Jan's Music 123 Notes

 

Chapter 5: Procedures of Four-Part Writing (plus stuff from other chapters)

  • Root position triads should be in either open (5ths and 6ths) or closed position (3rds and 4ths); i.e., the upper three voices should be fairly evenly spaced.
  • Nice things to do with chord changes:
    • Keep voice motion smooth (especially in alto and tenor)
      • Keep common tones if possible
    • Voice exchange (generally just happens)
    • Contrary motion (helps avoid parallels)
    • Balance
  • Keep skips in voices a fifth or less or exactly an octave
  • In inverted chords it is more difficult to get equal spacing
  • Keep spacing between adjacent notes (vertically) an octave or less
  • Doublings—in triads (expecially root position) first preference is to double the root, next the fifth, double the third as a last resort (there are exceptions, viio can only occur as viio6—it is best to double the third==bass note.)
  • If bass motion is stepwise, contrary motion is probably necessary in one or more of the other voices and there will likely be skips in one or more of them.
  • Avoid cross-overs and overlaps (cross-over: voices exchange order, overlap: when a voice goes below or above the previous position of another voice)
  • Ti is the most unstable tone and must resolve up to do in the soprano or bass. In other voices, ti can resolve up to do or mi, or down to sol.
  • Alternate direction of large leaps (esp 5ths); or if there is a leap in one direction, step down in the other (in next chord)

 

Chapter 6: I, V, and V7

  • V is often used to expand the tonic (I-V-I)
  • Never double ti which is the third (V= sol-ti-re)
  • In minor, raise the te of V to ti
  • In a V7 chord, fa must resolve to mi. (fa is a dissonant tone) unless mi is in the bass
  • In a V7 chord, fa can be approached as suspension, stepwise from above or below, and by leap from below (do not approach as skip from above).
  • V7 can be incomplete (i.e., no fifth)—do this if necessary to avoid parallels or to improve voice leading/
  • The fifth can be absent in triads if necessary (do and mi establish harmony). This is frequently done in final tonic triad.
  • When V7àI, there is often an incomplete V7 or I. V7 and I can both be complete if ti is not in the soprano.

 

Chapter 7: I6, V6, and vii06

  • I6 and V6 expand root position I and V
    • IàI6àV produces an arp of I in the bass
  • With first inversion chords, it is more important to keep voices smooth than to keep spacing even.
  • Cadences
    • V6àI  not strong (use this to avoid the feeling of a final cadence)
    • VàI     strong
    • V7àI   extra strong
    • V6àI6  Avoid this!! (ti is in the bass of V6, it needs to go to do which is not the bass note in I6)
  • Nice to have perfect authentic cadence at the end of a piece (PACè both chords in root position and tiàdo in soprano [or at least do in sop in I])
  • When V7àI and the melody is re to mi, the 3rd of I should be doubled (i.e., mi) because the fa in V7 needs a mi to resolve to.
  • Viio6 can be used to expand I
  • With viio6, there is always a tritone that needs to be resolved in specific ways.
    • If TT is Aug4, the following notes can go out to form a sixth, or upward (both) to form a P4
    • If TT is a dimo5, it can resolve inward to a 3rd, or both tones can go up to form a P5—this only works if mi (me) is in the bass
  • In viio6 , the bass note should be doubled (i.e., the 3rd of the chord). Don’t double the root because it is a leading tone.
  • Don’t follow a viio6 with a V7—they sound too similar

 

 

Chapter 8: Inversions of V7

  • First inversion V7 (V6/5) can only go to I
  • Second inversion V7 (V4/3) can only go to I or I6
  • Third inversion V7 (V4/2) can only go to I6 (need mi in bass since fa of V7 is in the bass.
  • Can use chains of V7 inversions
  • A V4/2 should resolve immediately (i.e., fa to mi) rather than pass the fa to another voice since the fa in the bass is very exposed
  • In a V7 expansion such as V4/2àI6àV4/3, it is OK to double the 3rd of I6 to introduce passing motion (smooth)
  • If a voice leaps by a dim 5, ti must resolve to do
  • Inversions of V7 are almost always complete

 

 

Chapter 9: Intermediate Harmonies (IV, ii, and ii6)

  • In ii6, doubling the 3rd is common (bass note)
  • If V7 is used at a cadence and the previous chord is ii, or IV, put the fa of the ii or IV in the same voice as in the V7 chord
  • ii (root position) does not sound good in minor (it is diminished)
  • IV and ii6 are closely related (IVàii6 = IV5-6)
  • Don’t tie a bass not across a barline (or repeat across).  It is OK when:
    • If it serves as a dissonance in chord past barline
    • If the whole first measure has the same bass
  • iiàVàI is very strong because of drop in 5ths in the bass.

