Im Digitalisierungsprojekt „Ernst Krenek lectures online: die musiktheoretischen Vorträge eines Exil-Österreichers“ wurden die im Archiv der Ernst-Krenek-Institut-Privatstiftung aufbewahrten Manuskripte und Typoskripte zu Kreneks Lehrveranstaltungen, Vorträgen und Radiosendungen in einer kuratierten Auswahl online verfügbar und durchsuchbar gemacht, sowie mit begleitenden historischen und biographischen Informationen kontextualisiert.
Digitalisiert wurden rund 90 Schriftgutobjekte mit einem Gesamtseitenumfang von rund 800 Seiten. 75% dieser Objekte sind Manuskripte, die restlichen 25% sind Typoskripte, wobei die Hälfte der Dokumente in deutscher, die andere Hälfte in englischer Sprache verfasst sind. Diese Dokumente stammen aus dem Nachlass Ernst Kreneks und stehen im Zusammenhang mit seiner Lehr- und Vortragstätigkeit sowohl in akademischen Institutionen als auch in Rundfunksendungen.
Textfehler und Schreibfehler wurden übernommen.
Fehlende i-Punkte, Umlautzeichen etc. werden stillschweigend ergänzt. Geminationsstriche werden aufgelöst. Leerzeichen und Abteilungszeichen werden standardisiert.
Fehlende Interpunktion wird nicht ergänzt. In Zweifelsfällen wird das den Rechtschreibregeln entsprechende Interpunktionszeichen erfasst. Striche werden immer als Bindestriche erfasst.
Es werden ausschließlich englisch Anführungszeichen verwendet. Es wird vorlagegemäß zwischen einfachen und doppelten Anführungszeichen unterschieden.
Die Silbentrennung wird vorlagegemäß übernommen.
Der Text wird in Seiten, Textfelder (Paragraphen, Überschriften, Seitenzahlen, Notizen) und Zeilen segmentiert.
Ernst Kreneks kompakte Darstellung des Regelwerks der Vokalpolyphonie des 16th Jahrhunderts.
1. Vocabulary:
The diatonic series corresponding to the C major scale
(white keys of the piano). The melodies to be combined
with each other in modal counterpoint move character-
istically in certain segments of that diatonic series,
called modes. Each mode is represented by a modal scale.
There are twelve modes, six of which are called authentic,
the others plagal.
The first tone of the authentic scales is called final.
The hypo-modes have the same final as their corresponding
authentic modes.
Musica ficta. The following alterations are available:
B flat: in all modes, in order to avoid tritone pro-
gressions (see below), more generally in Dorian and
Lydian.
C sharp: as raised leading tone in approaching the final
of Dorian.
F sharp: as raised leading tone in approaching the final
of Mixolydian.
G sharp: as raised leading tone in approaching the final
of Aeolian (if the g sharp is approached stepwise from
below, the F has to be raised to F sharp).
E flat: occasionally but rarely in Dorian.
The tritone is any progression comprising three whole tone
steps (augmented fourth, or diminished fifth, e.g.: B-F,
F-B, E-B flat, C-F sharp, etc.).
Chromatic progressions are not available (e.g.: B-B flat,
C-C sharp, and so forth), that is, a tone of the diatonic
series can not be followed or preceded by its own alter-
ation.
Augmented and diminished intervals are not available in
a melodic progression.
2. Melody:
a) Available rhythmic values:
double whole note, whole note, half note, quarter note,
eight note (only in pairs).
Available tyings-over:
b) Metric conditions:
alternation of potentially accented and unaccent beats.
Every other half beat is potentially accented.
Two quarter notes may not be used on a potentially
accented beat, unless preceded by at least one quarter
note, or followed by more quarter notes or a half note
tied over to the following accented beat.
c) Melodic line:
more stepwise than in skips. Irregular distribution of
rhythmic values, no periodical symmetry. Avoid the repe-
tition of melodic and rhythmic patterns (sequence).
Skips: available: minor and major third,
perfect fourth,
perfect fifth,
minor sixth (upward only!),
octave.
In whole and half notes no more than two con-
secutive skips in one direction.
Larger skips always below smaller ones.
In quarter notes only one skip in one direction.
Downward skips from any kind of beat.
Upward skips from unaccented beats only.
Skips larger than a third must be followed by
motion in the opposite direction.
