CCM hosts guest lecture on large-scale tonality in rock music

The series continues at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 1, with a presentation by CCM alum Brett Clement (PhD Music Theory, 2009), an Associate Professor of Music Theory at Ball State University. The title of Clement's talk is "Analyzing Large-Scale Tonality in Rock Music: Steady-Scale and Steady-Tonic Systems." The lecture will be presented in the Baur Room of CCM's Corbett Center for the Performing Arts.

How do rock songs create tonal unity? This presentation addresses this question by introducing a conceptual framework built around two contrasting tonal systems: steady-scale and steady-tonic. These systems are named according to the underlying feature that remains consistent in the music, with steady-scale systems unified by their adherence to notes within a diatonic pitch collection/key signature and steady-tonic systems unified by an unwavering tonic pitch. As the two systems exploit musical elements in largely opposite ways, this presentation lays out the range of possibilities for tonal drama, ambiguity, and global hierarchy in songs exemplifying one or the other system. It concludes with analyses of songs that are mixtures of the two systems, thereby featuring a more fluid approach to tonal organization.

Since its inception in 1997, CCM's Thinking About Music Series has presented nearly 130 lectures and one symposium by guests from a number of different colleges, universities, schools of music, foundations, institutes, museums and publications. The series is co-directed by Professor of Music Theory Steven Cahn and Associate Professor of Musicology Jeongwon Joe.

The subjects of the lectures have covered historical musicology, music theory and ethnomusicology, along with the ancillary fields of organology, dance, music business and law, cognitive psychology, and the philosophy, theology and sociology of music.

CCM’s Thinking About Music Series is sponsored by the Joseph and Frances Jones Poetker Fund of the Cambridge Charitable Foundation, Ritter & Randolph, LLC, Corporate Counsel; along with support from the Dean's Office, the Graduate Student Association and the Division of Composition, Musicology and Theory at CCM. These music theory and history discussions feature diverse topics presented by distinguished experts from all over the United States and are designed to engage participants’ imaginations and to consider music in new ways.

A preeminent institution for the performing and media arts, the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) is the largest single source of performing arts presentations in the state of Ohio. All event dates and programs are subject to change. For a complete calendar of public events, visit ccm.uc.edu/onstage.

Featured image at top: A decorative graphic containing the words "The Joseph and Frances Jones Poetker Thinking About Music Lecture Series." Graphic Design/Mikki Graff