 

Chapter 10: Cadential 6/4

  • Intensifies the cadential effect of V
  • Cadential 6/4 looks like 2nd inversion I
  • 2nd inversion triads don’t function
  • cadential 6/4 needs to occur on a strong beat
  • doubling the bass note of V6/4 (the fifth of the chord but the root of the prevailing harmony) is preferred. Never double the 4th (i.e., the root of the ‘I’)
  • cadential 6/4 can be used to elaborate tonic
  • approach cadential 6/4 by suspension, passing motion, neighboring, or leap from below (appoggiatura)
  • the 6 and 4 of cadential 6/4 must resolve downwards by a step
  • to avoid a cadential effect, the 6/4 can move to 4/2 (i.e., V4/2)—the bass note changes

 

 

Chapter 11: vi and IV6

  • vi6 doesn’t exist
  • IàviàV7àI is a common use of vi
    • IV6 can substitute for vi since root the same and there are 2 common tones, but it is not used as often as vi
  • Avoid le-ti (Aug2)
  • Other progressions using vi and IV
    • IàviàIVàV7àI –
    • Iàviàii6àV7àI
  • Viàii gives descending fifths in bass
  • iv6àV  in minor this is a Phrygian cadence (frequent soprano line is fa-sol)—Owen says it would be only called this at the end of a piece
  • In IV6, the most frequent note doubled is the 3rd above the bass (the 5th of the chord)

 

Notes on Chapter 12—Supertonic and Subdominant 7th chords

 

  • Types of 7th chords
    • Dominant= major/minor
    • Major=major/major
    • Minor=minor/minor
    • Fully diminished=diminished/diminished
    • Half diminished=diminished/minor

 

Figure 1:  Types of 7th chords

 

  • New approach chords ii7, ii6/5, IV7, IV6/5 (both are drawn towards V, the dissonance created by the 7th strengthens their tendency to go to V)
    • ii7—re-fa-la-do    Note that ‘do’ is the dissonant note
    • IV7—fa-la-do-mi
  • ii6/5 is a popular approach chord and is used more commonly than ii7
  • The seventh of ii7 and its inversions should be approached as a suspension and be resolved downward (do-ti)
  • Like ii7, the 7ths of IV7 and IV6/5 should be approached as suspensions and resolve downward
  • When approaching a V7 with ii7 or IV7, prepare the 7th of the V7 as a suspension from the previous chord (this may require ii7 to be incomplete—see Figure 2)
  • Generally want to use all notes of 7th chords (less important in V7) when possible (sometimes a note needs to be doubled to avoid parallel fifths)
    • When Iàii7 (in major) the third or root often needs to be doubled and fifth omitted (otherwise parallel fifths result)
    • When ii7 goes to V7, the necessity of preparing the 7th in V7 often requires that the ii7 be an incomplete chord

Figure 2: Incomplete ii7 avoiding parallel fifths with I. Note that V7 is also incomplete.
Note also that the fa in V7 is prepared by the fa in ii7 and resolves down to mi.

 

  • Remember that in a minor key root position iio should not be used. Adding the 7th helps to stabilize the chord making the root position iio 7 OK.
    • Note that in minor the supertonic 7th chord is half diminished
  • ii7 and IV7 should occur on a strong beat unless followed by a cadential 6/4
  • IV7 à ii6/5 may not be considered a new harmony since IV7 is comprised of fa-la-do-mi, and ii6/5 is fa-la-do-re (one note difference)—can be notated as ii7-6/5; the E in IV7 can be considered a suspension
  • If you expand ii7 or IV7 by using different inversions, the seventh can be transferred to a different voice before resolving (as in V7)
  • ii7àI6àii6/5  produces an ascending step-wise bass line.  I6 is not functioning as a tonic since it is comprised of passing and neighbor tones.  Note the voice exchange. This is reversible and also works in minor.

