International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume VI, Issue VII, July 2022 | ISSN 2454–6186
Emmanuel Obed Acquah, Stephen Nyanteh Ayesu, and John Francis Annan
Department of Music Education, University of Education, Winneba
Abstract: Through the years leading up to Schonberg composers ignored the concept of non-harmonic tones and treated them as extended harmonies. This study scientifically analyses instances regarded as non-harmonic in music theory to resolve the contention surrounding such tones in order to inform music tonal harmony. Minuet in “G” by Christian Petzold was purposively selected and subjected to Overtone Analyzer to examine instances where tones that are regarded as non-harmonic in music theory could be seen as extended harmonic tones. The analysis showed that these tones, although regarded as non-harmonic tones in music theory, have harmonic traces in the overtones of the members of the pivot chord. The study, therefore, concludes that the assumed non-harmonic tones in Minuet in G, are naturally part of the chord they are presented with and are, therefore, extended harmonies as some earlier composers pointed out. The researchers, therefore, recommend a reconsideration of approaches to non-harmonic tones in music theory to foster unlimited perception in tonal harmony.
Keywords: Harmonic, non-harmonic, overtone, extended harmonies
I.INTRODUCTION
Doll (2013) revealed that the system of chords and inversion by Rameau indicated and supported the idea that accounts for some musical notes that may not form part of a principal chord—the non-harmonic tones. Today in most music theory lessons, non-harmonic tones are presented as passing tones, anticipated tones, suspensions and others. Contrarily, in the years that led up to Schonberg, composers, by their analytical thinking, considered non-harmonic tones to be forming new harmonies with notes which were previously non-harmonic (Schubert, 1993). Covach (2018), after a comprehensive discussion on the theory of harmony gave a thought on tones:
There are, then, no non-harmonic tones, no tones foreign to harmony, but merely tones foreign to the harmonic system. Passing tones, changing tones, suspensions, etc.) are, like sevenths and ninths, nothing else but attempts to include in the possibilities of tones sounding together – these are of course, by definition, harmonies – something that sounds similar to the more remote overtones. (p.166)
Schonberg, Carter and Frisch (2010) also extensively presented Arnold Schoenberg’s arguments on non-harmonic tones and pronounced such tones to be part of the overtone series of the chords that host them and therefore the need to