Adams, Theories of Chromatic Ism (Notes)

8/8/2019 Adams, Theories of Chromatic Ism (Notes)

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Notes on Kyle Adams Theories of Chromaticism from the Late Sixteenth to the

Early Eighteenth Century, Theoria (2007) 5-40.

Chromaticism as a noun did not exist in the 16th-century. Chromaticism and

diatonicism were analogous to classical and popular music today:

although there may have been some overlap between them, they were distinctentities.

The rise of chromaticism in the 16th-century can be tied to an increased

attention to Greek writings on the genera.

Writers can be grouped into two groups: those theorists who adhered

more strictly to ancient Greek theory defined the chromatic genus as a

linear, intervallic phenomenon, while those who based their theories moreon compositional practice defined it by the new pitch-classes it produced.

Part One: The Link to Classical Antiquity

16th-century theorists used Classical writings as a vehicle to status, either

to justify a compositional practice (Vincentino), to measure modern music

(Zarlino), or to instantiate new musical styles (Galilei).

Writers discussed the structure of the chromatic genera, the reason for its

name, and its emotional affects.

Structure:

o Intervallic patterns: two semitones and a minor third. Note:

Vincentino places the larger interval in the middle, not at the top, a

seeming contradiction of Classical practice. Also, he measures allintervals small that a tone by fifth tones. Is this a reflection of Marchetto?

How widespread were Marchettos ideas in the 16th century?

o Except for Galilei, the two semitones are unequal in 16th-century

writings. Usually they were major (16:15) and minor (25:24) with a

just minor third (6:5). None of these are Pythagorean. How does

someone like Zarlino justify the use of these intervals? Do the unequal

semitones reflect an acceptance of Marchetto?

o Galilei followed what he thought was Aristoxenass method of

dividing the fourth into 60 parts, and having a 12+12+36 grouping

of these divisions. He also argues for the equal division of thewhole tone.

o William Holder (1616-1698, Cambridge) also had an Aristoxenian

division of the fourth, but argued that several divisions of the 4 th

could be chromatic.

o In sum, there are three views on the tuning of the semitones: Pythagorean

(most everyone), Aristoxenian equal (Galilei), and Aristoxenian unequal


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(William Holder).

Etymology ofChromatic

o It has something to do with color: Either chromatic musicmediates between the other genera, as color mediates between

black and white, or chromatic refers to the colored keys required

to pay such music on the keyboard. (The first is more common).

Affect

o Chromatic music is more effeminate and gentler than diatonic.

Even Zarlino and Vincentino agree on this.

o Mersenne (1588-1646, Paris) connected the three genera to the threefacets of the Trinity, and said the chromatic was the Son, to whom

we attribute beauty, equality, and wisdom.

o The chromatic was considered particularly difficult to realize in

performance.

Part Two: Theoretical Conceptions of the Chromatic Genus

The primary dividing question regarding the chromatic genus was

whether it consisted of an intervallic succession or novel pitch-classes.

This leads to two camps:

o Relativists: the chromatic genus consists of the use of a melodic

succession of intervals not found in the diatonic genus.

o Absolutists: the chromatic genus consists of the use of certain

pitch-classes not found in the diatonic genus. This view is moreclosely tied to the keyboard metaphor and requires the reification

of new pitches.

The relative conception:

o Most clearly articulated by Vincentino, and has a direct

correspondence to the Greek conception. Any pitch class could be

part of the chromatic genus, so long as there were melodicprogressions that matched the intervals of the genus. Other

relativists include Lusitano (1561), Galilei (1581), Burmeister (1599),

Printz (1679), and Malcolm (1721). Notice the 80 year gap between

Burmeister and Printz.

o Rameau can also be considered a relativist. In Traite (1722) he says

chromaticism occurs in melody when a melodic line proceeds bysemitones, ascending or descending.

The absolute conception:

o Most clearly articulated by Zarlino. Tones marked with accidentals

are the defining feature of the chromatic genus, and he considers

pitches created by musica ficta also to be chromatic. Other

absolutists are Bottrigari (1594), Morley (1597) and Werkmeister


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(1707).

Other conceptions:

o Mersenne builds up the genera successively, that is, the chromatic

genera contains all the notes of the diatonic, and the enharmoniccontains more notes still.

Part Three: Adapting Ancient Theory to Modern Practice

The problem is the status of the minor third. The Greek theory being used

as a reference only described monophonic vocal music, not polyphony.

So: did the minor third have to be used as a step in order for the music to

be chromatic?

Vincentino argued that whenever there was a melodic minor third, that

meant the music was chromatic, regardless of previous diatonicism. But

he insisted that the intervals of the chromatic genus could be used as the

only basis for a piece.

Zarlino finds this absurd, pointing out (correctly) that there are minor

thirds (as composite) intervals in diatonic music. Only the smallest stepscan define the genus. All later theorists also focus on the use of

consecutive semitones to define the chromatic genus.

By the mid 17th-century, the chromatic is no longer a genus but a scale that

proceeds by equal-semitones, seen most clearly in Nivers and Simpson. Atthe time the most common chromatic progression was filling in the 4 th

chromatically, and this, lacking a minor third, could not be considered a

member of the chromatic genera.

The concept of mixing the genera arose because theorists still wanted to

connect contemporary music to Greek writings, even in absence of the

m2nd-m2nd-m3rd pattern. Zarlino was the first to do this, saying that

composing perfect pieces was impossible with only the chromatic, butpossible by mixing the genera (the genus used as a whole does not have a

good erect, but in its parts it does.). All other theorists of the era, save

Vincentino, signed on. The latter believed genera mixture to be

unnecessary because he though composition and counterpoint in thechromatic was possible.

Conclusion

Modern conceptions of chromaticism reflect both absolutist and relativist

conceptions. We consider, as the relativists did, the chromatic scale to be a

linear succession of intervals, but we also speak of chromaticism asabsolutists did, that is, in the use of pitch-classes not in the diatonic

collection. Since we have movable do, white keys can also be chromatic.

The investigation into the nature of chromaticism was one of the first to


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point out the fundamental incompatibility of Greek writings and modern

music. Theorists, beginning with Zarlino and proceeding with all the

others save Vincentino, had to adapt Greek writings in the face of modern

musical practice. Thus the trend begun by Zarlino and hiscontemporaries paved the way for later theorists to abandon ancient

Greek theory altogether, which was the final step in creating a conceptionmore suited to tonal music.

People: Zarlino, Vincentino, Galilei, Marchetto,

Terms: chromaticism

Documents

Adams, Theories of Chromatic Ism (Notes)