheTailorandtheMouse(Eng.trad.,Tagg2009c);[2]IfYouWereTheOnlyGirl( Como1946);[3]WhatShallWeDoWithTheDrunkenSailor?(Eng.trad.);[4]HickoryDickoryDock(Eng.nurseryrhyme).

Tagg: Troubles with tonal terminology (2011/2013) 3

clusivelyeuroclassicalworld.Duringmythreeyearsatthatinstitution (196265) Ihad toactivelyseekoutmusicalopportunitiesoutsidetheacademy,notonlyforprosacfinancialreasonsbutalsotopreservemyownpsychosociomusicalsanity.IjoinedaaScottish countrydancebandanda soul/R&B combowhile trying tofind the time,even if Irarely found the inclination, to completethismotet in the style of Palestrina.2 Before studying atCambridgeIhadnotmetmanywhoheardonesortofmusicasintrinsicallysuperiortoanother,butduringmytimeinthatprivilegedDisneylandoftheEnglishRenaissanceIfoundmyselfrepeatedlytrying to convince thosewhoheld suchonesidedviewsofaestheticexcellencethattheyweremissingsomething.Therein,Isuppose,lietheoriginsofmysubsequentcareerasmusicologistofthepopular.ThefirstcoherentwritingIproducedonthatsubjectwasmydoctoralthesis(Tagg1979).[2]Oneof themainpoints in the explanationofpopularmusicanalysismethodpresented inmyPhDwas that thehierarchyofprimary(scribal)andsecondary(nonscribal)parametersofexpressionwasinapplicabletomusicwhosemediationrarelyreliedonnotationandwhoseexpressivedynamicresidedinboutsoftheextendedpresent (intensional aesthetic) rather than in longtermharmonic and melodic narrative (extensional).3 Another criticalpointwasinsistenceonasemioticapproachtomusicanalysisandonthenotionthatthoughtsaboutmusicalstructurationshouldincludediscussionofitsmeanings.[3]Invitedin1984byCorintorunpopularmusicanalysisseminarsattheCursoslatinoamericanosdemsicacontemporneainTatu,Brazil,IwassalutarilyobligedtoconfrontmyEuroNorthAmericanculturallimitationsandtolistenwithopenearstopreviouslyunfamiliartypesofmusic.Withhelpfromotherteachersandfromcourseparticipants,Igainedinsightsintohowtheactualsoundsofpopularmusics in Latin America, like those ofmany popularstylesfrommyownpartoftheworld,couldnotbeadequatelyde

2. CompletethismotetinthestyleofPalestrina,thisinventioninthestyleofBach,thispianoquartetinthestyleofBrahmsetc.weretypicalendofyearcompositionexamquestions.


scribed using the terminology of conventional music theory.Corin also brought tomy attention thework of Carlos VegawhosewritingsonpopularmusicIlaterfoundusefulinexplainingthefunctionsofharmonyinchordshuttlesandloops.4

[4]Whenquestioningreductionistandethnocentricassumptionsabout the structural traits of black and white inmusic (Tagg1989), I stumbled on strange contradictions in terminology descriptiveofrhythmandmetre.Firstly,the1958HarvardDictionaryofMusicentryonDottedNotesreferstotheScotchsnapasthereverseoftheordinarydottedrhythm,notingthat[i]nverteddottingisveryfrequentinOrientalandinprimitive[sic]music,wherethenormaldottedrhythm isratherrare.Whoops!Ifordinaryandnormalarerareandifthereverseorinverseisveryfrequent,linguisticlogichasbrokendown,unlesstheoxymoronisintendedasa rhetoricaldevice.5 Secondly, if syncopation is, according to thesameHarvardDictionary, anydeliberateupsettingof thenormalpulseofmetre,accentandrhythm,andif[o]ursystemofmusical

3. SeeExtendedpresentinChapter8ofTagg(2012).AccordingtoHall(1992:209),[b]asicto[LeonardB]MeyersargumentarethedifferencesbetweenprimaryandsecondaryparametersTheprimaryparametersmelody,rhythm,harmonyaresyntacticbecausetheycandefineclosureThesecondaryparameterstempo,dynamics,texture,timbrearestatisticalratherthansyntacticbecausetheychangeonlyinquantityandthereforecannotcreateclosureAcentraltheme[ofMeyer(1989),underreview]isthatsecondaryparametersgainincreasingdominanceoverprimaryparametersandsyntacticprocessesthroughthenineteenthcenturyandintothetwentieth.Thistrendleadstotheincreasingstructuralimportanceofstatisticalplansasopposedtosyntacticscripts,andtotheoverwhelmingstatisticalclimaxesbywhichunrealizedimplications[and]unresolvedtensionsareabsorbedandabsolved(p.268).SinceMeyerhimselfseemswellawareoftheincongruity(theincreasingdominanceofsecondaryoverprimaryparameters,etc.),itisnothishistoricalobservationsthataretheproblembuttheactualtermsprimaryandsecondary.TheConciseOxfordDictionary(1995)presentsthefirstmeaningsofprimaryasofthefirstimportance,chief;fundamentalwhilesecondaryisprimarily(sic)definedascomingafterornextbelowwhatisprimary;derivedfromordependingonorsupplementingwhatisprimary.Ifwhatseemedoncetobeprimaryandsecondarycan,inthelightofmusicalevidence,nolongerbeusefullyconceptualisedinsuchclearlyhierarchicalterms,moreaccurate,nonhierarchicalconceptsbecomeanecessity.Perhapsweshouldbetalkingaboutscribalandnonscribal,ornotatable(transcriptibleinFrench)andnonnotatable(nontranscriptible)parameters.


rhythmrestsuponthegroupingofequalbeatsintogroupsoftwoandthree,witharegularlyrecurringaccentonthefirstbeatofeachgroup,then[a]nydeviationfromthisschemeisfeltasadisturbanceorcontradictionbetweentheunderlying(normal)pulseandtheactual(abnormal)rhythm.Thisdefinitionmeansthatsyncopationcanonlyoccurinmonometricmusicbecause,assoonastwometrescooccur, disturbanceinonebeatpattern(the abnormalrhythm)isnormallythenormintheother,andbecausetogetherthosetwopatternsproduceacompositenormofcrossrhythm,asinglemetricunitinapermanentstateofcontradiction.Itssimplywrongtoqualifyassyncopatedwhateverthoseofusfromamonometricbackgroundhappentohearasmetricallyabnormal.6

[5]Duringthe1990sanincreasingnumberofstudentsinmypopularmusicanalysisseminarscamefromdisciplinesotherthanmusic[ology]. I soon discovered that these students were highly

4. SeeChapters1012inTagg(2009a).Shuttle=lanzadera,vaivn(repeatedtoandfrobetweentwochords);loop=lazo,vuelta(short,repeatedcircleofusuallythreeorfourchords).Vegasconceptofbimodalitywasusefulinexplainingharmonyinmanydifferenttypesofpopularmusic.

