ABSTRACT
Maurice Ohana considered vertical texture to result from the horizontal process of harmonic shadowing, ranging from simple parallelism to more complex sound-masses. Like many composers of his generation, Ohana’s concept of harmony is neither functional nor form-generating but is best understood in terms of density and timbrai contrast. Evolving through the horizontal process of harmonic shadowing, the essence of Ohana’s ‘masse sonore’ in his mature music can be described in terms of two main harmonic colour schemes, or timbrai groups, which result from the differentiation and juxtaposition of contrasting interval types. One of the most simple of Ohana’s harmonic shadowing processes, characteristic of vocal as well as instrumental music, is his note-for-note, organum-like parallelism which is not only an essential feature of his mature style but indicative of his aesthetic alignment. Ohana’s harmonic shadowing may occur in simple, two-part parallelism or in denser textures where parallel chords are made up of superimposed combinations of intervals associated with either timbrai group.
