Le 28 juin 2017
de 16h00 à 16h30
Le Patio (université de Strasbourg)
22 rue René Descartes, 67000 Strasbourg
salle 3208
Séance - Sounds of Popular Music (I)
Pré-acte / Acte
Auteur : Mark Richards
Although rock’s Aeolian progression has been described by Biamonte (2010), Everett (2009), and Moore (1992), among others, as residing in the Aeolian mode as bVI-bVII-i (or bVI-bVII-I), its regular conflation with a major-mode interpretation of IV-V-vi and the tonal ambiguity that results have not been discussed in any great detail. When surrounded by passages clearly in the relative major or minor, or when the final chord of the progression is absent, the tonality of the Aeolian progression is significantly weakened since the harmony can suggest multiple tonics. This paper proposes melody to be fundamental in distinguishing between the two interpretations. Specifically, a particular mode is favored when the melody either emphasizes its tonic note, or is bounded by the mode’s tonic and dominant notes. Thus, rather than view such progressions entirely in one mode or another, such an approach aims to characterize their tonal fluidity in a way not easily captured by Roman numerals.
While the Aeolian progression has been recognized as a staple of rock harmony, it is not always unequivocally aligned with the Aeolian mode but may instead waver between two modes. This presentation is an initial foray into the precariousness and flexibility of the progression’s perceived tonality.