  •  
     

     
     
    When ii7 moves to a cadential 6/4, the 7th of the ii7 is repeated in the same voice of the V6/4 (and becomes the 4); then the 4 resolves down to 3. The cadential 6/4 acts to delay the resolution of ii7. Both of these chords normally occur on a strong beat. It is more important for the cadential 6/4 to be on the strong beat.
  • Watch for parallel fifths when IV7 moves to V
  •  ii4/2 is the next most important inversion of ii7 following ii6/5 and ii7; ii4/3 is also used.
  • IV6/5 is the most common inversion of IV7      

 

Chapter 13:  Other uses of IV, IV6, and vi

  • Expand tonic:  IàIVàI6 (reversible)
  • Deceptive cadence:  V(7)àvi
    • Tiàdo
    • Faàmi (i.e., resolve the 7th properly)
    • 3rd usually doubled in vi
  • Best to reapproach cadence after a deceptive cadence
  • IV6 can substitute for vi (same bass note; 2 common tones), e.g., in a deceptive cadence
  • IàIV6àI not common since la wants to go down
    • IàIV6àI6 is better
    • When IV6àI6, doubling of the third of one of the chords is usually needed; usually done in the I6
  • IV6 can expand dominant
    • VàIV6àV6/5àI  adds passing and neighboring motion; rising bass line
  • With chords learned up until now it is possible to harmonize an ascending diatonic scale
  • IVàI is the plagal cadence (generally follows an authentic cadence)
  • Vàvi can be used as a way of avoiding repetitive Is

 

Chapter 14:  V as key area

  • V/V – intensifier of dominant, secondary dominant, secondary implier
  • Most tonicizations in major keys involves the dominant
  • When a chord is tonicized, it retains its function but is intensified
  • Tonicization intensifies the cadence, should be treated like any other authentic cadence
  • When a pivot chord is used it should occur before the “first” cadence (a “second” cadence is needed to achieve modulation)
    • vi   ii
    •  I   IV are pivot chords in major
    • VII  III
  • A raised fa (fi) is tipoff to tonicization or modulation (it is the leading tone in the new key if the new key is the dominant of the original key)
  • A ii chord with a raised fa (=fi) is V/V
  • I 5-6 technique often used to modulate (the ‘6’ in I 5-6  looks like vi6 which doesn’t exist)
  • Key cell: the chords that function in the new key when tonicization occurs (includes pivot chord, new V and new I)
  • Chromatic modulation: faàfiàsol (for example, IVàV7/VàV—IV has the fa, V7/V has the fi, and V has the sol
  • Phrase modulation—new section starts in new key

 

Chapter 15:  iii (III) and VII

  • iii in a major key is not a good approach chord—it sounds too much like I6
    • Usually need a contrasting harmony between I and iii
  • iii is a pivot chord for modulation and tonicization
  • Ascending 3rds is a weak bass line
  • A common form of tonicization in natural minor involves VIIàIII (this is VàI in the relative major key)
    • III is usually used in the natural form of minor (in the harmonic minor, III+ is augmented)
  • III can be used as an approach to V
  • III+à I can be used as a substitute authentic cadence
  • Minor tends to move towards III making tonicizing of it easier than tonicizing V

 

 

 

Doublings

Generally, the preference is to double the root in root position chords

I, I6 (I, i6)

  • Preferable to double root; then 5th
  • V7è I when melody goes from re-mi and (fa needs another mi to resolve to), it is OK to double the third
  • Viio6è I and tritone is a d5, it is OK to double the third
  • IV6èI6 (one of these chords will likely have doubled thirds, usually I6
  • I6 can double 3rds if it is the smoothest solution (same for I??)

Ii, ii6, ii6/5, ii7 (iio, iio6, etc)

  • In ii6, doubling 3rds is common since bass note usually doubled (doubling 5ths is less common)
  • In ii7 sometimes doubled 3rds are necessary to avoid parallels (ii7 will be incomplete)
    • When I==> ii7 (in major), often need to omit 5th and double 3rd

IV, IV6 (iv, iv6)

  • When used to expand dominant (e.g., V-IV6-V6/5), 3rd is doubled to introduce passing motion
  • IV6èI, 3rd doubled in one of the chords (usually in I)
  • IV6èV (Phrygian), 3rd above bass usually doubled (i.e., the 5th of the chord)

V, V6, V7, V6/5, V4/3, V4/2 (v, v6, etc.)

  • Don’t double ti (the 3rd); other notes OK to double
  • Don’t double the 7th (fa) of V7; double the root if V7 is incomplete
  • When going from ii(6) to V7, keep fa in same voice—this may lead to irregular doublings

V6/4, 7/5/3

  • best to double bass note of first chord; if impractical, double the 6
  • when vi==>V6/4—5/3. double the 6 (third) of V6/4 to avoid parallels

vi

  • 3rd usually doubled if it is used in a deceptive cadence and V(7) èvi in general
  • in minor, third usually doubled to avoid aug 2nd
  • when going from vi==> V, 3rd often doubled to avoid parallels

viio6

  • root position rarely used—if it is, don’t double bass note (ti!)
  • generally double bass note (which means the 3rd is doubled)—it is not part of the tritone
  • 5th is OK if it is the smoothest solution and avoids parallels