5. Allitalicsandunderliningsaremine.ForathoroughdiscussionoftheScotchsnap,seeTagg(2011a).

6. NeitherSubSaharancrossrhythmnotthefluctuatingtoandfropatternsofdownbeatplacementinstyleslikecandombe,merengue,rumbaorsonmontunoconstitutesyncopationbecausewhatsoundslikemetricdisturbanceinourearsisanintrinsicpartoftheongoingnorm.Itshouldalsobenotedthatthetermpolyrhythm(literally=morethanonerhythmatthesametime)isoftenusedconfusinglytodenoteSubSaharancrossrhythm.Unlessthemusicisstrictlyhomophonicandcontainsnocontrapuntalelements,allpolyphonicmusicfeaturesmorethanonesimultaneousrhythmandisthereforepolyrhythmic.Polymetricity(morethanonemetreatthesametime)maybeaviabletermforpeoplebroughtupinamonometricmusicculturewhowanttograsptherhythmicprinciplesofSubSaharanmusicsbutthatisnothowthemusicsusersandscholarshearit.Forthemitscrossrhythm,asinglemetreinapermanentstateofcontradiction(Tagg,2013:457465,quotingLadzekpo(1995)andPealosa(2009)).Moreover,medieval,baroqueandTudormusicperformancepractice,withitsuseoftactusinsteadofmetricconducting,suggeststhatsymmetricmonometricity,visualisedinlatertypesofnotationbytheubiquitousbarline,isforeigntothemusicofthattime.Thetermsyncopation,appliedtoconsistenthemiolashifts(asintheGalliard),isinotherwordsquestionable,especiallyincontrapuntalsectionswheredupleandtriplemetreoccursimultaneouslyindifferentvoicesascompositecrossrhythm.


competentmembers of themusic culture[s] towhich they belonged.Theycould identify significantaspectsofmusical structureintermslikethechordat1minute37seconds(unequivocaltimecodedesignation),orwhatthedrummerdoesjustbeforethechorus (designationbyparamusicalsynchrony).Theywerealsooftenbetterthanmusicstudentsatidentifyingtheexpressivequalitiesofthestructurestheyidentifiedinthissortofwaytheprincessvoice,thedetectivechord,thesexophone,thetiptoebass,forexample.Itbecameclearthattherewasasharpdividebetweenstructuraldescriptorsderivingchieflyfromtheproductionofmusicpoetic descriptors like head voice tessitura and minormajorninechordandthosebasedonperceptionaesthesicdescriptorslike the princessvoice and the detective chord. Itbecame increasinglyobviousthatmusictheorysstructuraldescriptors,unlike those used in, say, the visual arts,were almost exclusivelypoeticandgobbledygooktothosewithnoformaltraininginconventionalmusictheory.Themostdisturbingsymptomsofthiscontradictionareofcourse:[i]thatmusicalanalysisismoreoftenthannotabsentinmediaeducation;[ii]thatfilmdirectorsandfilmcomposersoftenhavedifficultiesunderstanding eachother; and [3]thatvernacularmusicalcompetenceasinreferencesto,say,thesexysaxortiptoebassistrivialisedandacademicallydisqualified.Wemusicologistshave,Ifear,largelyfailedtorecognise,letalone systematise, this ubiquitous type of cultural competence.Theneedforademocraticreformofstructuralterminologyinmusiciscriticalinthisageofdigitalmedia,smartphones,gaming,cableTV,audioandvideostreamingordownloading,etc.7

[6]Thefinalstageintheprocessofawarenessunderreviewherestartedinthelate1990swhenIhadtowritesubstantialentriesonmelody,harmony,polyphonyandmodesforvolume2ofEPMOW(2003), theContinuumEncyclopedia ofPopularMusic of theWorld.ThistaskforcedmetodirectlyconfrontthesortofproblemsIhadexperiencedearlier.Itbecameimpossibletoevenpretendthinkingthat the terminologyof conventionalmusic theorymight some

7. Formoreonpoeticandaesthesicdescriptors,seeunderMusicalknowledgesinchapter3andunderAesthesicfocusinchapter6ofTagg(2013).


howsortitselfout.Ifeltobligedtoraisesomesortofalarm.Mysubsequenteffortstobringatleastsomesemblanceoflogictoverybasictermsofstructuraldenotationstartedwithasmallbutsignificant anomalywhat to call chords based on stacked thirds ifthosebasedonstackedfourthsarecalledquartal.8IagonisedforweekswhenwritingthearticleonharmonybeforerealisingthatIhadno alternativebut topropose theneologism tertial, as explainedinthenextsection.Then,whenaskedbyFrancoFabbriin2006tousethoseencyclopaediaarticlesasthebasisforahandbookinmusictheory(Tagg2009a,2011b)andbyCorintocontributetothe conferenceMuscologia y colonialismo (Tagg 2009b), I finallymanagedtoconnectthedots.Itwasnotonlyamatterofscholarlylogicbutalso,asbothFrancoandCorinwerewellaware,ofcomingupwithalternativestoanethnocentricandclasscentricterminology that isalso colonialist (Aharonin1992).The restof thisarticlefocusesonafewsuchproblemsoftonalterminology.

TriadsandtertialharmonyEx. 1. Four tertial and five quartal chords

Example 1 shows nine chords, the first four based on stackedthirds([1]c e g,[2]c e ginvertedase g c,[3]c e g b and[4]f a c inverted),the lastfiveonstackedfourths([5]g c finvertedasc f g,[6]b e a ase a b ,[7]f b e ase fb ,[8]g c f b asc f g b ,and[9]d g c f b arrangedc df g b .Chordnumbers1,2,4,5,6and7aretriadsbecauseeachcontainsthreedifferentlynamedtones,chordnumbers3and8aretetrads(fourdifferentlynamed tones)andnumber9 isapentad(five).Sofar,sogood:chords5,6and7arequartaltriads,chord8aquartal tetradandchord9aquartalpentad.The troublestarts

8. Otherseriousconceptualproblemswerewithpolyphonyandcounterpoint(Tagg2009a:8182,8689).


whenyoutrytobeequallypreciseaboutchords14becausemanymusictheoristsinsistoncallingthemtriadiceventhoughchords57 are no less triadic than chords 1, 2 and 4. It is, I suppose,understandable that the stacking of thirds seemed to need noqualification as long as itwas considered the singlenorm fromwhich all other tonalities were assumed to diverge, but thatassumptionisclearlyuntenableassoonasavarietyoftonalidiomsneeds tobedescribedusing the same terminology.Therefore, ifharmonybasedonstackedfourthsiscalledquartal,harmonycharacterisedby thestackingof thirdshas tobecalledTERTIAL.9Thesupposed binary triadic/quartal is falsebecause it confuses twodistinct criteria for chord denotationthe number of notes in achord (triadic, tetradic) and the principle of interval stacking in achord(tertialforthirds,quartalforfourths).Itisworthnotingthatwhereasquartalharmony, the abnormal idiom in euroclassicalears,was assigned an adequate qualifier (quartal) the normalidiom(tertial)seemstohaverequirednosuchqualification.

