The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #45873 Message #678787
Posted By: GUEST,adavis@truman.edu
29-Mar-02 - 01:31 AM
Thread Name: children's taunt tune: nyah nyah, na nyah nyah
Subject: children's taunt tune
A question that evolved from the "Miss Lucy had a steamboat" thread -- the tune for the playground taunt "Na-na na-na boo-boo" -- which shows unbelievably wide distribution, and is claimed by one authority to go back to Roman times -- is said to be "so-so-mi-la-so, mi". And it's said to be an example of how descending minor thirds are the intonation patterns for all kinds of shouted communications, especially commands, taunts and threats, at least in English: "Biii-lleee, din-ner!" "Ho-ney I'm ho-ome!" "Yooou're gonna geeeet it!" Can anybody explain to a musical neanderthal what a descending minor third is? And is it the case that relationships among musical tones have emotional meanings that go beyond languages and cultures? Are minor chords experienced as mournful beyond our little corner?