Re: Parallel fifths and twelfth affinities

Hello, there, and while open about the possibilities of "tritave" or
twelfth affinity, I would like to emphasize that the prohibition of
parallel fifths is a highly style-specific feature, associated especially
with certain Western European styles of around 1440-1900, or roughly the
tertian or "5-limit" era. Dante's allusion to Dunstable is not far from
the origins of the consistent following of this prohibition, maybe in the
decade or two before the advent of meantone temperament (c. 1450?).

As I've noted, one can find restrictions or prohibitions on parallel
fifths, especially in simple two-voice writing, starting around the early
14th century, and this development closely coincides with the use of the
new term _contrapunctus_ or "counterpoint."

In contrast, European medieval polyphony from the 9th through the 13th
centuries features parallel fifths as a routine feature, and parallel
fifths and fourths are very common in a wide range of world musics. Since
I love these progressions, a survey of some recordings in the late 1960's
and early 1970's underscord this point for me.

There is a bit of comedy in this, for in the 19th century, one German
theorist argued that medieval sources should not be taken as actually
describing polyphonic practice because "parallel fifths are morally
impossible."

Thus the question might be, "Why are parallel fifths favored in many world
musics, but somehow 'out of place' in 15th-19th century Western European
music based on a 5-limit concept?"

With David Keenan, I agree that the common practice of singing in parallel
twelfths, whether inadvertant or as a perfected art (described, for
example, in medieval treatises), _may_ suggest a certain kind of
"affinity," although less pronounced than that of the octave.

By the way, I would prefer to speak of octave "affinity" also: the
interval is often _like_ a replication, and yet can add something new,
especially in a 3-limit setting where 2:3:4 has a saturated quality in
comparison to 2:3 or 3:4 alone.

Most respectfully,

Margo Schulter
mschulter@value.net