Euroclassicaltertialharmonyisalsosometimesreferredtoasfunctionalas ifother typesof tonalpolyphonyhadno function.Thefact that the chord loops, shuttles,matrices and turnaroundsofpopularmusic styles so often function as tonalmotoric gesture(partofgroove),orasmarkersofperiods,andthatchangefromonetonalpatterntoanothercanbeinstrumentalinestablishingasense of narrative (diataxis or episodic form) seems to escapedyedinthewoolSchenkerians.Iveevenhearddiatonicusedasalabelfortertialharmonyasifnoquartalpolyphonyevervisitedallnotesinadiatonicheptatonicmode:itsasifHindemith,Bartk,FreddieHubbard,MilesDavisandMcCoyTynerhadnevermademusic.Euroclassicaltertialharmonyissimplyoneparticular(andintermsofnarrativeconstructionparticularlyinteresting)idiomoftonalpolyphony.Therearemanyothersbuttheirdenota

9. Itgoeswithoutsayingthatchordsconsistingofstackedfifthsarealsoquartal,notquintal,becausethefifthistheoctavecomplementofthefourth,justasnoonereferstosextalharmonywhenasixth,theoctavecomplementofathird,isfeaturedinatertialchord.


tioncan,likethatofeuroclassicaltertiality,oftenbeproblematic,sometimestothepointofabsurdity.ParticularlymuddleheadedinthiscontextarethetwobinariesTONALV.ATONALandTONALV.MODAL.

Problematicconcepts

BasictonaltermsBeforedisentangling the contradictorybinaries justmentioned Ineedtopositsixaxiomaticworkingdefinitions.

[1]NOTE:[i]anysingle,discretesoundoffinitedurationinapieceofmusic(MIDIdefinition);[ii]anysuchsoundwithaudiblefundamentalpitch(forexamplec1,alowe 3,a440Hz,ahighf 5);[iii]theduration,relativetothemusicsunderlyingpulse,ofanynoteaccordingtodefinition[i]or[ii](e.g.quarternote,Viertel).ThefirstdefinitionofNOTEwillbeusedinthistext:anysingle,discretesoundoffinitedurationinapieceofmusic.

[2]TONE:notewithaudiblefundamentalpitch(definition[ii]ofNOTE).TONALmeanshavingthecharacteristicsofatoneoroftones.

[3]TONIC(n.):referencetone,keynoteortoneofcentralimportanceinapieceorextractofmusic.

[4]TONALITY:system,codifiedornot,accordingtowhichtonesareconfiguredinamusicalculture.

[5]MODE:tonalvocabulary,oftenabstractedandarrangedinscalarformfortheoreticalpurposes,ofapieceorextractofmusic.

[6]POLYPHONY: [i]music inwhichat least twosoundsofclearlydifferingpitch, timbreormodeofarticulationoccurat thesametime(MIDIdefinition);[ii]musicinwhichatleasttwosoundsofaudiblefundamentalpitchoccursimultaneously(tonalpolyphony);[iii]aparticulartypeofcontrapuntaltonalpolyphonyusedbycertainEuropean composers between c.1400 and c.1650 (restrictiveeuroclassicalmeaning).InthisarticlePOLYPHONYwillrefertomusicinwhichatleasttwosoundsofclearlydifferingpitch,timbreormodeof articulation occur at the same timeandPOLYPHONICwillqualifymusic exhibiting those traits.Drumkitpatterns (nontonalpoly


phony),melodieswithdroneoranyother formof tonalornontonalaccompaniment,fourparthomophony,rockrecordings,etc.,aswellasaByrdKyrieorBachfugue(alltonalpolyphony),areinotherwords(unlike,say,anaccompaniedmonophonicmelodyorclavepatternsoundingonitsown)allconsideredpolyphonic.

Tonalandtonical

Themost glaring terminological anomaly in coventionalmusictheoryisperhapsthatbetweenTONALandATONALmusic.Schnberg, forone,objected to the label atonalbecausehiscompositionalnormsweredefinedby tonal rules,by TWELVE TONE techniques.Besides,neitherhe,norBerg,norWebernwerefamousfortheiruseofatonalsounds(atonalinthelogicalsenseofnontonal):youwontfindmuchhihat,snaredrum,maracasorsampledtrafficintheiruvre.Itisindeedbizarrethateuroclassicalmusictheoristsmanaged to confuse the notion ofmusicwith no intendedtonic,as in theworkof twelvetonecomposersor inHerrmannsmusicfortheshowerscene inPsycho(1960),withmusiccontainingno tones,as in,say, taikodrumming (e.g.Kod1985).Usingappropriatelinguisticderivatives,therearetwoconceivablesolutionstothisembarrassingproblem:theAL,ALITY,ALISTandtheIC,ICALpatternssetoutinTable1(p.11).

TONE,TONALandTONALITYfollowthelinguisticlogicofCENTRECENTRALCENTRALITYandFORMFORMALFORMALITYbut,unlikethose examples of that pattern, TONE has no adjective derivingfrom theabstractnounTONALITY.UnlikeCENTRALISTorFORMALIST,TONALISTorTONALISTICjustdoesntexist.Ifitdiditmightbeused to qualify tonal music with a tonic, while nontonalistmightbeused todenote tonalmusicwithnone.However,apartfromsoundinglikethenameofapoliticalmovementwetonalistswill introduce freemobile phone ringtones for pensionersafterthenextelectionNONTONALISTwoulderroneouslyimplythat tonalmusicwithoutakeynotehadno tonality in the sensedefinedearlier,nosystemaccordingtowhichtoneswereconfigured.Sincethatispatentlyuntrue,theonly logicalsolutionistousethesecondpatternofderivationtocreateanadjectiveending


in ALon thebasisofanounending in IC.So, justasCLINICALthingshappen inCLINICS, justas theweather isTROPICAL in theTROPICS, and just as RHETORICAL devices (like the just as anaphoraofthissentence)areusedinRHETORIC,tonalmusicthatusesaTONICoughtconsequently tobeTONICALand tonalmusic thatdoesnotshouldbecalledeitherATONICALorNONTONICAL.Thatwouldatleastridusofthesillyusesofatonalandatonality.Table 1. Linguistically conceivable solutions to the terminological confusion

between tone and tonic

Thenextitemofwidespreadterminologicaldisorderislessobviouslyabsurdbutitis,Ibelieve,justasquestionable.Itisalsomoreinsidious.

TonalandmodalLetmestartwithananalogy.IonceoverheardaFrenchstudentonexchangeattheUniversitdeMontralsayingtooneofherclassmatesMaisvousaveztousunaccentici.Iwasstruckbythechauvinismofherobservation,notleastbecauseshewasattendingtheoldestfrancophoneuniversityinthefrancophoneworldssecondlargestcity.Itisprobablylessofasurprisetolearnthat,hereintheUK, itwasonlyrecently that talkingwithanaccent (i.e. inanyotherway than that considered correct at public (i.e. private)

Pattern1:,al,ality,alist[ic]rootnoun adjective1 abstractnoun adjective2centre central centrality centralistform formal formality formalistcrime criminal criminality criminalisticsense sensual sensuality sensualistTONE TONAL TONALITY TONALIST[IC]?

Pattern2:ic,icalnoun adjective noun adjectivecomic comical clinic clinicalethic[s] ethical magic magicalmusic musical rhetoric rhetoricalpolemic polemical tropic[s] tropicalstatistic[s] statistical TONIC TONICAL


schools or at Oxbridge) was considered acceptable for BBCannouncersandnewsreaders.

