Books on polytonality?

Originally Posted by JoshMc

I've just started messing around with the idea and the only thing I could think of was using diminished/augmented chords and resolve them to two different tonics or taking extended chords and treating them as two chords (ie. treating Cmaj7 as a C and an Em and continuing the progression from there in the keys of C and Em).

Since I don't really use it much I am talking fairly theoretically. I think part of the point of polytonality is to create at least some chaos/sarcasm etc. In general I think that the approach is to use the keys contrapuntally rather than harmonically although you could think of the vertical effect. The Milhaud piece ends up having alot of independent lines so there is a point at which if you combine enough keys you just end up with an overall atonal texture. I think that the opening of Rite of Spring is a little bit similar but Stravinsky doesn't carry it too far. It all depends on why you want to use it and what effect you are trying to create. For example, there is the Moor's dance in Petruschka where the polytonality is combined with independent metres to create the effect of two characters, one of which cannot dance.

JoshMc I have a few ideas for you!
C major superimposed with a F# major 1st inversion. Can transpose this of course. (turned out this was the petrushka chord)
Parellel major or minor triads with descending bassline. Bassline can descend chromatically, through whole tones, or through a scale. Just experiment to see what sounds good to your ear.
I have many more polytonal ideas that I have come up with (I'm not saying I'm necassarily the first to have discovered them), but I would be giving away too much if I went into more detail
You should obviously listen to Stravinsky as was mentioned, also try to listen to some 'golden age' filmscores/TV music if you can. Scriabin's 'The poem of fire' would be a good work to listen to, as well as his later works even if you don't enjoy them.

ablyth I havn't heard the Milhaud piece, but I think Stravinsky went too far at points throughout the Rite of Spring.

As for books can't really help you, but listening to polytonal music is as important as reading about it.

Too far in the Rite of Spring? Clearly you don't know the story of the ballet ...

I'm a big fan of polytonality, but have never formally learned or studied it. I simply experiment at the piano with different key combinations to find out how they sound together. This is really the best way of doing it I think, besides studying scores with polytonality.

Today I've decided that my third movement of my quintet for pianos will be based on polytonality, actually ....Should be able to do a lot with 5 pianos .

Originally Posted by almacg

JoshMc I have a few ideas for you!
C major superimposed with a F# major 1st inversion. Can transpose this of course. (turned out this was the petrushka chord)
Parellel major or minor triads with descending bassline. Bassline can descend chromatically, through whole tones, or through a scale. Just experiment to see what sounds good to your ear.
I have many more polytonal ideas that I have come up with (I'm not saying I'm necassarily the first to have discovered them), but I would be giving away too much if I went into more detail
You should obviously listen to Stravinsky as was mentioned, also try to listen to some 'golden age' filmscores/TV music if you can. Scriabin's 'The poem of fire' would be a good work to listen to, as well as his later works even if you don't enjoy them.

ablyth I havn't heard the Milhaud piece, but I think Stravinsky went too far at points throughout the Rite of Spring.

As for books can't really help you, but listening to polytonal music is as important as reading about it.

Much obliged.