Stravinsky - Harmony & Tonality Flashcards
What is tonality?
Pieces of music that use major and minor keys.
What is the opposite of tonality?
Atonality.
What does atonal mean?
The piece uses every pitch (chromatic) and there is no sense of key. there is no home note (tonic).
What is dissonance?
Clashing notes.
Why does Stravinsky use dissonance?
To match the harsh subject - jolting paganistic dancing. A girl dancing herself to death ritualistically.
Does Stravinsky use tonality in the RoS?
Yes - interestingly, he does not completely reject, like his contemporary Schoenberg.
What is bi-tonality?
The use of 2 keys (scales) at the same time. It creates a dissonant effect.
Give an example of the use of bi-tonality in the RoS.
Beginning of the Augurs of Spring, where an E♭7 chord in the upper strings is played simultaneously with an F♭ major chord in the cellos and basses.
Give an example of how bi-tonality is used to represent chaos.
At the height of the chaos at the end of the introduction from figure 11. In addition to the C7 broken chords in the violas, the bassoons outline both E minor and E major harmonies. There are also chromatic scales in some of the woodwind parts.
What is a chromatic scale?
Moving in semitone steps.
Why does Stravinsky use chromatic scales?
They are a good way of creating a sense of awkwardness in the texture, without necessarily losing some essence of tonality.
What is modal music?
A mode is the old word for scale. There used to a number of scales. In the 1600s we settled on just major and minor. Nowadays, modal music is usually those scales that have a flattened 7th.
Why does Stravinsky use some modes in the RoS?
It emphasises the folk aspect of the story of the dance.
Give an example of a use of modes in the RoS.
The opening bassoon melody is in the Aeolian (A to A) style.
