Hi everyone, I was reading about first species counterpoint in 2 parts from the preliminary exercises of Schoenberg's counterpoint.... now a doubt arises: all the examples he gives are ascending or descending successions of 3 sounds that have the tritone itself as their extremes.... now I wonder, what if in the three notes I have, let's say, an inversion of the direction of motion of the part? (for example fa sol si tritone ok, but if I have fa sol and the si an octave below, i.e., I descend by a sixth to be clear) is it always considered a tritone?
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Natan
Member
Reply 2 by Natan
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239
I think I have understood the case and in my opinion if the B does not go to D, in both cases... real octave F3 G3 B3 or F3 G3 B2... there will be a hint of a tritone.
And it is also true that one must distinguish the false relation of the tritone in the two contexts: melodic and harmonic.
It is also true that one must distinguish the false tritone relationship in the melodic and harmonic contexts.
...and that is?
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Ludovica
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Reply 10 by Ludovica
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298
Think of an interval played in succession (melodic) and simultaneously (harmonic)...in both cases, within a certain aesthetic, you must "resolve" the tritone...the Diabolus in Musica
The reasons must always be framed within a historical context.
This type of interval, extremely dissonant (augmented fourth or excessive fourth interval), rich in tension and very difficult to intonate, was expressly forbidden in sacred music during the Middle Ages—both because of its derived sound, both because of the presence of the Three, the number of the Trinity, seen in that case as strident and therefore as an affront to the divine, and because of the characteristic of symmetry it maintains in every inversion. For this reason, the tritone was assigned nothing less than the name Diabolus in Musica.
However, as early as the Baroque era, the tritone completely lost its "cursed" aspect and was reintroduced, eventually becoming a protagonist in excellent works (take a look also at Liszt's Dante-Symphonie... in the part dedicated, coincidentally, to the Inferno canticle).
Turning back to the topic a bit... clearly, with this historical "burden," the requirement of the tritone is to be resolved, and that is what matters for scholastic purposes or for the stylistic reconstruction of a certain aesthetic..
It is obvious that evaluating the tritone in today's harmony, I think it makes no sense... think about what jazz musicians do... not forgetting that practically a century ago Schoenberg created a system for us based on the tritone... and the minor second... forgive my simplifications.
This type of interval, extremely dissonant (augmented fourth or excessive fourth interval), rich in tension and extremely difficult to intonate, was expressly forbidden for sacred music during the Middle Ages, both due to its derived sound, both because of the presence of the Three, the number of the Trinity, seen in such cases as strident and therefore as an affront to the divine, and because of the characteristic of specularity it maintains in every inversion. For this reason, the tritone was assigned nothing less than the name Diabolus in Musica.
... I think it continues to be difficult to intonate
