Papers by Neil Newton
Theoria, 2022
Modal mixture can be understood as a metaphor, or, as Agwau refers to it, a
fabricated prototype ... more Modal mixture can be understood as a metaphor, or, as Agwau refers to it, a
fabricated prototype designed to aid in our understanding of a musical object. Our analytical fictions map imperfectly onto the objects they describe, but it is the space created by this imperfect mapping – the contrast between what is clarified and what is distorted – that helps to inform our under-standing of the object. The metaphors of “mixture” and “borrowing” have become so widespread in music theory that the perceived distance between them and the objects they represent has all but been removed; the metaphor has become naturalized and thereby part of the ideology of our tonal listening.
In this article, I challenge the assumptions underlying modal mixture and
borrowing by turning to the intellectual history of the concept. I show that proto-theories of modal mixture emerged from a need to account for non-
diatonic harmonies in the very different music theoretic context of just intonation. While early theorizations drew on ideas as disparate as Hegelian dialectics (Hauptmann), chemical "fusion" (Helmholtz), and economics (Prout), the most relevant arguments of each theorist concern ways of dealing with exceptional musical circumstances, in particular accidentals for which they were unable to account using diatonic methods. To make sense of these musical moments, theorists such as Riemann and Prout suggested that the exceptional notes are "borrowed" from another key or diatonic set, while Schenker pointed towards the “mixture” of major and minor modes.
These historical cases for borrowing and mixture become less useful
outside the contexts of (a) just intonation, or, (b) a theoretical system that
views the diatonic scale as the primary generator of harmonies in tonal music. Furthermore, the conflation of metaphor and object obscure our understanding of harmonic operations in tonal music.
Music Analysis, 2022
An Investigation into Intrinsic and Extrinsic Function in Vagrant Harmonies Vagrant harmonies-tho... more An Investigation into Intrinsic and Extrinsic Function in Vagrant Harmonies Vagrant harmonies-those that suggest multiple resolutions-played a pivotal role in the transition from tonal to post-tonal music. 1 In recent decades, the independent functions of vagrant harmonies outside of the tonal context in which they operate have garnered much attention in musictheoretic research, and typically through the adoption of a mathematical approach. Richard Bass (2007) has examined how characteristic dissonances are exploited in vagrants, mapping the possible resolutions of harmonies containing characteristic dissonances with his RES function; Richard Cohn (2000 and 2011) has revived Weitzmann's regions, which centre on the vagrancy of the augmented triad, concentrating on how to map one event onto another; and Peter Schubert (1993) has demonstrated how vagrants can relate to the individual lines in a polyphonic texture. The mathematical notion of function in the study of harmony is widely seen as having been introduced by Hugo Riemann. As Brian Hyer (2011) has noted, Riemann's concept of function was possibly influenced by Gottlob Frege's work, which forms part of the dialogue relating to the definition of function in mathematics. However, David Kopp finds that, when examining the theories of Jean-Philippe Rameau, Gottfried Weber and Riemann, 'the lack of true teleological components in these theories of harmony can represent a serious shortcoming' (1995, §13) to a contemporary reader. Because the concept of teleology is a facet of biological notions of function that is not commonly present in mathematical ideas of function, this article will explore a biological model of function and use it to analyse vagrant harmonies, paying particular attention to the context, or lack thereof, from which the harmonies derive their biological function. Despite the wide use of the term 'function' in music, it has no accepted definition but rather encompasses a range of different meanings (Kopp 1995, § §1-3). Nonetheless, there is a tendency for music theorists to favour the mathematical concept of function, which likely stems from the fact that functions are relatively well defined in mathematics. The field of biology has also attempted to define concepts of function. As I hope to show, a biological perspective, even if less well defined than in mathematical sciences, offers an opportunity to extend a language to explore aspects of music that are slippery when examined using a traditional functional approach.
Popular Music, 2021
In the performance of bluegrass fiddle tunes, each repetition of the tune is generally played on ... more In the performance of bluegrass fiddle tunes, each repetition of the tune is generally played on a different instrument. I argue that the degree to which the instrument can influence the motivic material in improvised passages is beyond idiomaticism – where phrases might suit one instrument more than another – to the point where melodic pitch collections are shaped by the instrument itself. By combining post-human philosophies with music theories that emphasise instrument–player relationships, this essay shows how non-humans exercise agency in bluegrass improvisation. The resultant instrument-influenced passages contrast with each other, as each is played on a different instrument. This can help to signify formal structure within a performance, while the recurrence of particular instrument-influenced elements can be seen as a genre marker in bluegrass.
The Routledge Companion to Popular Music Analysis: Expanding Approaches, 2018
Histories and Narratives of Music Analysis, 2013
Music Analysis, 2014
Two views of Schoenberg's post-tonal music are common: that it is non-functional, and that there ... more Two views of Schoenberg's post-tonal music are common: that it is non-functional, and that there was a complete break from the tonal music that preceded it. In this article I show that there are aspects of functional voice leading, derived from tonality, that are still present in Schoenberg's early post-tonal music. Furthermore, this functional harmony also helps to communicate the form of the piece and to supply closure.
