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SOME ASPECTS OF
THREE-DIMENSIONAL
TONNETZE
EdwardGollin
P5 axis
(b) The axis system of the traditional2-D Tonnetz
Figure 1
and have labeled these a, b, and c (avoiding labels x, y, and z to distinguish my axes from those of the Cartesiancoordinatesystem). Axes are
labeled accordingto a right-handedconvention(rightthumbpoints in a
positive directionalong the a-axis, right index finger in a positive direction along the b-axis, middle finger in a positive direction along the caxis). Points within the lattice are arrangedat unit distances in positive
and negativedirectionsalong the axes from all otherpoints. The regular
arrangementof points in this Tonnetzconstitutes one of two uniform
ways of filling space with spheres-crystallographers refer to this arrangementas cubic closest packing (ccp).7
Throughoutthis discussion, we will assume equal temperament.Doing so induces a modular geometry to the 3-D Tonnetz-the Tonnetz
occupies the closed, unboundedvolume of a hyper-torusin 4-dimensional space. Units in a positive directionalong the a-axis correspondto
the musical intervalof 4 semitones,units in a positive directionalong the
b-axis correspondto the intervalof 7 semitones, and units in a positive
directionalong the c-axis correspondto the intervalof 10 semitones.Any
197
c-axis
b-axis
a-axis
IIl
II
F
In
ab
I
C
i
C
ii
E
iv
Bb
iii
G
iv
C#
7
10
iii
E
i
B
ii
G
4
ii
iii
iv
iv
iii
ii
(u,+l,
(u,v,w-+)
)
w)(u,v,w +)
(u,-l,v,)(u,v-1,w) (-,)
(u,v,w)
(c) neo-Hauptmanniantokens appliedto generalizedtetrachordsin the 3-D Tonnetz
(u,v,w(u+l
Figure 3
Figure4a isolates the six transformsthatmap or exchange tetrahedra
sharinga common edge. The exchangeis representedspatiallyas a 'flip'
of the two tetrahedraabout that common edge. For instance, the operation Iii exchanges tetrahedraabout their common edge bounded by
chordalelements i and ii. In Figure4a, the Iiioperationflips the central,
upward-pointing[C, E, G, Bb] tetrachordabout the C-E edge, and
exchanges it with the downward-pointing[E, C, A, F#] tetrachordjust
below and to the front of the illustration.The operation Ili similarly
'flips' two tetrahedraabouttheircommonelements ii and iii. In Figure4,
i1 exchangesthe central[C, E, G, Bb]tetrachord(flippingit aboutthe GE edge) with the downward-pointing[B, G, E, C#]tetrachordto the lower
right in the illustration.Each 'edge-flip'maintainsat least the two common tones thatconstitutethe common tetrahedraledge. In the case of Iii
in this Tonnetz,mapped [0258] tetrachordssharethreecommon tones.
Figure 4b isolates the four transformsthat map or exchange tetrahedra sharinga common vertex.The exchangeis representedspatiallyby a
'flip' of the two tetrahedraabout that common vertex. For example, the
operationIi exchanges two tetrachordsthat sharea common 'Einheit.'In
Figure 4b, Ii exchanges the central [C, E, G, BL] tetrachordwith the
downward-pointing[C,Ab, F, D] tetrachordbelow andto the forwardleft
in the illustration.Each 'vertex-flip'maintainsat least one common tone
(the common vertex).However,Il andIivmap [0258] tetrachordssharing
two common tones, and Iii maps [0258] tetrachordssharingthree.
We can observe the following degeneracyamong transformsin this
equal-temperedTonnetz:Ii'= Ii and Ii = Iil. The degeneracyarises from
the symmetries inherentin our chosen set class [0258], and from our
impositionof equal temperament.Specifically,the equivalenceof Ii and
200
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j#
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-a-ax
a-axis
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li .l
c-axis
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ks>~~H
rfrf'^
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rF
~~~~Clp~~~~~~'
~~Fc
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c-axis
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c baxis
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u,v-,
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...
,
(u+l,V,w)
v-l,w)
(l,w(u,v,W-
(u+l ,Y,W-l?
204
NOTES
1. For a historyof the Tonnetzandits evolutionfromEulerthroughRiemann,see
Mooney1996.A studythatdiscussesthe Tonnetzandits relationto Funktionstheorie in Riemannandhis successorsis Imig 1970.
2. Thenineteenth-century
basisof intervalselectionwasacoustical:theintervalscorrespondedto whatRiemann(alongwithnumeroustheoristsbeforehim)believed
to be the only intervals(alongwiththe octave)givenby nature.
3. RichardCohn (1997) has recentlyexploredthe Tonnetzrepresentation
of these
operations,notingtheirpotentialfor common-toneretentionas well as theirparsimoniousvoice-leading.Theabbreviations
derivefromBrianHyer1989and1995
(101-38).
4. Cohn 1997cites Lubin1974as the firstrecognitionof the toroidalstructureof an
equallytemperedTonnetz.Hyer'sFigure3 (1995, 119) presentsa Klangnetz,the
geometricdual of a Tonnetz(see Douthettand Steinbach1998), in pitch-class
space,whichsimilarlyinducesa toroidalstructure.
5. Lewin'shexagonalgraphof a 3-valuedCohnfunction(Lewin1998; 1996, 189),
is, like Hyer's,a dualof an [013] Tonnetz.
6. Otherwritingsthatextendthe Tonnetzinto threedimensionsincludeVogel 1993
andLindleyandTurner-Smith
1993.
7. It is so called becausethe unitcells of the lattice(the smallestunitsthatcan fill
spaceby translationalone)areface centeredcubes (latticepointsexist at the six
verticesandat the centerof eachcubeface).
8. HenryKlumpenhouwer
(1991, chap.2) exploresa similarsystemof contextual
labeling.
9. Theembedded[036]is alsothereasonthatIitiandIlimaptetrachords
in our[0258]
Tonnetzwith threecommontones.It is interestingto observethatnoneof the 29
in a chromaticuniverseof cardinality12 arewithoutdegenertetrachord-classes
atecommon-tone-preserving
contextualtransforms:
in c=12 either
anytetrachord
(a) containsan ic 6 dyad,(b) is symmetricalor embedsa symmetricaltrichordal
subset,or (c) satisfiesconditions(a) and(b).
10.Thiswouldnotbe truein a just-intonedversionof ourTonnetz,where(C,E,G,B,)
Sucha Tonnetzwould,howIii= (G#,E,C#,A#)
7 (C,E,G,Bb)Iiv= (Ab,Fb,D6,B6).
ever,occupyaninfiniteEuclideanspace.See Vogel 1993, 123ff., andLindleyand
Turner-Smith1993, 66-68, for discussionsof unequallytempered[0258] Tonnetze.
205
206