False relation
Encyclopedia
A false relation is the name of a type of dissonance
that sometimes occurs in classical
polyphonic
music, most commonly in vocal music of the Renaissance
.
The term describes i) a "chromatic
contradiction" between two notes sounding simultaneously, (or in close proximity), in two different voices
or parts or ii) in music written before 1600, the occurrence of a tritone
between two notes of adjacent chords
.
In the above example, a chromatic false relation occurs in two adjacent voices sounding at the same time (shown in red). The tenor
voice sings G while the bass sings G momentarily beneath it, producing the clash of an augmented unison
.
In this instance, the false relation is less pronounced: the contradicting E (soprano voice) and E (bass voice) (diminished octave
) do not sound simultaneously. Here the false relation occurs because the top voice is descending in a minor key, and therefore takes the notes of the melodic minor scale descending (the diatonic sixth degree). The bass voice ascends and therefore makes use of the ascending melodic minor scale (the raised sixth degree).
False relation is in this case desirable since this chromatic alteration follows a melodic idea, the rising 'melodic minor'. In such cases false relations must occur between different voices, as it follows that they cannot be produced by the semitones that occur diatonically in a mode or scale of any kind. This horizontal approach to polyphonic writing reflects the practices of composers in the Renaissance
and Tudor periods, particularly in vocal composition, but it also seen, for example, in the hexachord
fantasies of William Byrd
(for keyboard). Indeed, vocal music from this era does not often have these accidentals
notated in the manuscript (see Musica ficta
); experienced singers would have decided whether or not they were appropriate in a given musical context.
Many composers from the late 16th century onwards however began deliberately using the effect as an expressive device in their word setting. This practice continued well into the Romantic
era, and can be heard in the music of Mozart and Chopin, for example.
Consonance and dissonance
In music, a consonance is a harmony, chord, or interval considered stable, as opposed to a dissonance , which is considered to be unstable...
that sometimes occurs in classical
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
polyphonic
Polyphony
In music, polyphony is a texture consisting of two or more independent melodic voices, as opposed to music with just one voice or music with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords ....
music, most commonly in vocal music of the Renaissance
Renaissance music
Renaissance music is European music written during the Renaissance. Defining the beginning of the musical era is difficult, given that its defining characteristics were adopted only gradually; musicologists have placed its beginnings from as early as 1300 to as late as the 1470s.Literally meaning...
.
The term describes i) a "chromatic
Diatonic and chromatic
Diatonic and chromatic are terms in music theory that are most often used to characterize scales, and are also applied to intervals, chords, notes, musical styles, and kinds of harmony...
contradiction" between two notes sounding simultaneously, (or in close proximity), in two different voices
Melody
A melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...
or parts or ii) in music written before 1600, the occurrence of a tritone
Tritone
In classical music from Western culture, the tritone |tone]]) is traditionally defined as a musical interval composed of three whole tones. In a chromatic scale, each whole tone can be further divided into two semitones...
between two notes of adjacent chords
Chord (music)
A chord in music is any harmonic set of two–three or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously. These need not actually be played together: arpeggios and broken chords may for many practical and theoretical purposes be understood as chords...
.
In the above example, a chromatic false relation occurs in two adjacent voices sounding at the same time (shown in red). The tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
voice sings G while the bass sings G momentarily beneath it, producing the clash of an augmented unison
Augmented unison
In modern Western tonal music theory an augmented unison is the interval between two notes on the same staff position, or having the same note letter, whose alterations cause them, in ordinary equal temperament, to be one semitone apart. In other words, it is a unison where one note has been raised...
.
In this instance, the false relation is less pronounced: the contradicting E (soprano voice) and E (bass voice) (diminished octave
Diminished octave
In classical music from Western culture, a diminished octave is an interval produced by narrowing a perfect octave by a chromatic semitone. As such, the two notes are denoted by the same letter but have different accidentals...
) do not sound simultaneously. Here the false relation occurs because the top voice is descending in a minor key, and therefore takes the notes of the melodic minor scale descending (the diatonic sixth degree). The bass voice ascends and therefore makes use of the ascending melodic minor scale (the raised sixth degree).
False relation is in this case desirable since this chromatic alteration follows a melodic idea, the rising 'melodic minor'. In such cases false relations must occur between different voices, as it follows that they cannot be produced by the semitones that occur diatonically in a mode or scale of any kind. This horizontal approach to polyphonic writing reflects the practices of composers in the Renaissance
Renaissance music
Renaissance music is European music written during the Renaissance. Defining the beginning of the musical era is difficult, given that its defining characteristics were adopted only gradually; musicologists have placed its beginnings from as early as 1300 to as late as the 1470s.Literally meaning...
and Tudor periods, particularly in vocal composition, but it also seen, for example, in the hexachord
Hexachord
In music, a hexachord is a collection of six pitch classes including six-note segments of a scale or tone row. The term was adopted in the Middle Ages and adapted in the twentieth-century in Milton Babbitt's serial theory.-Middle Ages:...
fantasies of William Byrd
William Byrd
William Byrd was an English composer of the Renaissance. He wrote in many of the forms current in England at the time, including various types of sacred and secular polyphony, keyboard and consort music.-Provenance:Knowledge of Byrd's biography expanded in the late 20th century, thanks largely...
(for keyboard). Indeed, vocal music from this era does not often have these accidentals
Accidental (music)
In music, an accidental is a note whose pitch is not a member of a scale or mode indicated by the most recently applied key signature. In musical notation, the symbols used to mark such notes, sharps , flats , and naturals , may also be called accidentals...
notated in the manuscript (see Musica ficta
Musica ficta
Musica ficta was a term used in European music theory from the late 12th century to about 1600 to describe any pitches, whether notated or to be added by performers in accordance with their training, that lie outside the system of musica recta or musica vera as defined by the hexachord system of...
); experienced singers would have decided whether or not they were appropriate in a given musical context.
Many composers from the late 16th century onwards however began deliberately using the effect as an expressive device in their word setting. This practice continued well into the Romantic
Romantic music
Romantic music or music in the Romantic Period is a musicological and artistic term referring to a particular period, theory, compositional practice, and canon in Western music history, from 1810 to 1900....
era, and can be heard in the music of Mozart and Chopin, for example.
External links
- Luís Henriques (Saturday, July 21, 2007). "William Byrd - Ave Verum Corpus", Atrium Musicologicum. Another description of the use of false relation in Byrd's Ave Verum Corpus.