Thesis Chapters by Neil Newton
University of Auckland, 2012
This thesis argues that harmonic function did not disappear entirely the day that Schoenberg ‘fre... more This thesis argues that harmonic function did not disappear entirely the day that Schoenberg ‘freed music from the shackles of tonality.’It is rather easy to assume that harmonic function cannot exist without tonality. However, within this thesis I aim to demonstrate a system of functional harmony that can operate independently of tonality, and to show how it can suggest form in early post-tonal music. With a focus on voice-leading, this thesis suggests there are continuities with preceding harmonic practice that current analytical methods, such as set theory and transformation theory, while making other relevant observations, miss.
The approach used is built on the observation that not all interval classes are treated equally by Schoenberg. The most significant is his treatment of ic6, which still functions as we would expect it to in tonal music: by resolving in contrary motion by semitone to ic4. The ic6 can be a subset of a larger set, and, likewise, so can the ic4. The other vertical sonority that Schoenberg takes specific care with is pcset 3-12 (the augmented triad), which again functions in a way reminiscent of tonal voice-leading. One pitch class will remain in the following set, while the pitch class an ic4 higher will resolve up chromatically. Again, the initial pcset 3-12 can belong to a larger set and so can the resultant set.
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Papers by Neil Newton
fabricated prototype designed to aid in our understanding of a musical object. Our analytical fictions map imperfectly onto the objects they describe, but it is the space created by this imperfect mapping – the contrast between what is clarified and what is distorted – that helps to inform our under-standing of the object. The metaphors of “mixture” and “borrowing” have become so widespread in music theory that the perceived distance between them and the objects they represent has all but been removed; the metaphor has become naturalized and thereby part of the ideology of our tonal listening.
In this article, I challenge the assumptions underlying modal mixture and
borrowing by turning to the intellectual history of the concept. I show that proto-theories of modal mixture emerged from a need to account for non-
diatonic harmonies in the very different music theoretic context of just intonation. While early theorizations drew on ideas as disparate as Hegelian dialectics (Hauptmann), chemical "fusion" (Helmholtz), and economics (Prout), the most relevant arguments of each theorist concern ways of dealing with exceptional musical circumstances, in particular accidentals for which they were unable to account using diatonic methods. To make sense of these musical moments, theorists such as Riemann and Prout suggested that the exceptional notes are "borrowed" from another key or diatonic set, while Schenker pointed towards the “mixture” of major and minor modes.
These historical cases for borrowing and mixture become less useful
outside the contexts of (a) just intonation, or, (b) a theoretical system that
views the diatonic scale as the primary generator of harmonies in tonal music. Furthermore, the conflation of metaphor and object obscure our understanding of harmonic operations in tonal music.
Thesis Chapters by Neil Newton
The approach used is built on the observation that not all interval classes are treated equally by Schoenberg. The most significant is his treatment of ic6, which still functions as we would expect it to in tonal music: by resolving in contrary motion by semitone to ic4. The ic6 can be a subset of a larger set, and, likewise, so can the ic4. The other vertical sonority that Schoenberg takes specific care with is pcset 3-12 (the augmented triad), which again functions in a way reminiscent of tonal voice-leading. One pitch class will remain in the following set, while the pitch class an ic4 higher will resolve up chromatically. Again, the initial pcset 3-12 can belong to a larger set and so can the resultant set.
fabricated prototype designed to aid in our understanding of a musical object. Our analytical fictions map imperfectly onto the objects they describe, but it is the space created by this imperfect mapping – the contrast between what is clarified and what is distorted – that helps to inform our under-standing of the object. The metaphors of “mixture” and “borrowing” have become so widespread in music theory that the perceived distance between them and the objects they represent has all but been removed; the metaphor has become naturalized and thereby part of the ideology of our tonal listening.
In this article, I challenge the assumptions underlying modal mixture and
borrowing by turning to the intellectual history of the concept. I show that proto-theories of modal mixture emerged from a need to account for non-
diatonic harmonies in the very different music theoretic context of just intonation. While early theorizations drew on ideas as disparate as Hegelian dialectics (Hauptmann), chemical "fusion" (Helmholtz), and economics (Prout), the most relevant arguments of each theorist concern ways of dealing with exceptional musical circumstances, in particular accidentals for which they were unable to account using diatonic methods. To make sense of these musical moments, theorists such as Riemann and Prout suggested that the exceptional notes are "borrowed" from another key or diatonic set, while Schenker pointed towards the “mixture” of major and minor modes.
These historical cases for borrowing and mixture become less useful
outside the contexts of (a) just intonation, or, (b) a theoretical system that
views the diatonic scale as the primary generator of harmonies in tonal music. Furthermore, the conflation of metaphor and object obscure our understanding of harmonic operations in tonal music.
The approach used is built on the observation that not all interval classes are treated equally by Schoenberg. The most significant is his treatment of ic6, which still functions as we would expect it to in tonal music: by resolving in contrary motion by semitone to ic4. The ic6 can be a subset of a larger set, and, likewise, so can the ic4. The other vertical sonority that Schoenberg takes specific care with is pcset 3-12 (the augmented triad), which again functions in a way reminiscent of tonal voice-leading. One pitch class will remain in the following set, while the pitch class an ic4 higher will resolve up chromatically. Again, the initial pcset 3-12 can belong to a larger set and so can the resultant set.