False relation
A false relation (also known as cross-relation, non-harmonic relation) is the name of a type of dissonance that sometimes occurs in polyphonic music, most commonly in vocal music of the Renaissance and particularly in English music into the eighteenth century. The term describes a "
In the above example, a chromatic false relation occurs in two adjacent voices sounding at the same time (shown in red). The
In this instance, the false relation is less pronounced: the contradicting E♭ (soprano voice) and E♮ (bass voice) (
False relation is in this case desirable since this chromatic alteration follows a melodic idea, the rising 'melodic minor'. In such cases false relations must occur between different voices, as it follows that they cannot be produced by the semitones that occur diatonically in a mode or scale of any kind. This horizontal approach to polyphonic writing reflects the practices of composers in the
Many composers from the late 16th century onwards however began using the effect deliberately as an expressive device in their word setting. This practice continued well into the Romantic era, and can be heard in the music of Mozart and Chopin, for example.[1]
See also
References
- ^ ISBN 978-1-56159-239-5.
- ^ Arnold Whittall (2002). "False Relation", The Oxford Companion to Music. Ed. Alison Latham. Oxford University Press. King's College London. Oxford Reference Online. Accessed 18 March 2007.
- ISBN 978-1-56159-239-5.
External links
- Luís Henriques (Saturday, July 21, 2007). "William Byrd - Ave Verum Corpus", Atrium Musicologicum. Another description of the use of false relation in Byrd's Ave Verum Corpus. [This blog is open to invited readers only]