# Semitone clash sound on classical music?



## athrun200

I know contemporary composers always use the semitone clash to create horror or unpleasant sound effects. But what is the role of semitone clash in classical tonal music?

The reason I ask this is that when I listen to Schumann's Album fur die Jugend (Album for the Young) no.26, there is one semitone clash (F and F sharp) which sounds really unnatural to me. At the very beginning, I thought the performer played a wrong notes during the recording section. But later I discovered that it is Schumann's intention to include the semitone clash in bar 17 (see the red circle of my attachment).

Right after this semitone clash there's a major 2nd clash between G in the bass and the A in the R.H melody. 

The two ugly clashes here doesn't make much sense to me.
Can anyone explain why a semitone clash and then a major 2nd clash is good here? For me, it sounds like a mistake of the composer


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## EdwardBast

The explanations are illustrated below. The progression is V7/IV, vii65/IV, IV. The F# is a chromatic passing tone, the G and A on beat 2 of m. 17 are both chord tones in a first inversion vii7 chord in B-flat. Melodically, the passing F# is the second note of the piece's head-motive, as heard in mm. 1 and 13, so it is not at all out of place.


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## Vox Gabrieli

EdwardBast said:


> The explanations are illustrated below. The progression is V7/IV, vii65/IV, IV. The F# is a chromatic passing tone, the G and A on beat 2 of m. 17 are both chord tones in a first inversion vii7 chord in B-flat. Melodically, the passing F# is the second note of the piece's head-motive, as heard in mm. 1 and 13, so it is not at all out of place.
> 
> View attachment 91668


+1

I've seen the semi-tone clash in some of my favorite composers, whom I hate to consider " contemporary", because they still strongly stick to the ideas of older composers. I've heard it in Prokofiev, Gershwin, Shostakovitch, et alios. I actually really enjoy the use of it provided it's done correctly.


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## kwokboy

regarding making sense
precisely 
this kind of semitone clash is also known as false relation
google it

something that one person likes may be distasteful to someone else
and maybe this kind of unpleasant sound was what Schumann wanted


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## Krummhorn

Fairly common to see this in classical organ literature as well. Karg-Elert for example, even Max Reger.


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## EdwardBast

How about this example from the slow movement of Beethoven's Sonata Op. 2 no. 1? There is much harsher dissonance in measure 22 than in the Schumann:









Composers of tonal music from the beginning till today reveled in exploiting all the dissonance the laws of counterpoint allowed. I would call passages like these piquant and delightful rather than ugly.


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## Reichstag aus LICHT

My all-time favourite semitone "clashes" are those which recur repeatedly between the oboes in the opening chorus of Bach's St John Passion _Herr, unser Herrscher_:






Delicious, pungent stuff.


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## tdc

The Rodrigo piano piece (Siciliana) I'm working on wastes no time getting to a semi-tone clash, the very first chord of the piece is D#-F-E. Two clashes in one. 

I love a good semi-tone clash.


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## athrun200

Reichstag aus LICHT said:


> My all-time favourite semitone "clashes" are those which recur repeatedly between the oboes in the opening chorus of Bach's St John Passion _Herr, unser Herrscher_:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Delicious, pungent stuff.


Frankly speaking, I love semitone clashes in this way too.
The clashes created by Bach seem to blend in the whole piece successfully.

I don't know why I don't like the one in Schumann's piano.
Maybe Bach's texture is thicker, other instruments minimize the unpleasant effects of the semitone clash while Schumann's piece contain only a piano.


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