MUSIC CHRONICLE
THE STATE OF AMERICAN MUSIC
The hereditary contradictions of classical and romantic music
are the problems of contemporary music. The classicists-notably Beetho–
ven-wrote large-scale works, dramatic narratives in which every musical
episode was an integral part of the plot. To achieve this, they used the
means of tonality-that is, each harmonic event was related to a central
tone (the key) . Thus a piece was formed upon one tone, and every
melodic figure grew out of it.
This basia tonality required that cpmpositions be written in terms
of harmony. Counterpoint, the harmonically independent counterplay
of two or more voices, was retired to a secondary position. Polyphony,
the style of counterpoint which has been paramount in music since the
twelfth century, and whose supremacy was interrupted occasionally only
by such populist attempts as the Renaissance opera, came to a halt.
Polyphony had held its position up to the times of Johann Sebastian
Bach. But polyphonic concepts were nearly. eliminated by his sons.
(Johann Christian Bach called his father
«die alte Perii.cke,"
the old–
fashioned wig.) With the Viennese classicists-Haydn, Mozart, and
Beethoven-polyphony played only a minor role. But the Viennese
romanticists, of whom Schubert was the first, gave it up completely.
Though the disappearance of polyphony
in
the music of Bach's sons
resulted in an oversimplification of musical devices, classical music
reached its fruition in so far as polyphonic characteristics were cen–
tralized by a unifying harmonic concept-tonality. But this very cen–
tralization ended by eliminating polyphony-whence one of the most
important factors in the post-romantic crisis in music.
It is easy to see why polyphony is a higher musical art form.
Melody is evolved according to its own exigencies, not by harmonic
precepts. In the simultaneous occurrence of decisive musical pheno–
mena, polyphony poses intricate problems, admits a variety of emo–
tional responses foreign to harmonic music. It requires greater sensitivity
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