I often hear of "The Black Keys" being referred to as "Accidentals". I believe this is an incorrect use of the term. Following is my argument in support of this contention:
MY DEFINITION: An accidental is any tone that lies outside the tone order of the Key Signature in question.
Example 1: In the Key of C, all the black keys are accidentals, as none are found in the Key order.
Example 2: In the Key of F#/Gb, none of the black keys are accidentals (except, perhaps B). They are all present the Key order. Any accidental in F#/Gb will be a white key.
Example 3: Use of an accidental; Accidentals are employed for color, or tension and then resolved by a Key tone.
I offer the following in support of my contention.:
First, if the black keys were properly called “accidentals”, then as one moves around the circle of 5ths (or 4ths), one would progressively lose “accidentals” as a musical option (see Ex 2 above).
Some history I encountered on the I-net suggested the term “accidental” came about when a musician “goofed up” and hit a tone outside the Key. Don’t know if this is true, but makes sense.
Second, I offer two quotes from “Grove’s Dictionary of Music and Musicians”, Volume 1 (A-B), pg. 26, “Accidentals”:
”Accidentals are properly those notes extraneous to the Key Signature in a major Key, or in a minor Key supplementary to it, as is G# in the Key of A minor.”
Also;
“ It should be added, by way of warning, that pianists, thinking of the black keys of their instrument, are apt to think of sharps and flats played on those keys, only as accidentals. This is a mistake. An E# extraneous to a prevailing tonality, though played on a white key, is a accidental, and so is, for example, an F (natural sign) occurring in the Key of D major”
I would add that accidentals would include “natural signs”, which would alter a tone to one outside the Key Signature. I suspect that the notations bb & ## would also fall under the definition of accidentals, but I’m not sure of these.
Lastly, I believe that the proper term for the black keys, as a whole, would be “enharmonics”, due to their (black keys) “double names” (G#/Ab, etc.). The prefix en-: "in", "into" or "on", when added to, -harmonic: from "Harmony" meaning "in agreement or concord" would aptly describe the "black keys". I wouldn’t bet my accordion on this, as there is confliction on the I-net, and my Grove’s describes enharmonics as something completely different, but the term may have evolved.
I'd like to hear feedback on this issue, so.....
Press on,
Waldo
MY DEFINITION: An accidental is any tone that lies outside the tone order of the Key Signature in question.
Example 1: In the Key of C, all the black keys are accidentals, as none are found in the Key order.
Example 2: In the Key of F#/Gb, none of the black keys are accidentals (except, perhaps B). They are all present the Key order. Any accidental in F#/Gb will be a white key.
Example 3: Use of an accidental; Accidentals are employed for color, or tension and then resolved by a Key tone.
I offer the following in support of my contention.:
First, if the black keys were properly called “accidentals”, then as one moves around the circle of 5ths (or 4ths), one would progressively lose “accidentals” as a musical option (see Ex 2 above).
Some history I encountered on the I-net suggested the term “accidental” came about when a musician “goofed up” and hit a tone outside the Key. Don’t know if this is true, but makes sense.
Second, I offer two quotes from “Grove’s Dictionary of Music and Musicians”, Volume 1 (A-B), pg. 26, “Accidentals”:
”Accidentals are properly those notes extraneous to the Key Signature in a major Key, or in a minor Key supplementary to it, as is G# in the Key of A minor.”
Also;
“ It should be added, by way of warning, that pianists, thinking of the black keys of their instrument, are apt to think of sharps and flats played on those keys, only as accidentals. This is a mistake. An E# extraneous to a prevailing tonality, though played on a white key, is a accidental, and so is, for example, an F (natural sign) occurring in the Key of D major”
I would add that accidentals would include “natural signs”, which would alter a tone to one outside the Key Signature. I suspect that the notations bb & ## would also fall under the definition of accidentals, but I’m not sure of these.
Lastly, I believe that the proper term for the black keys, as a whole, would be “enharmonics”, due to their (black keys) “double names” (G#/Ab, etc.). The prefix en-: "in", "into" or "on", when added to, -harmonic: from "Harmony" meaning "in agreement or concord" would aptly describe the "black keys". I wouldn’t bet my accordion on this, as there is confliction on the I-net, and my Grove’s describes enharmonics as something completely different, but the term may have evolved.
I'd like to hear feedback on this issue, so.....
Press on,
Waldo