Contemporary sounds of Istanbul
The tune is atonal. The computer-generated melody is based on a chant by Anatolian monks. But can it be considered beautiful? Absolutely, says Turkish-born pianist Seda Röder, an associate in Harvard’s Department of Music who commissioned the work for her new CD. For many listeners, the beauty of works by composers such as Beethoven and Brahms lies in their harmonic chords and melodic themes. But even those classic masters experimented with dissonance, juxtaposing notes that seem to clash chromatically, and jar the listener’s ear. Yet while many classical composers used the technique to heighten the sense of emotion and tension in a piece, they almost always chose to resolve the friction by restoring harmony. But sustained dissonance was a natural and important progression in the Western musical canon and carries its own beauty, said Röder, who recently released “Listening to Istanbul,” a collection of six contemporary Turkish piano pieces full of disharmonious chords. The CD...