Consecutive fifths

In the course of the development of classical music from the Renaissance to the Baroque period, a number of musical rules sprung up which, although harmless to our modern ears, were considered taboo in the classical age. One of these such rules was the avoidance of consecutive fifths. For the non-musical, there is a prolific example of consecutive in the parodying of medieval plainsong chant. In contemporary times, if a composer wishes to mimic the sound of Gregorian monks intoning plainsong in a cathedral they will generally use chords made up of two notes, one note placed five notes above the other (hence a fifth), and then move them in parallel, so that they always remain five notes apart (hemce consecutive fifths). However, this process lacks authenticity, as plainsong chant was originally sung in unison, not in fifths. The creation of the myth grew from the occasional singer (as not all monks were blessed with adroit music abilities) singing the chant exactly a perfect fifth above (or below) where it should be. To the untrained ear the two notes can sound very similar, so the mistake is understandable.

Related Topics:
Renaissance - Baroque - Plainsong - Chords - Unison

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As classical music progressed, the sound of consecutive fifths was deemed universally to be unpleasant, ill-judged, and 'wrong'. Composers were careful to avoid their appearance in work, either in one part (such as the left hand of a keyboard work), or in two parts moving independently (such as a tenor and a bass line). This is not to say that the interval of a fifth was not allowed - on the contrary, it forms a very strong and crucial base to many musical works. Only the consecutive use of different fifths was forbidden.

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Also, the fifths did not have to be undisguised, or alone as the only two notes of a melodic line. The fifths may form part of a chord of any number of notes, and may be set well apart from the rest of the harmony, or finely interwoven in its midst. But the interval was always to be quitted by any movement provided it did not land on another fifth.

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Consecutive fifths do not just apply to perfect fifths. Diminished fifths are also to be avoided in parallel movement. Therefore a move from C and G to E and B flat is just as 'wrong' as a move from C and G to E and B.

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The religious avoidance of consecutive fifths is one of the major reasons for the doubt of the authorship of the famous Toccata and Fugue in D minor, attributed to J.S. Bach, as Bach himself was one of the most accomplished composers that ever lived at avoiding this forbidden harmonic movement, and the work abounds with them.

Related Topics:
Toccata and Fugue in D minor - J.S. Bach

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As music moved on into the 19th century, composers like Grieg helped to liberate the consecutive fifth in works like 'Les Cloches', until they became commonplace and completely acceptable by the 20th century. But even to this day they are studied by music students to aid their harmonic subtely and develop their aural and theoretical awareness.

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The identification and avoidance of perfect fifths is a standard part of instruction in classical counterpoint, but consecutive fifths are quite common in popular and folk musics as in double tonics and shifts of level. The prohibition originates in the requirement for contrary motion in counterpoint and European classical music's gradual and eventually self-conscious attempt to distance itself from those musics, as explained by Sir Donald Tovey's discussion Joseph Haydn's Symphony no. 88: "The trio is one of Haydn's finest pieces of rustic dance music, with hurdy-gurdy drones which shift in disregard of the rule forbidding consecutive fifths. The disregard is justified by the fact that the essential objection to consecutive fifths is that they produce the effect of shifting hurdy-gurdy drones." (van der Merwe 1989, p.210)

Related Topics:
Counterpoint - Popular - Folk music - Double tonic - Shifts of level - European classical music - Sir Donald Tovey - Joseph Haydn - Hurdy-gurdy - Shift - Drones

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