Publications [#303563] of Nicholas Stoia

Articles

  1. Stoia, N. "Mode, Harmony, and Dissonance Treatment in American Folk and Popular Music, c. 1920-1945." Music Theory Online 16.3 (August, 2010).
    (last updated on 2024/04/25)

    Abstract:
    In American folk and popular music, dissonance frequently functions in ways that cannot be explained by conventional tonal theory. Two types of dissonance—the dropping and hanging thirds—function outside of classical norms, and within the framework of a mode built around the tonic triad that either transposes or remains in place with changes of harmony. The interaction between the mode and harmony influences the large-scale structure of a strophe or other section and the perception of its tension and resolution.