Theanalogybetweenthenotionofspeakingwithanaccentandmakingmodalmusic shouldbeclear.According tosuchchauvinist thinking itmattersnot,so tospeak, ifmorepeople speakwithanaccentthanusereceivedpronunciation,oriftheymakemusicusingtonalvocabularies(modes)differingfromthoseoftheeuroclassicalcanon.Inbothcasestheformer,usuallypractisedbyamajority,isgivenalabelimplyingdivergenceordeviationfroman assumed norm usually established by aminority.10 Indeed,modalmusicinconventionalmusictheorycametomeanmusicinanyothermodethanthoseusedintheeuroclassicalrepertoireoftheeighteenthandnineteenthcenturies.Thosetwomodesareof course the heptatonicmajor scale (ionian) and the heptatonicminorscalewith its ionianisedmixtureofdorianandolian thatproducesthreevariants,twoofwhichcontainmajorsevenths[1]theascendingmelodic12 345 6 7;[2]theharmonic12 3456 7andonlyoneofwhich[3]thedescendingmelodic8 7 654 321 corresponds toanyof theotherEuropeanheptatonicmodes(olian).Inconventionalmusictheory,tonalvocabulariesusing the euroclassicalmajor and ionianisedminormodes areoftenqualifiedastonal,asifallothermodeswerenotalsotonal,asiftheirdistinctivetonaltraitswerenotalsodefinedbythewaytheirconstituent tonesareconfigured inrelation toa tonic.Thatclearlymakesnosensebecauseallmodesarebydefinitiontonalinthattheyconsistoftonesandaredefinedbythewayinwhichthosetonesareconfigured.

Conversely,theionianmode,themostcommontonalvocabularyintheeuroclassicalrepertoire,israrely,ifever,consideredamodebecause, tautologically, its tonal,notmodal!This terminologi

10. ModeswereoftennamedaftertheregionsornationsofwhichtheywereconsideredtypicaltheIonianandDorianmodes,forexample,ortheHijjazandKurdajnas,or,invernacularEuropeanparlance,aGypsyscale.Seealsothesemanticcontortionofinversev.normaldottingaccordingtotheHarvardDictionaryofMusicunder4,pp.45,above.


cal travesty not only ethnocentrically relegates modality to astate of alterity divergent from a unilaterally hijacked tonalnorm;also,byexcludingtheionianfromtherealmofmodality,itpreventsusfrominvestigatingwhichparticularcharacteristicsofthatmodemayhaveledtoitsgeneraladoptionandpopularityinEuropeintheeighteenthandnineteenthcenturies.ItisinthiscontextworthrememberingthatonlytwoofthesevenEuropeanheptatonic modes (ionian and lydian) contain raised subtonics(leadingnotes, 7)and,intermsofharmony,thatonlytheionianmodefeaturestertialmajortriadsontheprime,theperfectfourthandtheperfectfifth.Didthesemitonalpulltowardsthetonictriadofnotesinsidetheothertwotertialmajortriads,onedescending(43 in IVI) and the other ascending ( 78 inVI),make for astronger type of tonal directionality than those found in otherEuropean heptatonicmodes? Did the popularity of the ionianmode,withits 7,leadtoalterationofthesubtonicintwooftheeuroclassical traditions three minormode variants? Did theionianmodestwoleadingnotes,onerisingandtheotherfalling,make it more conducive to modulation than other availablemodes? Could any of those othermodes have ever led to thedevelopmentofextensionalharmonicnarrative,as in thesonataformof the firstmovement inaBeethoven symphony? I cannotansweranyofthesequestionsbutIalsofailtoseehowanylightcanbeshedonsuchmattersiftheionianisnotconsideredasonemodeamongseveral.

Theterminologicalappropriationoftonaltorefertojustonesetoftonalpracticesduringabriefperiodinthehistoryoftheworldssmallest continent is, to say the least, problematic. The falsedichotomy tonalv.modal isoneexampleof theconfusion, thetermspretonalandposttonalanother,sincetheybothpatentlyimply thatmedieval and early Renaissancemusic (pre) is asdevoidof tonesas twelvetonemusic (posttonal, atonal,etc.).Andwhatshouldwemakeof,forexample,anhemitonicpentatonicism inwidespreaduseallover thisplanetbefore,duringandafterthesocalledtonalperiod,orofthewidespreaduseoftertial ionianharmony in todays supposedly posttonalera?This


unilateralconfiscationoftonalhasobviousrepercussionsonthenotionofTONALITY.

Tonality,Grammaticality,Tonart,TonalitTONALITY isstillusedbysomescholarsofmusic todenote thepracticestheyconsidertonalintherestrictivesensejustcriticised.Used in thatway, tonality refers to one system, and one only,according towhich tones are configured. Just imagine ifGRAMMATICALITYcouldonlyrefer to thegrammaticalrulesof justonelanguageorgroupoflanguages,forexampletoEnglishortoNeoLatin andGermanic languages, inwhich correctuse ofdefiniteandindefinitearticlesisacentralelementofgrammaticality.SuchrestrictiveuseofthetermwouldmeanthatChinese,Farsi,Hindi,Indonesian,Japanese,Russianandhundredsofotherwidelyspokenlanguageswhichusenodefinitearticleswouldnotbeconsideredgrammatical.SuchanimplicationwouldcauseconsiderableuproaramongcomparativelinguistsbutIhaveyettocomeacrossuproaramongmusicologistsagainstanequallyrestrictiveuseoftheword TONALITY.Thatswhy Ipropose that TONALITY shouldmeanthesystemorsetofnormsaccordingtowhichtonesareconfiguredinanymusicalculture.However,even ifthatmuchlessethnocentricdefinitionsolvesoneimportantproblem,itraisesanother.

ThebroaderdefinitionjustpresentedworkswellinEnglishandinGermaniclanguageswhereTONALITY/TONALITTisdistinguishedfrom the conceptofKEY/TONART. InNeoLatin languages,however, TONALIT, TONALIT, TONALITATE, TONALIDAD and TONALIDADEtendtomeanKEY/TONARTratherthanTONALITY/TONALITTwhich, consequently, requires another expression to clarify thedistinction.Asanativeanglophone Iamhardly inaposition toadvisespeakersofFrench,Italian,Spanish,PortugueseandRomanianhowTONALITY/TONALITTshouldbe translatedbut IwouldhavesuggestedtostudentsatthefrancophoneUniversitdeMontralwhowereuncomfortableusingTONALITinbothsensesthattheymightconsider,atleastasastopgapsolution,anexpressionlikeIDIOMETONALorSYSTMETONALtocovertheconceptTONALITY/TONALITTandsticktothemorecommonuseofTONALITas


equivalenttotheAngloGermanicconceptofKEY/TONART.Ifullyrealisehowunsatisfactory thissuggestionmaybeandwouldbegratefultohearsuggestionsfromcolleaguesinIberia,Italy,LatinAmerica,Romaniaandthefrancophoneworldastohowthisconceptualproblemmightberesolved.11

Morenorms

Theconfusionandculturallyrestrictivecharacterofcentralconceptsreferringtotonalityinconventionalmusictheoryrunsdeepinthedetailsofstructuraldescription.IvealreadymentionedtheproblemsofTONAL,ATONALandTONICAL,aswellofTERTIALandQUARTAL.Iwillendthiscentralpartofmytextwithaverybriefaccountof two interrelatedproblems:harmoniccadencenomenclatureandmonomodality.

Cadencenomenclature

Therearefourmaincadence types in theconventional theoryofeuroclassicalmusic.Twoofthosecadencetypestakeonestepflatwards, the other two one step sharpwards round the circle offifths. The centrality of the flatwards V I PERFECT or FINALCADENCE in euroclassical tonalityneedsno introductionbut thethreeotherswarrantsomediscussionthatcanshedlightonconceptualproblemswiththenomenclatureofallfourtypes.ThetwocadenceswhichproceedclockwiseroundthecircleoffifthsaretheHALForIMPERFECTCADENCEandthePLAGALCADENCE.ThesecondanticlockwisetypeisusuallycalledanINTERRUPTEDCADENCE.

