Abstract:

School choirs and classroom vocal practice in Hungary are internationally associated primarily with relative solmisation, the use of hand signs, and the pedagogical legacy of Zoltán Kodály. Although the interrelation of these elements is widely recognised, their deeper acoustic and theoretical foundations often receive less attention. The effective and conscious application of relative solmisation does not rest merely on methodological routine, but presupposes a more profound pedagogical and theoretical background.

By exploring the decisive elements that lead to pure singing, the present study examines the theoretical and methodological foundations of intonation development. Special attention is given to the relationship between relative solmisation and the acoustic overtone series, as reflected in Kodály’s two-part intonation exercises and further elaborated in the theoretical work of Pál Kardos. Through analytical discussion and practical musical examples, the paper demonstrates that relative solmisation is not merely a didactic tool, but a structurally coherent system that supports tonal stability and precise intervallic intonation in choral practice.

The general rule is that it is never possible to have the same kind of whole tone next to each other, because that would preclude the acoustic purity of the major third. It should also be pointed out that the affiliation of the two types of re is not always clear. The role of the re in the tonality and the proximity of the notes la or so and the effect of these latter sounds often render it difficult to make a theoretical decision. The frequent changes are influenced by the musical context, the leading of the part and harmonic thinking together.

The position of a note within a given tonality, its role, the stability of the pure intonation of different intervals and harmonies can be developed through practice. A learning process is effective if «constant» elements occur frequently among the ones to be learned. The more variables there are, the more unstable the memorisation of the turn to be learnt becomes, and the longer the process of deepening takes. Of the two types of solfa systems, absolute and relative, relative solmisation clearly supports the learning processes described above in a particularly favorable way.

Keywords: Kodály Concept, solmisation, intonation, overtons, whole steps.

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