7 Unsettling Dissonant Pieces From Before 1800
Here is a short compilation of excerpts from works that are strangely dissonant for their time, set in chronological order. Our ears, being so accustomed to Classical and Romantic consonances, seem quite taken aback by these jarring sounds.
Dissonance can take several forms thanks to:
exotic modes, as heard in Neusidler’s piece
tuning methods or temperaments and the use of microtonality, as seen in Vicentino's piece
extended playing techniques, like in Farina’s piece where he mimics the meowing of cats
polytonality, as in Biber's piece where he superimposes several mismatched melodies
inherently dissonant chords, as heard in the pieces by Rebel, Billings, and Mozart
I hope you enjoy this video! Feel free to suggest any pieces you know that seem ahead of their time in their use of dissonance.
0:00 Neusidler - Der Juden Tanz
0:31 Vicentino - Madonna il poco dolce
1:12 Farina - Capriccio stravagante
1:40 Biber - Battalia a 10
2:21 Rebel - Les élémens: Le Chaos
3:22 Billings - Jargon
3:49 Mozart - String Quartet No. 19 "Dissonance"