MODERN HARMONY Meaning and
Definition
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Modern harmony refers to a distinct approach to harmony found in contemporary music compositions following the 20th century. It embodies the techniques and principles developed by composers during this era, particularly those associated with the modernist and postmodernist movements. This innovative harmonic style strays from traditional tonality, exploring new harmonic structures and complex tonal relationships.
Unlike classical harmony, which primarily relies on adherence to major and minor key tonalities and functional progressions, modern harmony embraces dissonance, atonality, and the use of tone clusters. It often challenges conventional harmonic expectations, incorporating polytonality, unpredictable progressions, and extended chords, such as seventh, ninth, or eleventh chords, beyond their conventional functions.
Furthermore, modern harmony frequently emphasizes timbral exploration and unique sonorities, utilizing various instrumental techniques to achieve unconventional harmonic effects. This approach encourages experimentation with sound color and texture, blurring the lines between harmony and other musical elements like rhythm, texture, and form.
Modern harmony can also incorporate non-Western musical influences, borrowing from various cultures' harmonic systems and utilizing exotic scales to create distinctive tonal palettes. This inclusivity broadens the horizons of harmonic possibilities, promoting cultural diversity and cross-cultural musical exchange.
Overall, modern harmony represents a departure from traditional harmonic norms, embracing dissonance, complex tonal relationships, atonality, and unique timbral explorations. It reflects the musical innovations and artistic freedom of the 20th and 21st centuries, allowing composers to push the boundaries of traditional harmony and create new sonic landscapes.
Common Misspellings for MODERN HARMONY
- nodern harmony
- kodern harmony
- jodern harmony
- midern harmony
- mkdern harmony
- mldern harmony
- mpdern harmony
- m0dern harmony
- m9dern harmony
- mosern harmony
- moxern harmony
- mocern harmony
- mofern harmony
- morern harmony
- moeern harmony
- modwrn harmony
- modsrn harmony
- moddrn harmony
- modrrn harmony
- mod4rn harmony
Etymology of MODERN HARMONY
The term "modern harmony" derives from the combination of two words: "modern" and "harmony".
The word "modern" originated from the Late Latin word "modernus", meaning "of the present time" or "recent". It was formed by combining the Latin words "modo", meaning "just now" or "only", and "ernus", indicating "pertaining to". The term gradually evolved to describe a departure from traditional or old-fashioned practices and ideas, referring to contemporary or up-to-date things.
The word "harmony" has its roots in the ancient Greek word "harmonia", which referred to a musical concept. In music theory, harmony embodies the combination of simultaneous sounds, chords, or tones that are pleasing to the ear. Over time, the term expanded its meaning beyond music to describe a state of agreement, accord, or consonance between elements, people, or ideas.
