The Formation Of Triad In Early European Music

As known to all, polyphony music in early stages was based on intervals, however, the monophony music was based on chords. The transformation of thought lasted for hundreds of years. Thus it comes out a series of questions: When did the chord first appear? What is the premise of chord appearance? What causes transformation of thought? According to the questions listed, this research starts with the application of melodic interval and harmonic interval in the medieval western church music, presenting an idea that the development of the third and the sixth interval are pivotal to musical practices. From the historic line, the rise of third and sixth interval status and the occasional triad are found in the from Medieval Ages to Renaissance music. In addition, there’s no doubt that the sense of chord or triad is based on experiences, but not cognizing. Therefore, this research tends to neaten the historic process of triad formation and provide interpretations of perception and idea of aesthetic. The historical process shows that triad results from the conflicting, compromising, interacting and fitting between emotion and rationality, aesthetics and dogma, as well as practice and cognition. Furthermore, the dissertation also analyses the relevant factors which transversely more or less influence the formation of triad in other fields of art, science, religion and international association from the background of music historic process from polyphony to monophony.