Harmonic Function in Chromatic Music: A Renewed Dualist Theory and an Account of Its Precedents

by Daniel Harrison

The highly chromatic music of the late 1800s and early 1900s includes some of the best-known works by Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss, Cesar Franck, and Hugo Wolf. Yet until now, the harmonic complexity of this repertory has resisted the analytic techniques available to music theorists and historians. In this book, Daniel Harrison builds on nineteenth-century music theory to provide an original and illuminating method for analyzing chromatic music.

One of Harrison's central innovations is his reconstruction of the notion of harmony. Harrison understands harmonic power to flow not from chords as such but from the constituents of chords, reckoned for the most part as scale degrees of a key. This insight proves especially useful in analyzing the unusual progressions and key relations that characterize chromatic music.

Complementing the theoretical ideas is a critical history of nineteenth-century German harmonic theory in which Harrison traces the development of Hugo Riemann's ideas on dualism and harmonic function and examines aspects of Riemannian theory in the work of later theorists. Combining theoretical innovations with a sound historical understanding of those innovations, Harmonic Function in Chromatic Music will aid anyone studying this pivotal period of Western music history.

Genres: Music

352 pages, Hardcover

First published May 28, 1994

About the author

Daniel Harrison is music theorist interested in general principles of music making and structure across a wide variety of classical and popular repertories. Previous studies of harmony at historical margins of the common-practice era have included Harmonic Function in Chromatic Music (Chicago, 1994), and several articles, including "Nonconformist Notions of Nineteenth-Century Enharmonicism" (Music Analysis, 2002). One of a few experts on the music of the Beach Boys, Harrison's work on popular music has been featured in Understanding Rock (Oxford University Press, 1997, ed. Covach and Boone) and Don Was' documentary on Brian Wilson, I Just Wasn't Made for These Times (1995). He is currently Allen Forte Professor of Music Theory at Yale University.

Reviews

[Emile Mosar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interessante theorie die verder bouwt op het harmonisch dualisme, maar met een kritische insteek. Daarenboven ook een van de meest helder geschreven werken rond deze harmonieleer die ik gelezen heb. Boeken als Vereinfachte Harmonielehre (vereenvoudigde harmonieleer) van Hugo Riemann vergen meer tijd om te doorgronden doordat de verwoordingen niet altijd helder zijn. Soms lijkt de titel van Riemanns boek dan ook onterecht omdat je het op bepaalde zaken allerminst vereenvoudigd kan noemen. Dit boek blijft echter steeds helder en bouwt de theorie goed op zodat je als lezer meegevoerd wordt in het stijgend niveau van het boek. Dit vind ik een verdienste van Daniel Harrison en dat toont ook dat zijn inzicht in deze theorie erg goed is.