Koło czy spirala? Uwagi do dyskusji o relacji teorii muzyki i praktyki kompozytorskiej wobec dawnego i aktualnego stanu języka muzyki w zakresie organizacji wysokości dźwięków
A Circle or a Spiral? Remarks to a Discussion on the Relationship of the Theory of Music and Composition Practice to the Former and the Current State of Musical Language Regarding Pitch Organization

Summary/Abstract: Towards the end of 18th century, the discrepancy between intervals of same class within a single octave of keyboard instruments in old tuning systems progressively posed an obstacle for the development of the major-minor tonal harmonic language based on chromatic and enharmonic principles. Musical practice seemed to stay far behind a theory of the enharmonic circle of fifths. The growing predomination of the equal temperament through the 19th century made way for chromatic saturation of musical textures within the major-minor tonality. The process resulted in weakening of tonal principles and a need for revision of the approach to the pitch material organization at the turn of 20th century, as well as a challenge undertaken by many 20th century composers. They realized that the traditional seven step diatonic tonality, coloured by chromatic semitones, was in fact eventually replaced by twelve-tone chromatic material. Another consequence was that substantial changes in musical notation practice followed. Key signatures gradually became obsolete, as it was later the case of double accidentals. That stemmed from the tonal principle of enharmony within the circle of ifths. And yet the equal temperament remained as the main reference for composers. The peak moment of the development of twelve-tone composition happened in the music by Olivier Messiaen and, especially, by Witold Lutosławski. A break in the French spectralists’ music re-established a pitch material organization problem by enhancing the systematic use of microtones and proved their direct presence within the structure of a harmonic tone. It was also revealed that the natural microtones are of progressively smaller (inequal) size and that their diversity was an important advantage for the development of contemporary music. Then, the manning of musical material changed to aesthetical expectations within a spiral of the history of music development over the last three centuries. The symbol of a spiral represents an idea of musical material development, including the circle of fifths as one of its stages. The contemporary state of musical material seems to leave behind theoretical approaches in regards to harmonic pitch material, which is only one of its components. It can be observed in a still missing micro-interval pitch name system.

• Details
• Contents