In Defense of Dissonance
I sometimes find it unbearable to listen to Mozart. If his works are beautiful, it is a beauty of stability, of order. As below, so above: The tonic brings order to the notes; G-d brings order to the world.
It seems like a comforting thing to believe. I wish that I could.
I sometimes find it unbearable to listen to Mozart and his ilk for just this reason. If his works are often beautiful, it is a beauty of stability, of order, a beauty that bespeaks an unquestioned belief in a stable, ordered world. The leading tone resolves to the tonic, V7 returns to I, wayward themes settle back to where they belong. As below, so above: The tonic brings order to the notes; the king brings order to the state; G-d brings order to the world. There’s always a higher power working behind the scenes to guide everything to a fitting close.
It seems like a comforting thing to believe. I wish that I could.
