Russell's text is a fundamental and irreplaceable text for entering the world of modal harmony. This text deals with the use of modal scales in tonal harmony and furthermore lays the foundations for the understanding of true modal harmony. In essence, Russell says that every chord must be fixedly paired with a modal scale. Thus, the so-called Chord/Mode is created, i.e., the chord married to a modal scale. So, watch out!, Russell starts from... the melody, he pairs an chord to that melody and TO THAT CHORD HE PAIRS A SCALE. In Modal Harmony, the concept of a modal scale does not exist; what exists is the Mode, in which the notes composing it are read scalarly only for a facilitating convention, but scalarity is no longer functional; the tonic itself no longer has such a function and has the same value as the other notes that compose the Mode. All this leads to a reduction in the importance of melody or singing and to an annulment of the concept of the chord. In modal harmony, there are no minor or major chords or anything else; there is only the Mode. The Mode is a self-sufficient harmonic system; it does not need the II-V-I, and above all, it does not need to resolve. The Mode, in my opinion, has more tonal power than the insignificant twists and turns of notes in tonal harmony and, above all, its harmonic evolution is unpredictable, something that does not happen in tonal harmony where, more or less, except for modulations, everything is much more predictable. Predictability was the factor that determined the success of tonal music and the failure of modal music. People enjoy predictability because it provides security; for this very reason, the Catholic Church banned the modal music of Gregorian chants in favor of tonal music, which is still used today. The "Treatise on Modal Harmony" is a summary of Russell's text, created by chance while I was studying Russell's text and taking notes; I then decided to organize it and turn it into a text. Obviously, it is written in Italian; it is a summary of the English text. The other text, "Functional Harmony," on the other hand, is entirely my own work; in my opinion, I see it as the continuation of Russell's text in a modal sense. This text deals with Modal Harmony, the true one, that is, the one based on the Mode and not on the modal scale. Even the Qua Qua dance is based on the Ionian modal scale used on the major chord. The Ionian Mode is something else entirely.
Very interesting reflection. I think of the bricks that build buildings and their "modulation", just as I think of the "naturalness" of Arabic music... the hexatonic scale, etc etc.
Predictability, in fact, even if banal and obvious, is "a path"!! No one forbids deviating through the dark thicket right in the middle of a path that we well know where it will lead us. These are vast and infinite realms; it would be nice to talk about them.
Unfortunately, Fabio 73, most musicians are far from these concepts; for them, it is enough to read and perform—not that it is a simple matter, quite the contrary—but creativity is the most beautiful and stimulating thing. Perhaps a time will come when performing pianists will be replaced by robots, as has already happened in medicine and many other sectors; then perhaps, by necessity, more attention will be dedicated to creativity, which only a human being can achieve because they are endowed with emotions and feelings.
Yes, in effect, there are "war machines" of performers and there is nothing that can be done about it; people convinced that music is a roll written to be unrolled but... we all know that is not the case. Michelangeli, for example, who would play a single chord from Images for hours in his house in Brescia, with people listening below the window, why? Perhaps it wasn't well-weighted? Perhaps something was missing from the maestro's brilliant touch? Certainly not!! It's just that he too, like a thousand other greats, had sensed that "mystery of sounds" that resides in the heart of all "true" musicians and in his own heart, he sought to discover its enigma.
For example, I find a great flaw in the teaching of piano practice, specifically regarding the failure to work on expanding and enriching the repertoire of experimentation with sounds as "sounds in freedom," where the student can create and imagine the path and effect of the sounds themselves.
Bad teachers create bad students, don't tell me otherwise for the fine arts! I rejoice that sometimes it is so evident that it triggers some rebellion from the more intelligent students. Long live the rebels, in this case, ha ha.
