CHAPTER 4. Harmony

dominant (V)

Fifth note of the major or minor scale

dissonance

Unpleasant or unharmonious sound, Active, unsettled sound

triad

chord with three tones, composed of two superimposed thirds

polyphonic texture (polyphony)

combination of two or more simultaneous melodic lines

subdominant (IV)

fourth note of the major or minor scale

texture

manner in which melodic lines are used in music

round

melody that may be performed by two or more voices entering at different times, producing meaningful harmony

consonance

passive sound that seems to be at rest

tonality, tonal system

system of harmony, based on the major and minor scales, that has dominated Western music since the seventeenth century

Summary

Harmony is a sophisticated, and relatively late, development in the history of Western music. Although barely implied, or purely incidental, in the music of most non-Western cultures today, harmony has been an essential element of most Western music of the past four hundred years. Harmony in music is accomplished by the simultaneous sounding of two or more different tones. Active, or dissonant, combinations work together with passive, or consonant, sounds to produce varied effects in Western music. A meaningful combination of three or more tones is called a chord, and the most basic chord is called a triad. There are three basic textures in Western music: monophony (a single melody line with no harmony), polyphony (the result of the combination of simultaneous melodic lines), and homophony (a melody accompanied by chordal harmony). Free and independent embellishment of a melody resulting in an inexact unison is called heterophony. Such intellectual definitions, however, only point the way to discriminating, perceptive—indeed, creative—listening, which may lead individuals to analyze their hearing experiences in different terms. An understanding of these and other basic principles will enhance, but should not dominate, the art of listening.

chord

meaningful (as opposed to random) combination of three or more tones

homophonic texture (homophony)

melodic line accompanied by chordal harmony

monophonic texture (monophony)

one unaccompanied melodic line

Harmony

simultaneous sounding of two or more different tones conceived as a unit