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Hero Myths: Narrative In Music
Every interval except the octave creates tension or unrest. This tension creates a musical story line or musical narrative, as musicologists call it, especially when referring to long-form instrumental works, such as symphony movements. Here’s how Anthony Storr describes the nature of musical adventuring:
Hero myths typically involve the protagonist leaving home, setting out on adventures, slaying a dragon or accomplishing other feats, winning a bride, and then returning home in triumph ... The end of the piece is usually indicated by a return ‘home’ to the tonic; most commonly to the major triad, less commonly to the minor. A hero myth is an archetypal pattern, deeply embedded in the psyche, because it reflects the experience of nearly all of us. We all have to ‘leave home’ by severing some of the ties which bind us to it ...