I know contemporary composers always use the semitone clash to create horror or unpleasant sound effects. But what is the role of semitone clash in classical tonal music?
The reason I ask this is that when I listen to Schumann's Album fur die Jugend (Album for the Young) no.26, there is one semitone clash (F and F sharp) which sounds really unnatural to me. At the very beginning, I thought the performer played a wrong notes during the recording section. But later I discovered that it is Schumann's intention to include the semitone clash in bar 17 (see the red circle of my attachment).
Right after this semitone clash there's a major 2nd clash between G in the bass and the A in the R.H melody.
The two ugly clashes here doesn't make much sense to me.
Can anyone explain why a semitone clash and then a major 2nd clash is good here? For me, it sounds like a mistake of the composer
The explanations are illustrated below. The progression is V7/IV, vii65/IV, IV. The F# is a chromatic passing tone, the G and A on beat 2 of m. 17 are both chord tones in a first inversion vii7 chord in B-flat. Melodically, the passing F# is the second note of the piece's head-motive, as heard in mm. 1 and 13, so it is not at all out of place.
The explanations are illustrated below. The progression is V7/IV, vii65/IV, IV. The F# is a chromatic passing tone, the G and A on beat 2 of m. 17 are both chord tones in a first inversion vii7 chord in B-flat. Melodically, the passing F# is the second note of the piece's head-motive, as heard in mm. 1 and 13, so it is not at all out of place.
I've seen the semi-tone clash in some of my favorite composers, whom I hate to consider " contemporary", because they still strongly stick to the ideas of older composers. I've heard it in Prokofiev, Gershwin, Shostakovitch, et alios. I actually really enjoy the use of it provided it's done correctly.
How about this example from the slow movement of Beethoven's Sonata Op. 2 no. 1? There is much harsher dissonance in measure 22 than in the Schumann:
Composers of tonal music from the beginning till today reveled in exploiting all the dissonance the laws of counterpoint allowed. I would call passages like these piquant and delightful rather than ugly.
My all-time favourite semitone "clashes" are those which recur repeatedly between the oboes in the opening chorus of Bach's St John Passion Herr, unser Herrscher:
Frankly speaking, I love semitone clashes in this way too.
The clashes created by Bach seem to blend in the whole piece successfully.
I don't know why I don't like the one in Schumann's piano.
Maybe Bach's texture is thicker, other instruments minimize the unpleasant effects of the semitone clash while Schumann's piece contain only a piano.
The Rodrigo piano piece (Siciliana) I'm working on wastes no time getting to a semi-tone clash, the very first chord of the piece is D#-F-E. Two clashes in one.
I love a good semi-tone clash.
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