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The History of Emotions
in music
Eóin Rock
Fiachradh McDermott
Bronwyn Henebury
03-04-2014
Topics
• The Greeks – the seven modes
• The Renaissance –Monteverdi’s madrigals and operas
• 18th century – Wagner’s ‘Parsifal’
The Greeks
• Musical modes and emotions
Aristotle
• But it is clear that we are affected in a certain
manner, both by many other kinds of music and not
least by the melodies of Olympus, for these
admittedly make our souls enthusiastic, and
enthusiasm is an affection of the character of the
soul. - Aristotle, Politics, Book 8, 1340a. (350 B.C.E)
The seven modes
• Ionian (Major scale)
CDEFGABC
• Dorian
DEFGABCD
• Phrygian
EFGABCDE
STTTSTT
• Lydian
FGABCDEF
TTTSTTS
• Mixolydian
GABCDEFG
TTSTTST
• Aeolian (Minor scale)
ABCDEFGA
TSTTSTT
• Locrian
BCDEFGAB
STTSTTT
• T=Tone S=Semi-tone
TTSTTTS
TSTTTST
The Ancient Greeks and Emotions
• Aristotle's Rhetoric Book 2
Pity
• Anger
Indignation
• Mildness
Envy
• Enmity
Emulation
• Fear
Contempt
• Confidence
• Shame
• Shamelessness
• Benevolence
Ionian mode
• Ionian (Major scale) C D E F G A B C TTSTTTS
• Along with the Lydian mode it was considered a 'soft/relaxing'
melody for drinking.
• 'And which are the soft or drinking harmonies?
The Ionian, he replied, and the Lydian; they are
termed 'relaxed.'' - Plato's Republic Book 3
• Examples: Frosty the snowman
Dorian Mode
• Dorian
DEFGABCD
TSTTTST
• Manly, Brave, warlike. Plato recognised it as being useful.
• 'I want to have one warlike, to sound the note or accent which a
brave man utters in the hour of danger and stern resolve' Plato's Republic Book 3
• Examples: Drunken Sailor, 'Smoke on the water' Deep Purple
Phrygian Mode
• Phrygian
EFGABCDE
STTTSTT
• Makes one's character peaceful.
• 'and another to be used by him in times of peace and
freedom of action, when there is no pressure of necessity' Plato's Republic Book 3
• Examples: 'Adagio for Strings' by Samuel Barber
Lydian Mode
• Lydian
FGABCDEF
TTTSTTS
• Like the Ionian mode considered to create a 'soft' 'drinking'
melody. Plato saw these modes as useless and indeed harmful to
the character of men and women in a civilised society.
• 'These then, I said, must be banished; even to women who have
a character to maintain they are of no use, and much less to
men.' - Plato's Republic Book 3
• Examples: 'The Simpsons' theme by Danny Elfman
Mixolydian Mode
• Mixolydian
GABCDEFG
TTSTTST
• Had a sad and mournful effect on one's character.
• 'but listen to some in a more mournful and restrained state, for
instance the mode called Mixolydian' - Aristotle's Politics Book
8
• Examples: Sweet Home Alabama by Lynard Skynard
Why did Aristotle and Plato exclude the
Aeolian and Locrian mode?
• Possibly they were out of fashion at that stage as theorised by
David Binning Monro in 'The Modes of Ancient Greek music'
(London, 1894).
• Maybe they were just not considered to have a considerable or
definable moral influence on one's character like the other
modes.
• The Greek philosophers were hardly musicians themselves so
possibly were just unfamiliar with them.
Mixolydian Mode analysed
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Cyokaj3BJU
• Mixolydian
GABCDEFG
TTSTTST
• Is a very major sounding scale. The intervals of the major scale are very similar.
• TTSTTTS
• The only difference being the intervals between the last two notes.
• This would contradict Aristotle's assessment of the mixolydian being a sad and
'mournful' piece. If anything we would associate this assessment to a more minor
sounding mode like the dorian, phyrigian or aeolian mode.
• However Plutarch a much later Greek philosopher agreed wholeheartedly with Plato's
and Aristotle's assessments of the modes suggesting that certainly some notable
people agreed.
• Evidence for social-constructionism or proof that the modes the Greeks used were
indeed interpreted wrongly by the medieval theorists?
Claudio Monteverdi
1567 – 1643
Italian composer, gambist, singer and RC priest.
Renaissance music
Madrigal
• A secular, polyphonic vocal
music composition
• 1605, the 5th book of
Madrigals: Cruda Amarilli
• Shift from prima pratica to
seconda pratica
From the preface to
Monteverdi’s ‘Scherzi
Musicali,’ 1607
Cruda Amarilli
Cruda Amarilli
Cruda Amarilli
Cruda Amarilli che col
nome ancora
D'amar, ahi lasso,
amaramente insegni.
Amarilli del candido
ligustro,
Più candida e più
bella,
Ma dell'aspido sordo
E più sorda e più fera
e più fugace.
Poi che col dir
t'offendo
I mi morò tacendo.
Cruel Amaryllis, who
with your name
to love, alas, bitterly
you teach.
Amaryllis, more than
the white privet
pure, and more
beautiful,
but deafer than the
asp,
and fiercer and more
elusive.
Since telling I
offended you,
I shall die in silence.
Opera
•
•
•
•
musical drama
1607 ‘L’Orfeo’
Greek legend of Orpheus
Orpheus descends to Hades to bring his dead bride
Eurydice back to the living world, but does not
succeed...
• Tu se morta – you are dead...
Word painting in Tu se’ morta
Death = slow and somber notes
to the deepest abysses = descending melody
to see the stars again = ascending melody
Tu se' morta, se
morta, mia vita
ed io respiro, tu se' da
me partita,
se' da me partita per
mai piu,
mai piu' non tornare,
ed io rimangono, no, che se i versi
alcuna cosa ponno,
You are dead, you are dead, my dearest,
And I breathe, you have left me,
You have left me forevermore,
Never to return, and I remainNo, no, if my verses have any power,
I will go confidently to the deepest abysses,
And, having melted the heart of the king of shadows,
Will bring you back to me to see the stars again,
Or, if pitiless fate denies me this,
I will remain with you in the company of death.
Farewell earth, farewell sky, and sun, farewell.
Wagner
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•
•
•
Born 1813, died 1883.
German composer, theatre director, and conductor.
Known for his operas.
Called operas "music dramas".
Works included:
• Der Ring des Nibelung
• Tristan
• Parsifal
Parsifal
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•
•
•
Parsifal himself
Amfortas
Kundry
Klingsor
Themes
•
•
•
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Blood
Sexuality
The Grail
Religion
Kundry's entry
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8668wDE9N3g
• 36:40
Questions?
• Thanks for your attention!