What is Pandiatonicism in Music? - Music Theory

Music Matters

6 Jan 202224:20

EducationalLearning

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TLDRThis video examines the musical concept of pandiatonicism, explaining what it is, where it is used, and how composers employ it. Pandiatonicism utilizes the diatonic scale in a non-functional way, often with added dissonances. It emerged as an alternative to strict tonality and serialism in the 20th century, embraced by diverse composers like Stravinsky, Hindemith, and Copland. Examples demonstrate its non-functional harmonies and bitonality. The video explores its relation to conventional harmony and serialism, noting it provides harmonic freedom while retaining a tonal center.

Takeaways

😀 Pandiatonicism refers to music that uses the notes of the diatonic scale in a non-functional way, with some dissonance
👂 It was coined by Nicolas Slonimsky to describe music that can use any number of notes up to all 7 degrees of a diatonic scale
🎹 It often features tertian chord building with extensions, but without conventional harmonic function or resolution
🎵 Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Ravel, Hindemith, Milhaud and Copland used pandiatonicism, coming from different musical styles/traditions
🎼 It emerged as an alternative to the 12-tone serialism of Schoenberg, using a diatonic rather than fully chromatic approach
🎚 The bass line often determines the harmony in pandiatonic music
👍 It allows freedom in chord progression without needing to resolve dissonances functionally
🎶 Pandiatonicism is frequently found in Stravinsky's neoclassical music and in American composers like Copland
🔈 It can feature bitonality, with more than one key sounding simultaneously
🎼 Some see it as a counterpart to serialism while others view it as an entirely separate approach

Q & A

What does the term 'pandiatonicism' mean?
-Pandiatonicism refers to music that uses the notes of the diatonic scale, but without adhering to traditional harmonic function and progression. The harmony is non-functional and often quite dissonant.
Who introduced the term 'pandiatonicism'?
-The term 'pandiatonicism' was introduced by Nicolas Slonimsky in his book 'Music Since 1900'.
How does pandiatonicism differ from serialism?
-Pandiatonicism relies on the notes of a diatonic scale, while serialism is based on the twelve-tone chromatic scale. Pandiatonicism maintains some sense of tonality, while serialism abandons tonality completely.
What techniques are commonly used in pandiatonic music?
-Common techniques in pandiatonic music include extended and added chords, non-functional harmony, polytonality, quartal and quintal harmonies, tone clusters, and irregular resolutions.
Which composers pioneered the pandiatonic style?
-Key composers who pioneered pandiatonicism include Igor Stravinsky, Sergei Prokofiev, Maurice Ravel, Darius Milhaud, Paul Hindemith, Aaron Copland and others.
What is bitonality in relation to pandiatonicism?
-Bitonality refers to the simultaneous use of two different keys in pandiatonic music, creating harmonic tension and dissonance.
How does pandiatonicism contrast with conventional functional harmony?
-Unlike functional harmony, pandiatonicism does not rely on predictable chord progressions and resolutions. The chords are independent and do not necessarily lead to one another.
What is the preference for major keys in pandiatonicism attributed to?
-Composers tend to prefer major keys over minor in pandiatonicism, likely because the variable forms of minor make it more difficult to maintain a tonal center.
How does chord building work in the pandiatonic style?
-Chord building remains largely tertian in pandiatonicism, with added notes, extensions, and quartal/quintal structures being common.
What are some key examples of pandiatonicism in music?
-Notable examples include Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms, Gershwin's piano pieces, Copland's Third Symphony, jazz standards by Horace Silver and others.

Outlines

00:00

😀 Defining and Understanding Pandiatonicism

The first paragraph defines pandiatonicism and its origins. It explains that pan means all and diatonic refers to music in a key. Pandiatonicism implies using notes from all keys or using all notes within a diatonic scale. It differentiates pandiatonicism from atonal music as still having a tonal root. Chords are tertian, built in thirds, often with extensions while being non-functional in progression.

05:02

😊 Chord Building and Harmonic Freedom

The second paragraph further elaborates on tertian chord building by thirds and using extended chords without conventional harmonic resolution, allowing harmonic freedom. It also introduces bitonality with examples from Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms using an F major chord over a Bb bass that does not resolve, demonstrating pandiatonicism.

10:03

🤔 Diverse Stylistic Applications

The third paragraph shows pandiatonicism's application in diverse styles like jazz and Copland's 3rd symphony with three simultaneous keys. It notes the preference for major over minor keys and primary chord prominence.

15:04

😮 Contrast with Serialism

The fourth paragraph contrasts pandiatonicism with Schoenberg's 12-tone serialism as chromatic versus diatonic approaches. Slonimsky suggested pandiatonicism as a diatonic counterpart to serialism, with the potential to serialize the 7 diatonic notes.

20:06

🧐 Concluding Perspectives

The fifth paragraph concludes by characterizing serialism as diverging from any diatonic basis versus pandiatonicism's maintenance of a tonal framework. It references a professor defining pandiatonic music as "C major that sounds like hell" and encourages personal assessment of examples in Stravinsky and others.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Pandiatonicism

Pandiatonicism refers to a musical style that uses the notes of the diatonic scale, but does not adhere to traditional rules of functional harmony. The video explains that pandiatonic music is based on the diatonic scale, uses non-functional harmony, and gives composers freedom in how chords progress without resolving in conventional ways. Examples of pandiatonicism are seen in works by Stravinsky, Copland, and others.

💡Diatonic

Diatonic refers to the seven notes that comprise a major or minor scale, like the white keys on a piano. The video explains that pandiatonicism uses the notes of the diatonic scale, but not necessarily the diatonic chords or harmonic functions associated with a key. Pieces use diatonic notes freely without adhering to a key.

💡Chromatic

Chromatic refers to all twelve notes of the Western musical scale, including the black keys on a piano. The video states that pandiatonicism does not use chromatic notes, only the seven diatonic notes of a particular scale.

💡Bitonality

Bitonality refers to the simultaneous use of two different keys or tonal centers in a musical work. The video gives an example of bitonality from Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms, where an F major chord is combined with a Bb bass note, creating two tonalities at once.

💡Tertian

Tertian refers to the building of chords using intervals of thirds, like stacking thirds on top of a root note. The video explains that pandiatonic chord building is usually tertian in nature, using extensions like 7ths, 9ths, etc.

💡Neoclassicism

Neoclassicism was a 20th century musical style pioneered by Stravinsky that combined modern techniques with classical forms and ideas. The video positions pandiatonicism as a characteristic of neoclassical music, used by Stravinsky and others.

💡Serialism

Serialism was an early 20th century technique that used the twelve chromatic notes of the scale ordered in a series or row as the basis for composition. The video contrasts serialism's use of all twelve chromatic notes with pandiatonicism's limitation to seven diatonic notes.

💡Atonality

Atonality refers to music that lacks a tonal center or key. The video distinguishes pandiatonicism from atonality, stating that pandiatonic music maintains a tonal basis despite its unconventional harmonies.

💡Harmonic function

Harmonic function refers to the conventional hierarchical relationships and progressions between chords in a key, like tonic to dominant. The video states that pandiatonicism does not use functional harmony, allowing free chord progressions.

💡Dissonance

Dissonance refers to musical tones or chords that sound unstable and require resolution. Pandiatonicism frequently uses dissonant chords and intervals that do not resolve according to conventional harmonic rules.

Highlights

First significant research finding

Introduction of new theoretical model

Proposal of innovative experimental method

Transcripts

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