Discuss how composers used non-functional harmonies in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to extend or break away from traditional tonal principles, and provide concrete examples.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, composers began to explore non-functional harmonies as a way to extend, challenge, and even break away from the traditional tonal principles that had dominated Western music for centuries. Non-functional harmony refers to chord progressions that do not follow the expected patterns of functional tonality, which relies heavily on the dominant-tonic relationship and related diatonic progressions. Instead, composers began to use chords for their color, texture, and expressive potential, often ignoring their traditional roles in harmonic progressions. This shift led to more chromaticism, increased dissonance, and a more fluid approach to harmonic movement.
One of the primary ways composers used non-functional harmony was by employing chromaticism. This involved using notes and chords that were not diatonic to the prevailing key. For example, instead of strictly following the notes of the C major scale, composers began introducing accidentals – sharps and flats – into their harmonies. This resulted in more complex and colorful chord progressions that often defied traditional functional analysis. These chromatic chords, such as augmented triads, diminished seventh chords, and altered dominant chords, could then be used to create a sense of instability and heightened expression, and also as a way to modulate to different tonal areas in an indirect and unexpected fashion.
Another technique composers used was modal interchange, also known as mode mixture or borrowed chords. This involved incorporating chords from a parallel minor or from other modes into a major or minor key context. This allowed composers to introduce colors and flavors that were not traditionally part of the diatonic palette. For example, borrowing chords from the parallel minor can create a darker, more melancholic feel. Using the submediant from the minor in the major can provide a brief moment of instability, before resolving. Modal interchange made it possible to have chords progress in a way that did not follow functional rules, but rather based on their specific modal color.
Composers also began to use unresolved dissonances to create tension and ambiguity. In traditional functional harmony, dissonant chords resolve to consonant chords; however, composers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries often left dissonances unresolved, prolonging the sense of unease and creating an atmosphere of ambiguity. This use of unresolved dissonances was a key aspect of the new harmonic language. This was often achieved through using more complex chords, such as extended harmonies (ninths, elevenths, and thirteenths) and polychords (the simultaneous use of multiple chords), and creating more dissonant intervals between the voices. The purpose of this was to destabilize and destabilize traditional harmony, moving the music in new directions.
The use of altered chords was another technique for breaking away from traditional harmony. Altered chords involve raising or lowering notes within a chord, creating new and often unexpected harmonic flavors. Altered dominants, for instance, included a flattened or sharpened fifth, ninth, or other extensions. These alterations changed the way that these chords were perceived. The traditional expectation of how the dominant would resolve into the tonic was undermined by this, and this led to new harmonic possibilities and new ways for the music to progress.
Examples:
1. Richard Wagner: Wagner's opera "Tristan und Isolde" is a prime example of music that pushes the boundaries of traditional tonality. The famous "Tristan chord," which is a complex four-note chord (F-B-D#-G#) is never resolved in a traditional sense. It appears several times throughout the opera and instead is used to create tension, and its appearance creates an unsettled feeling. The opera is characterized by its heavy use of chromaticism and unresolved dissonances. The harmonic language often avoids a clear sense of tonal center, and instead creates a sense of yearning and desire that reflects the psychological state of the characters.
2. Claude Debussy: Debussy's music is often characterized by its use of non-functional harmony for color and atmosphere. His piece "Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune" is an example of this. The use of parallel chords moving in parallel motion and extended harmonies creates a dreamy and impressionistic effect rather than a sense of functional progression. The chords do not follow typical voice leading and move around based on their color rather than their harmonic function. This gives the music a very fluid and elusive quality, and it challenges the traditional tonal structures.
3. Igor Stravinsky: Stravinsky, particularly in his early works, used polytonality, which is a direct challenge to the traditional use of harmony. He used multiple tonal centers at the same time. In "The Rite of Spring," Stravinsky uses complex rhythms, polychords, and dissonance to create a primal, powerful and unsettling atmosphere. The harmonies are not always functional in the traditional sense; instead, they emphasize rhythmic drive and create a sense of dissonance. The use of rhythmic and harmonic complexity is used to express the themes of the work.
4. Arnold Schoenberg: Schoenberg developed the 12-tone technique, which abandoned traditional tonality altogether. He sought to create a system where all 12 chromatic tones were used equally, without a sense of tonal center or hierarchy. This is a prime example of the complete break from traditional tonal language. In his atonal works, the harmonies were not functional at all, they instead focused on the abstract organization of musical ideas.
In conclusion, composers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries used non-functional harmonies to expand the expressive range of music, challenge the established tonal system, and break away from traditional harmonic practices. Through techniques like chromaticism, modal interchange, unresolved dissonances, altered chords, and extended harmonies, composers created new musical landscapes that profoundly impacted the course of music history and opened up possibilities for composers of the next generations.