Trent and the Tritone

[lakeview]

I keep reading that the Council of Trent banned the use of the tritone (aka the diminished 5th or “the Devil’s Interval”) in sacred music. A quick search turned up nothing so far. If anyone could confirm/deny and point out where it’s documented, I’d appreciate it. Thanks!

 

[EphelDuath]

It’s a myth. Although dissonance was generally avoided until the Romantic era of music, it wasn’t called the diabolus in musica until the 1700s, long after the Council of Trent.

There is no evidence that the Catholic Church ever spiritually or politically censured composers who used the d5 note. It’s sometimes claimed that this happened to Guido of Arezzo, but contrariwise, Guido was actually widely acclaimed in his era, including by his contemporary Pope John XIX.

 

[lakeview]

I had a feeling it was a myth as so much about Trent in popular culture is. Thanks.

 

[Allegra]

That’s nonsense. It was avoided in church music because it is dissonant and it got that nickname because it is difficult to sing and play in tune. It was never “banned”.

 

[DaveBj]

I had a feeling it was a myth as so much about Trent in popular culture is. Thanks.

Not that Wikipedia is the be-all and end-all of information, but the article on the tritone has a ton of information; musicians should check it out. On topic, it has the sentence, “However, suggestions that singers were excommunicated or otherwise punished by the Church for invoking this interval are likely fanciful.” It does say that that sentence needs a citation.

Link to the article: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tritone

The Encyclopedia Britannica article is only about 8 lines long.

For those who are trying to figure out how it sounds in a melody, think of West Side Story → the chorus of the song “Maria,” the notes for the syllables ma- and -ri- are a tritone.

 

[Leon_Bloy]

The title of this thread (more so if you changed it to “Tritones” sounds like the name of a 1950s pop group, lol.

 

[JHow]

Yes, the tri-tone ban is a myth, but the 440hz concert A, now that’s another matter entirely! (Just kidding.)

 

[DaveBj]

Yes, the tri-tone ban is a myth, but the 440hz concert A, now that’s another matter entirely! (Just kidding.)

It wouldn’t hurt my feelings if they did go back to 435. Both of my euphoniums were built a little flat, and I have to keep the tuning slides jammed pretty much all the way in.