| A | B |
|---|
| Jean-Philippe Rameau | (1638-1764) His writings founded the theory of tonal music, and his operas established him as Lully's most important successor= Approached music as a source of empirical data that could be explained on rational principles= Described his methodology in "TRAIT'E DE L'HARMONIE" (Treatise on Harmony, 1722) |
| Rameau: Acoustics and Chords | Considered triad and 7th chord the primal elements of music, and derived both from the natural consonances of the perfect 5th, major 3rd, and minor 3rd |
| Rameau: Fundamental Bass | In Rameau's approach, each chord has a fundamental tone, equivalent in most cases to what is today called its root (lowest note when the chord is arranged in root position/i.e. series of thirds)= In series of chords, the succession of these fundamental tones is the FUNDAMENTAL BASS |
| Fundamental Bass | Says that a chord keeps its identity through all its inversions and that the harmony of a passage is defined by the root progression rather than by the actual lowest note sounding |
| Rameau: Tonal Direction | For him, music was driven forward by dissonance and came to rest in consonance= 7th chords provided dissonance, triads consonance= Coined the terms TONIC, DOMINANT, and SUBDOMINANT= Established these 3 chords as the pillars of tonality and related other chords to them, formulating the hierarchies of functional tonality |
| Tonic | Main note and chord in a key |
| Dominant | Note and chord a perfect 5th above the tonic |
| Subdominant | Note and chord a 5th below the tonic |
| Rameau: Strongest progression between two chords | Is from a 7th chord on the dominant to a triad on the tonic, with the dissonant notes resolving by step and the fundamental bass falling a 5th (or rising a fourth)= Other falling-5th progressions are almost as trong, and indeed motion by falling 5th is very common= Through such progressions, the fundamental bass gives music coherence and direction and helps to define the key |
| Modulation | Process where a piece can change key (Rameau recognized this, but considered that each piece had one principal tonic to which other keys were secondary) |
| Rameau's Operas | pg. 433 |
| War of the Buffoons | By 1750s during this battle between critics on the relative merits of French and Italian music, Rameau had become the most eminent living French composer |
| Rameau vs. Lully: Similarities | Rameau's theater works resemble Lully's in several ways: both composers exhibit realistic declamation and precise rhythmic notation in the recitatives; both mix recitative with more toneful, formally organized airs, choruses, and instrumental interludes; and both include long divertissements= But Rameau introduced many changes |
| Rameau vs. Lully: Differences | The melodic lines are different between the two= Rameau constantly used his theory skills in his composing that all melody is rooted in harmony= Many of his melodic phrases are plainly triadic and and make clear the harmonic progressions that must support them= Orderly relationships within tonal system of dominants/subdominants/modulations govern the harmony= Rameau drew from rich palette of chord/progressions (including chromatic ones)...diversifying his style much more than Lully's and achieving dramatic force through expressive, highly charged dissonances that propel the harmony forward |
| Rameau: Instrumental Music | Made most original contribution in the instrumental sections of his operas: overtures, dances, and descriptive symphonies that accompany the stage action= The French valued music for its powers of depiction, and Rameau was their champion tone-painter |
| Rameau: Airs and Choruses | Like Lully and other French composers, Rameau minimized the contrast between recitative and air in comparison to Italian composers= Often smoothly moved between styles to suit the dramatic situation (often most powerful effects are achieved by joint use of solo and chorus) |
| Act IV of "Hippolyte et Aricie" | (Rameau) Illustrates the high drama Rameau could achieve by combining all these elements |
| Act IV of "Hippolyte et Aricie" | pg. 434 |
