[tuning] Schenker, harmonic rules (was: Paul Erlich's "melodic guidance" and 14th-century cadences)

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <jpehrson@rcn.com>
> To: <tuning@yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, June 27, 2001 12:18 PM
> Subject: [tuning] Re: Paul Erlich's "melodic guidance" and 14th-century
cadences
>
>
> --- In tuning@y..., graham@m... wrote:
>
> /tuning/topicId_25376.html#25689
> >
> > > Such comparisons, of course, do not necessarily "explain" the
> > > stylistic choices of a specific era or genre, but can point to
> > > some organizational themes which may manifest themselves in music of
> > > various eras and styles.
> >
> > If we can distil a universal set of rules, they're likely to be
> > useful when exploring new harmonic systems. A lot of harmony texts
> > focus on very specific rules for a style of music, and so don't
> > illuminate these generalities.
> >

Hmmm... I don't agree with that. Lots of harmony (and counterpoint)
texts explain "rules" which can be applied across a broad variety
of styles. Parsimonious voice leading is one which has gotten a
lot of attention in the academic journals lately.

As I composer, I've tried to exploit a lot of that in my own work,
making what I learned about 16th-century _a capella_ counterpoint
or late 1800s Wagnerian (for examples) work for, say, a more-or-less
"smooth-jazz" tune.

> I know Monz has some "issues" with Schenker, but some of his theories
> survive.

Joe, I do recognize quite a lot of value in Schenker's methods.
What I don't accept are exactly what you point out: his defiant
immobility regarding the limitations he imposed on himself.

In this respect, Schoenberg was light-years ahead of Schenker
as a theorist. But that doesn't discount (for me, anyway) the
advances made in analytical procedure Schenker *did* accomplish.

-monz
http://www.monz.org
"All roads lead to n^0"

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