Retonalitization: The same pitched melody in different keys?
Liberal Music Theory- This topic has 6 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 8 months ago by
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A songs of a certain idol group in Japan are becoming a hot topic in music theory maniacs.
The song is “偶然シンフォニー(Accidental Symphony)” by Not Equal Me. The first chorus part starts at 0:40. It’s in the key of F♯(tho it modulates to B major in mid way). The melody also starts with F♯, the tonic note.
Then from 2:59 starts the third chorus part. Here the melody starts again with F♯, but surprisingly, the chord progression is E-F♯-D♯m-G♯m, which clearly suggests B major (or G♯ minor) key tonality!The accompaniment is modulated to the subdominant key, while the pitches of the melody is preserved. So the tonal function (kernel) of each tone in the melody is entirely exchanged. This is more than just reharmonization, if I call it, “Retonalitization” or “Retonalization”? …as the tonality of the melody is rearranged.
I think that this technique is even more intriguing than bitonality because a single melody is dressed in two ways.
Anyway,
I’d like to listen to more examples using this technique! If you know one, please share it😊
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“Hana Ha Odoreya I-Ro-Ha-Ni-Ho” starts with a pentatonic melody in Fm key.
Now listen to the chorus part at 0:52. The same melody is repeated, but the accompaniment is in Cm key. The opposite pattern as yours; the modulation to the dominant key.The point here is that the melody is pentatonic. The tones are C, E♭, F, G and B♭. This is a well-known C minor pentatonic. So from the start it kinda holds bitonality—C minor pentatonic superimposed on F minor key chords. But it’s not much recognizable because all the C minor pentatonic scale tones are the part of the F minor scale.
The difference between Fm key and Cm key is whether to have flat on D. But the melody does not have it. This enables the bass in the opening to play D♭, realizing “retonalization”.
Pentatonic scales may be able to play an interesting role on implementating this technique.
Wow, thanks!
The same melody is repeated, but the accompaniment is in Cm key. The opposite pattern as yours; the modulation to the dominant key.
As for the chronological order, it certainly involves a modulation to the dominant key. However, in terms of the actual composition process, the process might be the reverse. I speculate that the melody was originally composed in the key of C minor, and then later adapted as the intro, with the F minor key assigned afterward.
The last phrase “F-G-F-E♭-C” alone evoke me the sense of “re-mi-re-do-la” in Cm more strongly than “la-ti-la-so-mi” in Fm, from my experience. especially taking into account that it’s the finishing part of the intro.In both cases, the melody fits more to either of the two keys; and it can be observed roughly by how stable kernels / shells are assigned to the important notes. I think it would be ideal if a melody fits perfectly to both keys, making it indiscernible which key the melody originally aims at.
Pentatonic scales do have the potential to get re-tonalitized.
Now I think it wouldn’t be surprising if composers from the early 20th century like Debussy, Bartok or Ravel already tried this method, for both the pentatonic scales and polytonality are keywords of that era.
In the first movement of Ravel’s String Quartet in F major, the second theme is presented in D minor key during the exposition(1:55) and in F major key during the recapitulation(6:15), with the melody maintaining fixed pitches. As the relative keys involves no difference in key signatures, this could seem a bit simple way of retonalization, but just for your reference.
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