The HALF CADENCE is so called because itmarks the harmonicchangefromItoVinextremelycommonharmonicschemeslikeIV V Ioveraperiodof,say,four,eightorsixteenbarsinwhichVisobviouslythehalfwayhouse(ex.2,p.16).Atypicalhalfcadence,

11. ManythankstoLuanaStan(Montral)whoinformedmebyemail(111204)thatsistemtonalisusedinRomanianmusictheorycirclestodenotesolelyeuroclassicalioniantonalityincontradistinctiontoothertonalitiessuchassistematonal,asintwelvetonemusic(!),andsistemmodal(allthosenontonalmodes!).IfsimilarlymuddleheadednotionsexistinotherNeoLatinlanguagesthisproblemwillnotbeeasilysolved.


likethatinbars34ofexample2,whichproceedsclockwisefromItoV isacadencebecause itmarksarestingpointonadifferentchord to theprecedingone;and it is halfbecause itmarksthatchange halfway through a longer harmonic scheme or process,such as the eightbar period of ex.2. It is an imperfect cadencebecause,inthiscontextofioniantertialtonality,ithasnofinality.Bymarkingtheendofaphraseorsmallerpartofalargerunit,ofwhichhalfisstilltocome,ithastheoppositeeffectoftheperfectcadence V I. Put simply, half or imperfect cadences (I V) inioniantertialtonalityserverathertoopenupharmonicprocessesandperfectcadences(V I)toclosethem.12

Ex. 2. Half/imperfect cadence : E viva Espaa (Vrethammar, 1973).

PLAGALCADENCESalso run clockwise,butnot from I toV: theytake insteadthesinglesharpwardsstepIV I.Sincetheyendonthetonic,plagalcadencesinvolveharmonicclosure,asisevidentfrom theiruse as theAMEN chord formulapar excellence.Thatsaid,itissignificantthatmedievalmusictheoristschosetheLatinword for oblique (plagius, fromGreekplgiomeaning sideways,slanting,askance,misleading)todistinguishcertainmodes,not chords, from their authenticvariantsand its interesting tonotehowthesameadjectiveconnotingfalsitycametoqualifythechordalAmenendingIV I.PlagalcadencesmayinotherwordsbeendingsbutEuropeanmusictheoryclearlydoesnotconsiderthemtrue,authentic,direct,complete,full,finalorperfect.Thoseadjectives are of course reserved for the perfect cadence leadingV I.

12. CadencesuspendueandcadenzasospesaaretheFrenchandItaliannamesforhalfcadence:harmoniccompletionhasbeensuspended,lefthangingintheair.


INTERRUPTEDCADENCES ineuroclassical tonalitydoexactlywhattheirnamesuggests:theyinterruptaV IcadencebysubstitutingIwithacloselyrelatedchord,usuallythecommontriadondegree6 of the relevant key,V vi, or sometimesV VI, or, less commonly,V VI.ProceedingfromVtovi(orVI)isofcourseanefficientway of interrupting euroclassical finality because, in thattonal tradition, vi orVI leads anticlockwise round the circle offifths, via ii or II back toV again and the FINAL/FULL/PERFECTCADENCE V I. Its worth noting that the interrupted cadence(V vi) isalso referred toas deceptive (cadence trompeuse,Trugschluss,cadenzadinganno),broken(cadencerompue)andavoided(vite).13

Ifanythingdemonstrates the normalityofV I closure in conventionalnotionsofeuroclassicalharmony itmustsurelybe thedistinctionbetweenqualifierslike,ontheonehand,HALF,INCOMPLETE, PLAGAL/OBLIQUE, INTERRUPTED,DECEPTIVE and FALSE and,ontheother,PERFECT/FINAL/FULL(V I).However,Ex. 3. Uninterrupted final cadence on vi: Um Um Um Um Um (Wayne Fon-

tana and the Mindbenders, 1964): final refrain and ending.

Iveincludedexample3asevidencethatthereneedbenothinginterrupted, oblique, deceptive, false, unauthentic, incomplete, orimperfectabouta finalcadence landingonvi (F m), therelativeminor triad of the songs previous tonal centre (I inAmajor).Theresevenaritenutoandchangeofrhythmicarticulationtounderlinefinality |insteadoftheusual .14Inshort,euroclassicalcadencecategoriesandassumptionsaboutharmonicdirectionmaybefineforthemusicalculturalpracticesonwhich

13. Trompeuse,rompue,viteareFrench,TrugschlussisGermanandingannoItalian.14. UmUmUmUmUmwaswrittenbyCurtisMayfieldandfirstrecordedby

MajorLance(1963).TheversesareresoundinglyinAmajoras,indeed,isthefirsthalfofeachrefrain.TheLanceoriginalendswithafadeoutbuttheFontanacoverleavesnodoubtabouttheidentityofthetunesfinalchord.


such conceptualisation is based but it is absurd to assume thatthosecategoriesandconceptsapplytoanyotherbodyofmusic

Tomakethispointquiteclear,example4presentsanunambiguouslyuninterruptedfinalmelodiccadencefrompretonaltimes.Thats followed by two equally uninterrupted interrupted cadencesfromposttonaltimes(examples5and6).15Ex. 4. Psalm tone 2 (end of final Gloria Patri simplified)

Ex. 5. Beatles: Not A Second Time (1963c: uninterrupted olian cadence and I-vi/ III-i shuttle in fade-out)

Ex. 6. Los Calchakis: Quiquenita (Argentinian trad.); La flte indienne, 1968) bimodal loop: VII III V i or IV I III vi?

MonomodalityWhileexamples3and4 illustratefinal uninterruptedcadences,examples5and6donot:theyaresimplyuninterruptedandcarrynodefinitesenseoffinality.TheBeatlestune(ex.5)fadesoutoverashuttlebetweenGmajorandEminorandalthough theactual

15. Thecontradictoryexpressionuninterruptedinterruptedcadenceisintendedtohighlighttheabsurdityofapplyingeuroclassicalcadencenomenclaturetononeuroclassicalmusics.Preandposttonalareincludedhereasjokesonthosenonsensicalterms.


Flteindiennerecording(ex.6)endsonEminoritcouldgoonrepeatingtheloop CGBEm inaeternam.Now,studentsofconventionalmusic theory are expected to identify the key of anytonicalmusictheyareaskedtoanalyse.Oneobviousclueineuroclassicalmusicisofcoursethefinalchordofthepiecebutinexample3 thatcluewouldbequitemisleadingbecause therecordingspendsmoretimeinAmajorthanF minorevenifitcadenceseachverseandthewholeperformanceonthelatter.WiththefadeoutoveraGEmshuttleinexample5andwiththeconstantloopofexample6thenotionofasingletonicbecomesevenmoredubious.AsCarlosVeganoted(1944:160)withreferencetocriollosong:

Nohaymelodiasenmayorymelodiasenminor:haysimplementemelodiasbimodales.16

BimodalityiscommoninmanypopularstylesfromLatinAmericaandtheBritishIsles.ApartfromtheIvior IIIishuttleofexamples5and6,anothervariantofharmonicbimodality inLatinAmericaisthefamiliarharmonicminorloop i iv V V (e.g.F mBmC inex.7,b.112,theminorLaBambamatrix)which,whenthepolesarereversedfromascendingtodescending(e.g.F mEDC ,ex.7,b.1316)becomesaphrygiansequence(iv III II I).17Ex. 7. Carlos Puebla: Comandante Che Guevara: olian and phrygian.

