Harmonic Explorations
"The Five" had already been using chromatic harmony and the whole-tone scale before Rimsky-Korsakov composed Sadko. Glinka had used the whole-tone scale in Ruslan and Lyudmila as the leitmotif of the evil dwarf Chernomor. "The Five" continued using this "artificial" harmony as a musical code for the fantastic, for the demonic, and for black magic. To this code Rimsky added the octatonic scale in Sadko. This was a device he adapted from Liszt. In it, semitones alternate with whole tones, and the harmonic functions are comparable to those of the whole-tone scale. Once Rimsky-Korsakov discovered this functional parallel, he used the octatonic scale as an alternative to the whole-tone scale in the musical portrayal of fantastic subjects. This held true not only for Sadko but later for his symphonic poem Skazka ("The Tale") and the many scenes depicting magical happenings in his fairy-tale operas.
Read more about this topic: Sadko (musical Tableau)
Famous quotes containing the word harmonic:
“For decades child development experts have erroneously directed parents to sing with one voice, a unison chorus of values, politics, disciplinary and loving styles. But duets have greater harmonic possibilities and are more interesting to listen to, so long as cacophony or dissonance remains at acceptable levels.”
—Kyle D. Pruett (20th century)