Chapter 1: Intervals

Textural characteristics of intervals:

• perfect fifth and octave – open consonances

• major and minor thirds and sixths – soft consonances
• minor seconds and major sevenths – sharp dissonances
• major seconds and minor sevenths – mild dissonances
• perfect fourth – consonant or dissonant (cons. in diss.
surroundings and vice versa)
• tritone – (augmented fourth or diminished fifth) – ambiguous, can
be either neutral or restless

Inversion and spacing

When intervals are inverted, their consonant-dissonant quality

changes because the spacing and register have been altered
(inverting the perfect fifth alters its basic function, this solid interval
becoming an unstable perfect fourth).
When the minor second is inverted it becomes a major seventh and
thereby loses some of its sting.
If intervals are spaced more than an octave apart, the soft
consonances (thirds and sixths) become richer; open consonances
(octaves and fifths) and the consonant perfect fourth become
stronger. Dissonances (seconds and sevenths) become less biting,
yet more brilliant. The tritone becomes more ambiguous and veiled;
restless in diatonic progressions, it becomes even less addicted to
resolution.

Intervals in chords

Any kind of chord has its own natural doubling, such as the
doubling of roots in major triads.
Any note may be doubled, tripled or omitted for specific textural
purposes. Doubling may be used to enrich simple chords, to point
up characteristic part-writing, or to strengthen certain parts of a
chord. A doubled major third adds color and a doubled dissonant
tone increases the bite. Excessive coupling (all voices doubled)
produces percussive-sounding harmony.
Chord members may be so arranged that specific kinds of intervals
monopolize the musical pattern.

Spacing is an essential part of the character of a tonal structure. For

ordinary balance, the wide intervals are placed at the bottom of the
chord; for tautness, the wide intervals are placed at the top.
Closely spaced harmony crowded with small intervals clears when
each hcord is broken into a succession of intervals in two-part
writing.

But harmony that is clouded may remain so and be effective; both

cloudy and clear chordal materials are essential ingredients in
musical composition. The overtone series is useful in measuring the
aural difference.

Overtone influence

Any tone generates a series of overtones or partials that reach

upward indefinitely, though not all are audible.
A tone may be used in chordal structures or consecutively in
melodic lines. A tone produced on an instrument capable of
generating high overtones recognizable by the ear can have a
quality that is resonant and realtively dissonant because of the
crowding of the upper partials.
The same note played on a medium having overtones that stop
aurally with the lower or middle partials will sound realtively
consonant, but lack resonance.

The fifth (partial 3) is a lower partial than the third (partial 5) and
consequently is more powerful. Resonant harmony is formed by
using overtones of overtones. For example, in a C-E-G-B chord, the
seventh (B) is the fifth above the third (E). In this sense both C and
E are accompanied by their fifths and therefore have strong
relationships with these other tones.
If we wish to add an additional resonant tone, we should add not a
higher, weaker overtone of C (such as F#) but a lower and stronger
overtone of an overtone (such as G# which is partial n.5 of E)

Chordal structures are most resonant when the distances between

the members are somewhat similar to those in the overtone series
(wide spacing in the lower register and close spacing in the upper
register).
The overtone series sets a norm for brilliance. For maximum
brilliance, let the lower tones of the chord be accompanied by their
own overtones.
The principle of supporting resonance by lower sonority is
occasionally applied to chordal structures.
Most effective supporting tones are the fifth or ninth below the
bottom tone of the chord because the fifth is a strong and resonant
interval and the ninth is a fifth below the fifth