Thenextexample(no.8,p.20) iscloser tomyhome (Yorkshire)andprovidesadifferentslantontheissueofbimodality.Whatisthetonalityofthistune?Whatkeyormodeisitin?Well,ifthestart

16. =Therearenomajorandminortunes:therearejustbimodaltunes.17. Formoreonolian/phrygianreversibility,seeTagg(2009a:227234).


andendingplustherecurrenceofopenfifthCdyads(C5) intheguitarpart(bars1,3,7,11,15,16)areanythingtogoby,itsinC.AfewofmymusicstudentshaveonfirstlisteningheardthetuneasCdorianbutIhavetopointoutthatnothird,neithere nore ,occursanywhere in therecording: itmight justaswellbemixolydianwithnomajorthird.Inshort,nooneintheclassroom,includingmyself,isreallysurehowthepiecestonalityshouldbedescribed.Apparentlyhexatonic(c d f g a b )andneithermajornorminor,itdefiesdescriptionusingthesortofeuroclassicalmusictheorythatmostofushavelearnt.Onewayoutofthisconceptual impasse is to consider the tune ashaving twomodes, eachbasedon itsown tonal centre: [1]asananhemitonicpentatonicscalebasedonthetonic(c)andincludingheptatonicscaledegrees1,2,4,5and 7(c d f g b );[2]asapentatonicmajormodebasedonthefirstmodessubtonic(b )andincludingthesamefivenotes(b c d f g)inrelationtothatb as(heptatonic)scaledegrees1,2, 3,5and 6plustheadditionalhexatonic 7(a ).18

Ex. 8. Steeleye Span: The Female Drummer (Eng. trad., rec. 1971)

18. Thesecondarymodemighttheoreticallybelydian,butIamunawareofanytraditionalmelodyfromtheBritishIslesbeinginthatmode.


Table 2. Configuration of tonal poles in The Female Drummer (ex. 8)

AsshowninTable2,thefirstmode,basedonc,occupiesbars1,3,7,11,15and16,whilethesecondmode,withitstonalcentreb ,isheardinbars2,4(includingthefinala inbar3),5,10,12(includingthea upbeat)and13.Thatleavesbars6,8,9and14whichtheguitaristmarkswitheitherthefifthabovec(ginbars6,8and14)orthefifthaboveb (finbar9).ThissortoffluctuationbetweentwotonalpolesthatIcallthe(MAIN)TONICandtheCOUNTERPOISE(candb inexample8)istypicalformanytunesfrompreindustrialBritainandIreland.Itcanbeconfiguredinalargevarietyofwaystogenerateinterestingpatternsoftonalmovementandofperiodicityregularor irregular, equalorunequalthat, judgingfromtheobviousdifficultyImhavingindescribingthephenomenon,seemstohavenoreadystructuraldescriptors.

Moreover,whiletheb mode(b c d f gwithouttheadditionala )hastworelativelyfamiliarnamesanhemitonicMAJORPENTATONIC or, to use Kodlys terminology, DOHPENTATONIC, thepentatonicmodeoncinexample8c d f g b isvirtuallyunknown in tonal traditionswhere the presence of heptatonicscaledegree3isessential.Containingscaledegrees1,2,4,5and 7,itsneithermajornorminorbut,asshowninTable3andcontinuingwithKodlysnamingsystem,RPENTATONIC(rmisolladoh).Itcoversa toa ontheblacknotesofapianokeyboard(a b de g )ordtod(d e g a c)onthewhitenotes.Andwhataboutthemelodyinbars6,8,9and14,noneofwhichcanbeunequivocallyassignedtoeitherrpentatonicmode1ortohexatonicallyextended dohpentatonic mode 2 even if the tune in those barstheoreticallyfitsboth?AreweperhapshearingpartofaGminor

bar 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

cg gb

tonalpole 9 10 11 13 13 14 15 16

cf gb


pentatonicmode(lapentatonicong)inbars6,8and14,andanFmajorpentatonicmode(dopentatoniconf)inbar9?Theguitaristclearlyseemstobehearingthingsthatwayinthosebars.Thequestionishowthesevariantsofthetwounderlyingpentatonicmodesandtheshiftsintonalnuancetheyproduceshouldbedenoted.Idontknow.Doesanybody?Table 3. The five anhemitonic penatonic modes

Numerousotherquestionsofstructuraldesignationarisefromtheproblemspresentedabove.Forexample,howdothetwothirdlessanhemitonicpentatonicmodesonsolandr(d d anda a respectivelyonthepianosblacknotes)relatetoprinciplesofquartalharmony? How can different quartal chords be denoted, ideally inabbreviatedform,insteadofbeingmistakenlyidentifiedintertialtermslikesus4whenharmonicsuspensionisneitherintendednorheard?Whydohexatonicmodesseemtolack labelswheneachofthesevendiatonicheptatonicmodeshasitsownname?CouldtheGuidonianhexachordbeofanyuseinthesystematisationofhexatonicmodesand,ifso,how?OrshouldwebethinkingintermsofArabic, Persian or Europeanmedieval tetrachords? How usefulmightGlareanshypomodesbeinunderstandingthedifferenttypesofbimodalityofexamples38?Couldtheconceptsofvadiandsamvadi in the theoryofclassicalmusic fromNorthern Indiabeapplied in anyusefulway to thedynamicbetweenwhat I earliercalledmaintonicandcounterpoise?Whatdowecall(tertial)ioniantonalityintheeuroclassicaltraditionandhowdowedistinguishitfrom the (also tertial) ionian tonality of tunes like La Bamba orGuantanamera?Idontknowhowtoansweranyofthesequestionseither.

Modename Blacknotesonly Heptatonicscaledegrees Whitenotes

dohpentatonic [ ] [8] [ ]

rpentatonic [ ] [8] [ ]

mipentatonic [ ] [8] d[ ]

solpentatonic [ ] [8] [ ]

lapentatonic [ ] [8] [ ]


Idontknowandsowhat?IdontknowhowmanyIDONTKNOWSIveutteredorimpliedinthis text,norhowmanyproblemsof structuraldesignation Ivetriedtoidentify,norhowmanyissuesofstructuralconceptualisation are left to confront. Theres been no room to discuss thedescriptionoftimbre,vocalpersona,orperiodicityandIvedonenomore than supeficially skim just one issue issue relating torhythm and metre.19 I have also yet to mention conventionalmusictheoryslopsidedinsistenceondiachronic,extensional,episodic,narrativeor horizontalFORMasprocess (DIATAXIS)and itsneglect of FORM as a dynamic, kinetic, synchronic, intensional,textural, tactile, spatial or vertical state contained within theextendedpresent(SYNCRISIS).20

Nevertheless,Ihopeitisclearthatitisunreasonabletousetermslike dominant, subdominant, perfect cadence, half cadence andinterrupted cadence when describing tonality in the countlesspieces ofwidely heardmusic inmixolydian, dorian,olian orphrygianmodes,wherehalfcadencesandinterruptedcadencesareoftenfinal,andwheremajortertialtriadsonscaledegree5(V)are either altered frommodespecificminor triads ornonexistent?Inmixolydian,dorianandolianrockharmony,forexample,adominanttertialtriadismostlikelybasedonthefourth(IV,thesubdominantineuroclassicalmusictheory)andasubdominantchord on theunaltered subtonic ( VII)which, according to themusictheoryIwastaught,apparentlyeitherhasnofunctionorisa subdominant to thesubdominantwhichcannotexistbecausethereisnodominanttowhichitcanreasonablybesub.Inshort,difficultiesinthestructuraldesignationofnoneuroclassicaltonalitycanbecrippling.

