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Transatlantic Transformations: On Neo-Riemannian Theories (preprint)
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Description: Hugo Riemann never set foot on American soil. His harmonic theories, however, did cross the Atlantic and fell on fertile grounds, inspiring a rich repertoire of methods for music analysis that is nowadays usually subsumed under the name of neo-Riemannian theories (NRTs)—decidedly in the plural form.1 In this essay, I will review the central characteristics of NRTs and will relate how they connect with Hugo Riemann’s original works. In doing so, I will reiterate the known fact that the terminological reference to Riemann is cursory at best, and that other historical precursors could as well have been chosen as name givers. In that sense, the “transformations” in the title of this essay allude to a double meaning of the concept: on the one hand it refers to transformations between major or minor triads, the most central concept to NRTs and, on the other hand, it relates to intensional transformations of Riemann’s theories that have comparable starting points (e.g., focus on triads and their transformations), but become more and more detached from their context of historical genesis through mathematical formalization. This, in turn implies that engaging with neo-Riemannian analytical frameworks may tell us more about contemporary music theory and analytical practice, than about Riemann’s own intentions.