Music question

[icepixie]

Music theorists, I have a question for you. I recently heard Dar Williams's "And a God Descended" for the first time, and I found that there was something really, really musically satisfying about the first line of the chorus, or rather the first two lines, since the melody and arrangement repeats itself. (Here's a clip of the relevant part, with a bit of the preceding verse for context.) It's not necessarily that I think it's pretty, though I do, but rather that it feels very, very right that these notes/chords follow each other in this order. Is there some objective reason why I find it so satisfying, such a particularly strong resolution of the chords involved, or something like that? Or is it pure idiosyncrasy?

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Comments

[sleepingcbw.livejournal.com]

I'm listening to Pachelbel's Canon now, and am sort of gobsmacked at the fact that the sequence is exactly the same; I totally hear it now, but would never have guessed until you told me

-insert Pachelbel's Rant joke here-

Actually, I find it more annoying when it happens in reverse -- when I'll be playing someone that has a Pachelbel progression in it, and suddenly my brain starts singing R. Kelly's "World's Greatest" along with it. Fortunately I don't have occasion to play that progression very often. :)


...? Would I understand if you explained?

Sure. It's not really complicated; it just has nothing to do with the question above. :)

Basically there are three functions of chords: tonic (I, iii), subdominant (IV, vi, ii), and dominant (V, vii). A whole crapload of music goes

tonic -> subdominant -> dominant -> tonic

except sometimes there'll be extra chords in there, like a I hanging out with the subdominants where it doesn't belong, or a V near the beginning that isn't really doing V-ish things. These are called extensions (tonic extensions, dominant extensions, subdominant extensions).

The Pachelbel canon breaks down like this:

C: tonic
G-a-e: either subdominant, or sequential material that doesn't count, depending on who your theory professor is
F-C-F: subdominant (the C is a subdominant extension)
G: dominant

If this song followed the pattern exactly, the chorus would begin on a subdominant extension C. Instead, it begins on a tonic C. (Williams can do that, because F-C is a legitimate ending cadence in pop music -- but for Pachelbel the final cadence has to be G-C, so he can't just stop there.)


Hey, thanks for helping me pretend I don't teach high school for a little while! :)

[sleepingcbw.livejournal.com]

(Wait, oops! Expansions, not extensions. Extensions are something different. :D )

[icepixie]

Fortunately I don't have occasion to play that progression very often.

You and your Webern. :)

Interesting explanation. I feel like one of these days I should check a music theory textbook out of the library or something (and hope that it comes with an accompanying CD, 'cause I never know the songs they use for reference), because I sort of vaguely know the terms and ideas behind them, and basically have just enough knowledge to be dangerous but not enough to really do anything with. It's an annoying limbo.

Hey, thanks for helping me pretend I don't teach high school for a little while! :)

Glad to be of service! :)