called the Tonic or chief tone and from it ascend the other tones
of the scale. That is, a melody in E-flat major will employ only
those tones found in the scale of E-flat major, and is said to be
in that “key,” or “tonality.” The same would be true of the har-
mony involved,i.e., the chords would consist of combinations
of the different tones of this scale. When a melody, as is often
the case, employs tonesnotfound in the scale in question, these
are calledchromatic[45] changes, and may or may not effect a
“modulation” or departure into another key,e.g.
[Music]
[Footnote 44: It is assumed that the music-lover has, as his
birthright, an instinctive knowledge of the grouping of tones
and semitones in our modern scales. Those who may wish to
refresh their knowledge are recommended to the second Chapter
in Foote and Spalding’sHarmony, and to the chapter on Scales
in Parry’sEvolution of the Art of Music.]
[Footnote 45: Color in music is brought about chiefly through
their use.]
The most important means of gaining unity and coherence in a
composition is to have it written in a clearly defined tonality,
especially at the outset. This definite tonality is the “centre of
gravity,” so to speak, about which the whole composition re-
volves. If this tonal centre were uncertain or wandering, we
should have a feeling of vagueness and perplexity which, except
for special dramatic effect, is never found in works of the great
composers. Thus we speak of a Symphony in C minor, of a
Quartet in F major and of a Sonata in B-flat minor;[46] this
foundation key being comparable to the basic color-scheme of a
painting. There is also a particular aesthetic effect and color-
appeal associated with each key; and the listener should train
himself to be sensitive to the brilliance of such keys as D ma-
jor and E major, the richness of B major, the dignity of E-flat
major, the almost cloying sweetness of D-flat major and of G-
flat major and the tragic depth of B minor and G minor. No
piece, however, should remain for long in the same key; for music
cuts so deeply into the consciousness that there would result an
intolerable monotony.[47] Even in the simplest folk-songs, there-
fore, we often find manifested an instinct for those changes of
tonal centre which are technically called “Modulations.” All the
keys founded on the twelve semitones of the chromatic scale are