From the beginning of music history, people have been struggling with their conceptions of consonance  and dissonance. There even seems to be much disagreement to the meanings of the words themselves. Consonant sounds have been defined as agreeing, pleasant, satisfying, and restful, and have been explained by simple ratios and the harmonic series. Dissonant sounds, on the other hand, have been seen as harsh, inharmonious, unresolved, and unpleasant, but are often believed to be the most interesting and beautiful sounds in music. From as far back as Pythagoras and Aristoxenus, philosophers, theorists, composers, and critics have been battling over how to deal with consonance and dissonance.
    It seems that several factors determine our conceptions of consonance and dissonance. Mathematics (simple ratios), the harmonic series, sympathetic vibration, the relationship to a tonal center, musical knowledge and exposure, as well as cultural and psychological factors affect what we see as consonant and dissonant. These four Studies in Consonance and Dissonance, for solo piano, experiment with some of these factors through the manipulation of intervallic relationships, especially in relation to a tonal center, the harmonic series, and simple ratios; the statement of material both modally and bi-modally; the creation of synthetic scales of varying degrees of C & D through the combinations of different tetrachords; and the exploitation of different styles.
    These pieces were not meant to decide what is consonant and dissonant by todayís standards. They are only meant to put forth various harmonic and intervallic relationships that seem to determine what I see as consonant and dissonant.
Tom Nelly, October 16, 2001

Tom is currently a doctoral student in music composition at the University of Florida with an outside interest in the neuropsychology of music. He is also a guitarist and theorist.