In all rhythmic values: skips in ascending portions
of the melody must not be preceded, in descending
portions followed by stepwise motion. Distribution of Rhythmic Values:
In upward motion smaller values as a rule at the
beginning, broadening toward the top of the phrase.
The opposite in downward motion.
No more than two thirds of the potentially accented
beats should be sounded.
The halfnote is the basic unit. Have about 75% of
the melody in half notes and larger notes, the rest
in quarter notes. Very few eight notes, in pairs
only, on unaccented beats only, stepwise only.
No more than eight quarter notes in a row.
d) Modal orientation:
as a rule, begin with the final, or a fifth above. Finish
the phrase on the final, or a fifth above, or an octave
above, on an accented beat with a half note or a larger
note.
Cadences: Approach the final of the mode stepwise, with
the upper or lower leading tone. The upper leading
tone should as a rule be approached stepwise, the
lower leading tone stepwise or by skip from the fifth
of the scale. In Dorian, Mixolydian and Aeolian
the lower leading tone is always raised in the
approach to the final. (If the leading tone in
Aeolian is approached stepwise from below, the sixth
of the scale must be raised, too. See above). Most
idiomatic is a cadence formula in which the final
is anticipated, tied over from the fourth half beat
before the last tone and followed on the half beat
next to the last tone by the lower leading tone,
frequently with a pair of alternating eight notes
on the preceding quarter beat.
Within the melody emphasize to some extent in the
authentic modes the fifth above the final of the
mode (in Phrygian, the sixth), in the plagal modes
the third above the final (in Hypo-Mixolydian, the
fourth).
Range: the melodies should as a rule not transcend the
ambitus of the mode, i.e. one octave plus one or two
tones added at either end.
A segment of the melody moving in one direction
should never stop on a tone that is a tritone apart
from a preceding tone within that segment, but should
be continued stepwise.
Each phrase of the melody must have a highest point,
and preferably a lowest point.
3. Two-Part Counterpoint:
A. Intervals: Consonances: perfect: Unison,
Perfect fifth,
Octave;
imperfect: Major and minor third,
Major and minor sixth.
Dissonances: all the rest.
Begin and end always with perfect consonances.
Consonances may be used anywhere.
Dissonances:
a) on unaccented beat:
1. passing tones, in half notes and quarter notes.
2. alternating tones: in quarter notes only, down-
wards only, unless followed by tied-over half
note or whole note. Also
b) on accented beat: half notes only.
Conditions:
1. prepared by tying the dissonating one to the
preceding half note or longer note which must
consonant.
2. resolved stepwise downwards into an imperfect
consonance on the following half beat, by any
kind of rhythmic value.
Interpolations between dissonance and resolution:
1. one quarter note a) anticipating the reso-
lution
b) skipping down a third
or a fifth, into a
consonance only;
2. two downward alternating eighth notes.
Have many dissonances on accent beats, especially
in cadences.
B. Rhythm and Meter:
Distribution of rhythmic values: complementary rhythm
as a rule. Cumulation of smaller values toward the
climax point. Independence of melodies is to be
stressed.
Meter: every other quarter note is potentially accented.
In relation to quarter notes every half note is
accented, in relation to whole notes every other
half-note is accented.
Special features:
a) cambiata: a melodic figure consisting of four
tones: one step (half or whole tone) down, skip
of a third (minor or major) down, one step (half
or whole tone) up; the second note must be a
quarter note and may be a dissonance (this is the
only case in which one may skip out of a disso-
nance); the third note must be consonant, the
fourth may be dissonant (passing tone).
b) "accented passing tone": of two quarter notes
introduced stepwise from a half note and descending
stepwise on an unaccented half beat, the first
may be dissonant, although it occurs in terms of
quarter notes on a potentially accented beat.
c) "anticipated dissonance"; this idiom results if
the half note opposite to the two quarter notes of
the "accented passing tone" is tied over to the next
half beat and the second of the two quarter notes
is treated as an alternating tone below, returning
to the next higher tone. The dissonance thus ob-
tained has to be resolved according to the above
rules.
d) "delayed parallel motion":
e) quarter notes on unaccented beats may be disso-
nant against each other, if treated correctly in
each part.
C. Simultaneous motion:
No parallel motion in fifths or octaves.
No similar motion into fifths or octaves.
Octaves, or fifths, should be at least two half
beats apart.
Avoid parallel motion over more than three consecu-
tive tones.
The two parts should as a rule not be farther apart
than a tenth. Complete examples:
All examples begin with potentially accented beats