Klarinet Archive - Posting 000378.txt from 2000/10

From: Daniel Leeson <leeson0@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] All keys are not the same
Date: Sun, 8 Oct 2000 12:31:00 -0400

This is an absolutely amazing list!! Here are a bunch of clarinet
players disucssing Aristotlian issues that have to do with the emotional
impact of various keys.

It is a pleasure to be part of such a list.

Dan Leeson

Anne Bell wrote:
>
> First we have to be careful! Aristotle wasn't talking about our system of
> keys. From what I remember early Greek music had a different system built
> from the "tonic" down rather than up. They also weren't evenly tempered or
> necessarily what we think of as half and whole steps anyway! If you don't
> think the "key" can have an emotional effect consider listening to a
> violinist who has decided that E is really a quarter tone above what you
> accept an E and plays F in la/la land. Check out your emotional response!
> Seriously though maybe it is because of the way we hear perfect intervals
> that when a piece has a prolonged departure from them that we feel
> uncomfortable and when it is reinforced we feel at ease. I guess I'm
> applying consonance vs. dissonance to a whole mode rather than just the
> composition of a piece.
>
> Best Wishes,
> Anne
>
> At 06:00 PM 10/7/00 EDT, you wrote:
> >In a message dated 10/7/00 1:12:44 PM Central Daylight Time,
> >leeson0@-----.net writes:
> >
> ><< I think the human reaction to keys and modes is a social phenomenon not
> > a factual one. I think that there was a time that keys with lots of
> > sharps in them were considered happy, and keys with lots of flats were
> > considered sad, but that was also a social phenomenon too.
> >
> > The idea that minor keys are used for one emotion and major keys for
> > another is a romantic idea, but not established at all to be a true
> > one. How anyone reacts to a minor key is a very personal issue, not one
> > inherent in the key or mode itself. >>
> >
> >Okay, I can't find the book to back me up, but I seem to remember from
> >Educational Psychology that Plato (or was it Aristotle?) believed that there
> >was something inherent in each key or mode that caused people to react in a
> >particular way to music written in that mode. Therefore, music written in a
> >mode that inspired feelings of patriotism (I think it was Dorian?) was
> >appropriate for children to listen to, because it would help form their
> >characters so they would grow up to be good citizens. I can't remember
> which
> >mode was supposed to inspire debauchery, but that music was supposed to be
> >inappropriate for children. I'm not arguing that this is true, but merely
> >saying that apparently the idea that moods or feelings are inherent in
> >particular keys has been around for a long time. It also raises another
> >question, about whether or not the type of music one listens to can have a
> >formative effect on one's character, regardless of what key it's written
> in.
> >(Or perhaps I'm remembering all of this wrong? I hated Educational
> >Psychology!)
> > Susan Schwaegler
> >
>
> *********************************************************************
> Anne Bell bell@-----.net
> Bayside HS Orchestra Director
> ABC Index: http://www.anne-bell.sneezy.org/ MUSIC LINKS!
> *********************************************************************
>
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--
***************************
** Dan Leeson **
** leeson0@-----.net **
***************************

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