Coloration
The Oxford Concise Dictionary of Music reads, “It is impossible for music to convey colors, but it is customary to speak of ‘colouring’ or ‘tone colour’ where variations of timbre or tone are produced by different intensities of overtone sounds.”
Seated at the console of a Pipe Organ, surrounded by various stops and stop combinations producing sound ranging from piccolo heights to 32’ bass, one has the sense of an Artist’s paint palette with its primary and secondary colours, followed by complementary, analogous or triadic combinations of overtone intensities...
Eighteenth century composition employed the colourful use of the “tierce de Picardie”, with its final major cadence chord jolting the previous minor to its conclusion. An example of this is seen in J. S. BACH Organ Toccata in D minor (BWV 565). Measure 3 closes with a quiet "tierce de Picardie” in the raising of one note after the flourish. This is preceded by the growling of the 32’ bass, as if its is an announcement of the spectacular expectation in the upcoming rhythmical hand and footwork of the Organist. It is the powerful root bass note that clearly makes the wee Church mouse flee in terror, as the deep vibrations of sound cause the edifice foundation to be shaken to its very core.
Unfair Status of Being a Bass
The value and placement of the root base note is evident in the Figured bass featured in 17th and 18th Century compositions; where the bass is doubled by two instruments to provide a strong foundation, and give rise to the importance of the Bass voice.
Too often, however, the role of the bass in the Winds and Brass sections, as well as the percussive Bass drum of a Symphony Orchestra, are generally relegated to the status of either being “heard but not seen”, or “seen but not heard”. Case in point: The Double Bass.
Recently, the Double bass has clearly evolved into “holding its own” in Solo repertoire, with its deeply rich and earthy overtones being heard when the bow is used on the instrument. It is no longer defined by mere plucking action (i. e., pizzicato), or being the “Oom” in the proverbial “Oom pah pah” arena; although it must be said that the Double bass is an invaluable asset in those traditional genres.
Conclusion
Therefore, in my first attempt to bring notice to the question of musical coloration and the unfair status of being a Bass, my January 2017 “tierce de Picardie” award goes to those who are often seen as “minor”. Yet, once the final chord is struck during the cadence of the piece, these entities are transformed into “major” players, performers, and/or instruments in our Musical society today; who bring a myriad of colours, intensities, and overtones of our musical palette to the forefront.
Illustration: Jacob GROSSMANN, Bucket Elevator, In: The Elements of Chemical Engineering, 1906. Public Domain via Wikipedia Commons.
