. . . at Home
It is not yet 8 a.m., and one of our children has been directed to fetch something from his room. Within seconds of his entering the room, there is squawking and protest from Big Brother, who shares the room. Big Brother is near neither the desired object nor the path to it. And yet, somehow, conflict has arisen! It is the day’s first – and by no means last – occurrence of domestic dissonance.
. . . in Music
Musically, these clashes – be they large or small – are called dissonance . . . as opposed to consonance. Consonance and dissonance are, according to a music dictionary “a means of classifying the interval [or distance] between two simultaneous notes. Very generally, consonant intervals are regarded as . . . stable, whereas dissonant intervals are regarded as . . . unstable.”
In other words, a consonant interval (two notes played at the same time) sounds peaceful, pleasant – like children playing happily together! Dissonant intervals are more abrasive and cause the listener to long for change – like when those same children become fascinated with the same toy . . . at the same time. When our kids argue, someone – either they or we – must resolve it. The same term is used in music; a dissonant chord resolves into a consonant one.
At this point it might be tempting to ask why, if dissonant chords sound abrasive and unpleasant, a composer would include them in a piece of music. Because they are essential; without them, the music stalls. Music can carry us along over a range of emotions, can transport us to another place – can move us – because of the never-ending tension between consonance and dissonance. Too much consonance, and the music will not move – or will need another musical element, such as rhythm, to do so. Too much dissonance, and the listener will likely become agitated, edgy, upset or stop listening! An artfully written piece of music will have just enough of both consonance and dissonance.
And speaking of dissonance, there is now toothpaste appearing in strange places all over the house. . . . I think I know who is composing. More next week.