Butdotheseproblemsreallymatter?,objectsmypopulistmusoalterego. Afterall,heargues, weretalkingaboutmusicthat isplayed,heardandenjoyed.Andbesides,hesays,ifyoustartto

19. Seepp.45,esp.ftnt.6,p.5.20. SeeTagg(2013:272273,383385,chapter12,esp.pp.417425).


codifyityoulljustendupwithanothersetoffixedrulesthatcanbetaughtyearafteryearintheacademy.Thatllbenobetterthanthesystemyourecurrentlycriticising.

Mymusiciandevilsadvocateisbothrightandwrong.Hesrightto point out the dangers of institutionalised codification butwrongtosingleoutcodificationratherthanitsinstitutionalisationas the problem. Obviously, codified rules extrapolated fromexistingpracticeseasilybecomefixedandnormativeiftheyareused tomaintain a status quo of power established after theirintroduction into the institution.Amongmechanisms conduciveto such entrenchmentare: [1]managerial inertiaand shorttermcostcutting (the same courseswith the same teacher is cheaperandlesshassle);[2]notgivingteachersenoughtimeforresearchand innovation (itsmoreprofitable to teachmorestudentswithfewer teachers); [3]discouragingormarginalising teacherswhomightupset the apple cart; [4]preoccupationwith leaguetablescams that force institutions to conform toa relativelyhomogenous setofactivities soas to facilitate comparisonona scaleofquantifiable excellence (a conservativemechanism intrinsic tothemagicmarkets credo of free competition). In addition tothosefourpointsitshouldalsoberememberedthatteachersandresearchershavetoearnalivingbyworkinginsuchinstitutions,thattheyneedtopaytheirrentormortgage,sendtheirchildrentoschool,etc.,and thata few colleaguesmayhavepersonalproblems relating to careerism, selfaggrandisement, financial gain,positionsofpower,etc.Allthesefactorsmeanthattheriskofepistemicentrenchmentandinertiaishigh.Indeed,mymusoalteregoisrighttotheextentthatsuchmechanismsofinstitutionalisationareprerequisitesfortheterminologicalchaoscriticisedinthisarticle.However,asItrytoexplainnext,noneofthismeansthatnecessaryterminologicalreformiseitherdangerousorpointless.

Ifthetonalpracticesofmusicotherthantheeuroclassicalanditsoffshoots remain uncodified, the terminology of conventionaleuroclassicalmusictheorywillstayunchallengedandcontinuetomarginalise, trivialise and falsify all typesof tonality exhibiting


importanttraitsforwhichithaseitherflawedconceptsornoconceptsatall.Notonlywouldthatprolongtheundemocraticdisrespectandembarrassinglyethnocentricignoranceitseemstoshowtowards tonality in somanymusics used by amajority of theworlds population; itwould also, as I argued earlier, obstructeffortstounderstandwhatmadethemusicaltraditiononwhichitbased that same terminology so interesting and so influential.Moreover, even though noone can ever possibly understandevery musical tradition existing at any time anywhere in theworld, less inadequate concepts ofmusical structuration can atleastgiveusabetterchanceofunderstandinghowdifferenttypesofmusicactuallywork.Forexample,insightintotheworkingsofphrygian tertialharmony, asused bymaster flamenquistas likeSabicas(n.d.),orbyCarlosPueblaandhissonmusicians(ex.7),orbyChileangoodtimebandLosTrukeros(2007),couldhavepreventedat leastoneotherwisegiftedyoungguitaristfromattachinganextra perfectcadence (E Am) to theendofamalagueaperformance that he had already endedwith a II Iphrygiancadence(F E),completewithitsthreesimultaneouslydescendingleadingsemitones(c b,a g ,f e).21

Finalreflexions

Thisarticlehasdealtwithonlyaverysmallnumberofconceptualproblemsinconventionaleuroclassicalmusictheory.DespitedifficultyinpresentingsomestructuralpointsbecauseIcouldfindnovocabularywithwhichtodesignatethem,Ichosetolimitthediscussion toa fewaspectsof tonality for two interrelatedreasons.The first ispurely logistic in thesense that tonalparametersareeasiertoputintothescribalformintrinsictothemediumofthisarticlethanareparametersof,say,timbreorauralmiseenscne.

21. olianphrygianbimodalityisdiscussedinbTagg(2009a:227234)andillustratedin Tagg(2009b)whichalsoincludesthebizarreperfectcadenceaddon.PhrygianfinalcadencesareofcoursetwoapennyintertiallyharmonisedmusicfromtheBalkan,forexampleinsuchpopularrecordingsasAlexiou/(1976),ErMalyk/(1992),Mlamas/(2006).


Theotherreasonisthatconventionalmusictheoryhasdevelopednumeroustermstodenotetonalstructuresspecifictotheeuroclassicalrepertoire,fewertodenotestructuresrelatingtotime,speed,rhythm, metre, periodicity, etc., and far, far fewer to denoteaspectsoftimbreandspatiality.Tonalityisinotherwordsanareaofstudyinwhichmusictheoristsaresupposedtothinkandactasexperts. I can in otherwords reasonably assume that theywillfullyunderstandwhatIwriteorsayonthetopic.Butwillthey?

Having,inOctober2011,giventhefirstlivepresentationofideascontained in this text,Icanreport thatreactionswere ingeneralencouragingontenoftwelveoccasions.22Ononeoftheothertwooccasions(adepressinglyconservativeinternationalmusicanalyisconference)Iwasmetwithcompactsilence.Aftermytalk,ahelpfulresearchstudenttoldmeinthecorridorthatmostparticipantsthought I was causing unnecessary trouble and that they justwantedtoregressintothebusinessasusualoftheirivorytowers.TheothernegativeexperiencewasatapostgraduateseminarinauniversitymusicschoolwhereIspoketoanaudienceofthree.Onthatoccasion I learnt fromoneof the three thatmy ideaswerelikelytobeinterpretedasanattackontheauthoritarianintellectualagendapromotedbyinfluentialmembersofstaffattheinstitution.23 Inboth instances Iwas clearly living on an epistemicplanetradicallydifferenttothatinhabitedbytheintellectuallyorliterallyabsentaudience.

Theothertenoccasionsweredecidedlylessalienating.ThatdoesnotmeanImetnocriticalcommentsindiscussionsfollowingmypresentation.Forexample,onestudentfearedthatcleaningupthe

22. BetweenOctober2011andNovember2012IgavepresentationsrelatingtothistextatconferencesinRome,Edinburgh,GranadaandCceres,aswellatuniversityschoolsofmusicand/ormediainGlasgow,Aarhus,Durham,Newcastle,Liverpool,Lancaster,NottinghamandHuddersfield(12occarions).Imalsobookedin2013totalkabouttheseandsimilarissuesinCambridge,Keele,Trento,Turin,Paris,Nantes,OviedoandSantiagodeChile.

