Re: Chords and what they mean

[Urs Liska]

Am 18.09.2015 um 15:52 schrieb Kieren MacMillan:
> Hi Urs,
>
>>> What's with <e g c>? It is  Em#5 or C/E 
>> While we're at being picky, that would have to be Em with a flattened 6 …
> While _technically_ correct, you’d definitely want to write Em#5 for any 
> musical theatre performers/MDs, or most of the jazzers I know.
>
> And changing it to B# isn’t necessarily the right answer either.  ;)

Perfect example of "context".
I, as a classical musician, will get confused if presented with namings
that don't follow the harmonic content (given the historical style of
the music).
That would be the same for Em-6 (or however you'd spell it out) as <e g
bis>.

Or some composers (mainly around the first half of the 20th century)
that think it's a good idea to "disguise" simple things without any real
harmonic need/consistency, e.g. chords like

<fes g c>
<d geses bes>
<c eis as>

I've seen all these and usually get confused by them because often it
really acts as blurring simplicity instead of indicating actual
alteration situations.

Another "real-world" example:
Have a look at the chord in the middle of measure 7 of this Schubert song:
http://imslp.org/wiki/File:SchubertD744_Schwanengesang.pdf
That chord has eleven flats on its seven notes (two c flats aren't
re-printed)!
Well, structurally it's simply a minor 7th chord which just happens to
be in the "distant" key of f flat minor ...

Going to the extreme that way is completely in line with the textual
interpretation of the song and the words (the feeling of dying that runs
"dissolvingly" through our body) - as it's dissolving the boundaries of
common tonality.

I suppose (but can't check right now) that the Mandyczewski edition goes
back to the manuscript, but someone (actually it must have been at least
approved by Schubert) thought it would be a good idea to "simplify" that
chord in the first edition:
http://petrucci.mus.auth.gr/imglnks/usimg/9/91/IMSLP370538-PMLP39282-LOEB_12363625_3.pdf
The four double flats have been replaced by their enharmonically
exchanged pitches, so we're having only three flats left.
While someone might think that's easier to read I strongly oppose
because that totally spoils the structural context (the chord is simply
built through stacked thirds) and also the voice leading.

Urs

>
> Kieren.
> ________________________________
>
> Kieren MacMillan, composer
> ‣ website: www.kierenmacmillan.info
> ‣ email: address@hidden
>