“Really, Eastern Europeans sing harmony in 2nds by ear?” Yes, and it contrasts starkly with what Westerners expect to hear:
- Western vocalists sing parallel 3rds and 6ths because they sound pleasant and stable to our ears.
- The idea that singers would willingly sing parallel 2nds baffles many musicians.
However, according to Curt Sachs, that’s exactly what happens:
There is a constant grating friction, the one or two steps of the melody are accompanied at the minimal distance of an often nondescript second. (The Wellsprings of Music 180)
In addition, it’s not a rare occurrence, but spans large parts of the globe.
…we meet with a startling kind of parallel, almost unbearable to our ear, in a wide stretch from Micronesia to South Africa and the southeastern quarter of Europe… (The Wellsprings of Music 179)
Is what we perceive as consonance and dissonance innate, or have we just been steeped in the music we grew up with?
- This question made me wonder if just intonation was just a European theory instead of a universal principle. (Not that I think just intonation is bad, mind you.)
- To me, the parallel-2nds polyphony seemed to be evidence against the idea that everything in music can be based on harmonious small number ratios.