23. Thetwoconservativeagendaswere:[1]oldstylemusicalabsolutism(seeTagg,2013:83100);[2]1990sstylepoststructuralisttheorising,i.e.thesortofmetacontextualabsolutismcritiquedinTagg(2013:101115).


terminologywould just createanother setof rules that studentswouldhave to followand thatwouldeventuallybecome justasuseless.On another occasion, a seniorprofessor of compositionexpressedadifferentkindofscepsis.Ofcourseyourerightandwhatyousayisperfectlylogical,hesaid,buttheresnotahopeinhell thatanythingwillcomeof it!.ThatcommentseemedquiterealisticinthelightofwhatIdexperiencedonthetwooccasionssketchedonthepreviouspage.Iwas,however,abletoassurehimthat Iwouldnotbedissuaded from efforts tobring some semblanceof reasonandsocioethnic justice into the terminologyofmusic theory. Ive drawn considerable encouragement in thisquestfromthesortofreactionssummarisedbelow.

Atoneseminaranexperiencedteacherrecountedhisembarrassmentathavingtouse,asheputit,thestupidwordatonalwhenteachingcompositionandthehistoryoftwentiethcenturymusic.TONICAL,heagreed,mightsolvethatproblem.Elswehere,thosewith experience in music outside the euroclassical and avantgardespherestendedtogostraighttotheheartofthematter,severalofthemraisingspecificquestionsaboutdesignatingparticular structural features of noneuroclassical tonality. In fact thediscussionof tonality inTheFemaleDrummer (example8 in thistext) is largely the result of a question asked in the seminar atGlasgow University and of subsequent email correspondencewiththememberofstaffwhoaskedit.24

AtGlasgow,withitsstrengthsincompositionandperformance,attheAarhusmusicdepartmentwith itsattachment to theuniversitysSchoolofMedia,aswellasonalltheothereightoccasions,25several teachers and studentswanted to discuss otherways inwhichmusictheorymightbereformed.Ofparticularimportance,theythought,wasthedevelopmentofconceptsdenotingaspectsoftimbre,kinetics,tactilityandspatiality,avocabularyacknowledging thevernacularcompetenceof the listeningmajoritywho

24. ThankstoDaveMcGuinness(davidmcguinness.com/ [13-02-18]).25. Seefootnote22,p.26.


areexposedtoanaveragedailydoseofmusiclastingmorethantwo hours.26 I agreewith them and have elsewhere suggestedwaysinwhichmusicologycancontributetothatsortofdevelopment.27Nevertheless,therecanbenodoubtthatthetonalterminologyofmusictheory,asitisstillwidelytaught,isindireneedof a reform that opens up to all sorts ofmusic and that suchreformgoeshand inhandwith the interdisciplinaryanddemocraticprocess requestedbymanyof those Imetwhen speakingaboutthistopic.

AndyetIstillfindmyselfemittingsighsofdespairanddisbeliefeachtimeIreadorhearTONALopposedtoMODAL,TRIADICinsteadofTERTIAL,etc.Thatsaid,IhavetoadmitthatImprobablymorefrustratedwithmyselfthanwiththosewhostillperpetuatesuchconceptualfalsehoodsbecause,withmyunusuallyeclecticmusical background,28 Iwas better placedmuch earlier in life thanthosewithamoreexclusivelyeuroclassicalupbringingtoregistertheproblemsandtotryandsolvethem.Thefactthatittookmenearly thirtyyears todoso toanysignificantextent isshamefuland Icanoffernovalidexcuse forsuch sluggishness.However,nowthatbasicproblemsareoutintheopen,Iwouldurgeeveryoneinmusiceducationandresearchtothinkatleasttwicebeforeapplyinganyconceptoftonalitytoanytypeofmusicifthoseconceptsderive fromconventionaleuroclassicalmusic theory.Afterall,whereasImayhavebeenunusuallyeclecticin1971,Iam,ifthestudentsIvemetsincethelate1980sareanythingtogoby,nolongertheexceptionbuttherule.Itwouldsimplybeembarrassing, ifnothingelse,formusicstudies topersistwith its illogical,undemocratic,outdated,ethnocentricandmuddleheaded businessasusual.

26. SeeChapter1inTagg(2013)forstatisticaldetails.27. SeeChapters6(Intersubjectivity),10(NotesonVocalPersona)and12(Ana

lysingFilmMusic)inTagg(2013).Seealsostage5(p.5)inthisarticle.28. Seestage1atthestartofthisarticle.


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NORMAN,Monty(1962)29ThemefromDrNo(a.k.a.JamesBondTheme);onTheBestofBond,UnitedArtistsUAS29021(1975);tagg.org/audio/DrNoBondVinyl.mp3;seealso mF_6cSads0Eandwww.itunes.apple.com/us/art-ist/john-barry-orchestra/id133904310 [both 100923];alsoDVDDrNo(NTSC)MGM0729845285(n.d.)at0:00:00.

SABICAS(AgustnCastellnCampos,n.d.)Malaguea(withMariaAlbaandCompany) A3Iq0Qs0GAI [080609].

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b TAGG,Philip(1979)Kojak:50SecondsofTelevisionMusic.TowardstheAnalysisofAffectinPopularMusic.Gteborg:Musikvetenskapligainstitutionen,Gteborgsuniversitet;2nded.(2000):NewYork:MMMSP.tagg.org/mmmsp/kojak.html [111111].

b(1989)OpenLetteraboutBlackandWhiteMusic.PopularMusic,8/3:285298;originalversion(1987)atwww.tagg.org/articles/xpdfs/opelet.pdf [110717].

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(2009c)DronedFifthsforTheTailorandtheMouse Vvll55Pmyyg [111126].

(2011a)ScotchSnaps:TheBigPicture 3BQAD5uZsLY [110723].

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bTAGG,PhilipandCLARIDA,Bob(2003)TenLittleTitleTunes.NewYork&Montral:MassMediaMusicScholarsPress;www.tagg.org/mmmsp/10Titles.html [110722].

29. Normansauthorshipisnotlegallydisputed,butitspossiblethattheJamesBondThememaybemusicallyasmuchtheworkofJohnBarryandDonBlack.


b TAMLYN,Garry(1998)TheBigBeatOriginsandDevelopmentofSnareBackbeatandotherAccompanimentalRhythmsinRocknRoll.PhDThesis,2volumes,InstiuteofPopularMusic,UniversityofLiverpool.www.tagg.org/others/TamlynPhD.html [110723].

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b VEGA,Carlos(1944)Panoramadelamsicapopularargentina.BuenosAires:Losada.

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TROUBLES with TONAL TERMINOLOGYPreliminariesFormal conventionsAcknowledgementsBackgroundSix stagesTriads and tertial harmonyProblematic conceptsBasic tonal termsTonal and tonicalTonal and modalTonality, Grammaticality, Tonart, TonalitMore normsCadence nomenclatureMonomodality

I dont know and so what?Final reflexionsReferencesNotesListing

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TROUBLES with TONAL TERMINOLOGY - Tagg · could muddle through easy arrangements of minuets from ... Troubles with tonal terminology ... like candombe, merengue, rumba or son montuno