Music Theory II

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Music Theory II

• New York University

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Housekeeping (2/28/05)

• Quote of the day
• I used to have Mad Cow's disease
• but I'm alright Nooooooooow.
• -- Billy Connolly

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Agenda (2/28/05)

• Midterm
• Homework Reviewed
• Chapter 15 A New Diatonic Harmony, and Further
  Extensions of the Phrase Model (conclusion)
• Harmonic Sequence

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Voice Leading for the Submediant Root
progressions by descending thirds and fifths

• There are always two common tones in progressions
  that fall by 3rds.
• In I-vi, 1 and 3 are common
• In vi-IV, 6 and 1 are common
• When using vi in descending 3rd progressions
  (I-vi-IV) and descending fifth progressions
  (I-vi-ii6), try to keep the aforementioned common
  tones in the soprano and move by steps in
  contrary motion with the bass.
• Although moving the outer voices in parallel
  tenths can be beautiful, you run the risk of
  parallel octaves or fifths in the inner voices.
• Some examples of descending 3rds progressions can
  be seen in Ex. 15.11A

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Voice Leading for the Submediant Root
progressions by ascending second

• To enhance the deceptive progression V-vi, try to
  use 2-1 or 7-8 in the soprano moving the inner
  voices down against the rising bass.
• The 7-8 soprano motion creates parallel 10ths
  with the bass moving the inner voices down will
  usually result in a perfectly acceptable doubled
  third. Ex. 15.11B illustrates part-writing for
  this progression.
• The previous guidelines may be summarized as
  follows
• When roots fall by a third, keep common tones in
  the upper voices.
• When roots ascend by a second, use contrary
  motion between the bass and the upper voices.

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Voice Leading for the Submediant The Step
Descent in the Bass

• In Chapter 13, we saw a way to embellish I-V
  motion by means of a stepwise ascent in the bass,
  resulting in the progression I-P-I6-PD-V. But it
  is also possible to move from the tonic to the
  dominant by descending steps in the bass.
• Harmonizing the inner notes of the tetrachord
  merely involves using the chords we know that
  harmonize 7 and 6 in the bass chords such as
  V6(7), IV6, (6), and vi (6).
• There are numerous paths of descent, ranging from
  diatonic descents (8-7-6-5) to descents that are
  chromatic, with multiple expressive passing
  tones, to descents that overshoot 5 and then
  return.
• Listen to the diatonic descent in 15.12

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Voice Leading for the Submediant The Step
Descent in the Bass

• Schutzs composition illustrates a characteristic
  stepwise descent i-v6-iv6-V. An especially
  strong gravitational pull downward to V is
  created by the descending melodic minor scale.
• The second level analysis reveals how the chords
  in a descending bass function within a phrase.
  The second chord is a contrapuntal passing chord,
  not a functional chord.
• When step-descent basses occur in the minor mode
  and accompany melancholy texts they are known as
  lament basses. These are not confined to the 17th
  century. Songs such as Hit the Road, Jack, and
  Erie Canal are built on the same formula
  8-b7-b6-5.
• Step-descent basses are often repeated throughout
  a piece, providing a firm harmonic foundation.
  Such repetitions are called ostinatos, and the
  pieces based on them are often called ground
  basses or chaconnes.

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Voice Leading for the Submediant The Step
Descent in the Bass

• The most common settings of step-descent basses
  use iv6 to V as in 15.14A.
• Because of the danger of parallels, VI does not
  usually lead directly to V (15.14E).
• Composers usually convert VI immediately to iv6
  by means of a 5-6 motion to avoid parallels
  (15.14B)
• 7 is most often harmonized by v6, although
  composers may opt to move 8-7 in the bass while
  sustaining a tonic harmony above which results in
  a passing four-two sonority.
• Two less common variants
• In 15.14D, ii43 substitutes for iv6
• 15.14E demonstrates how the major mode may be
  used for a step-descent bass. Here, there is less
  danger of awkward voice-leading intervals in the
  bass than in the minor mode, but be careful(!)

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Voice Leading for the Submediant The Step
Descent in the Bass

• Step-descent basses may be slightly extended by
  passing through the dominant to reach a
  pre-dominant on 4, which is harmonized either by
  iv or ii6. Such indirect step-descent basses
  therefore create a descent by fifth, one step
  beyond a tetrachord. To avoid any feeling of
  arrival on 5 in the initial descent, composers
  often harmonize it with a passing six-three or
  six-four chords (15.15).
• One final point
• Although the stepwise motion descends through
  each pitch of the boundary interval of a fifth (1
  falls to 4), it is the descent of a fourth, from
  the tonic to the dominant, that continues to be
  the foundation of the phrase structure.
• The importance of the underlying fourth descent
  is represented in both halves of 15.15 by the
  beam that connects 8-7-6-5.

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Harmonic Progression

• INTRODUCTION
• Why is it that some progressions seem to
  progress, to move forward toward a goal, while
  others seem to wander, to leave our expectations
  unfulfilled?
• Directionality

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Voice-Leading Example
An example using the rules of voice leading we
have been employing thus far
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Random Progression
Chords selected through rolling a die
While the random nature of the second example has
a certain freshness to it, there is no doubt that
the previous example sounds more typical of tonal
harmony.
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SEQUENCES AND THE CIRCLE OF FIFTHS
What is a Sequence? Sequencea pattern that is
repeated immediately in the same voice but begins
on a different pitch class. Tonal Sequencekeeps
the patterns in a single key which means that the
modifiers of the intervals (major, minor, and so
on) will probably change. (ex. a) Real
Sequencetransposes the pattern to a new key.
(ex. b)
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DIFFERENCE BETWEEN IMITATION AND SEQUENCE

• Real Imitationdiffers from a sequence in that
  the repetition of the pattern occurs in a
  different voice.
• Modified Sequencethe sequences of the pattern
  are neither tonal nor real.

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Harmonic Sequence

• A sequence may be harmonic, melodic or both. One
  common sequential pattern is
• I - V - vi - iii - IV
  - I
• This forms the basis of the famous Pachelbels
  Canon

Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706) Pachelbel's
repertory is the stylistic ancestor of J. S.
Bach's, particularly his technique of chorale
variation. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach named
Pachelbel as a composer whose works his father
had admired.
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CIRCLE OF FIFTHS

• Circle of Fifths Progressionprogression in which
  the roots are related by descending 5ths (and
  ascending 4ths). Although most of the 5ths will
  be perfect, if a diatonic circle-of-fifths
  progression goes on long enough, a diminished 5th
  (or 4) will appear

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CIRCLE OF FIFTHS continued

• Circle of Fifths Progressions often appear in
  conjunction with melodic sequences (Vivaldi,
  Concerto Grosso Op. 3, No.11, I)

• Although the chords in this example are all in
  root position, if some or all of them were
  inverted, the progression would still contain a
  circle-of-fifths harmonic sequence.

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CIRCLE OF FIFTHS continued

• Frequently found in 20th century Jazz and Pop
  music - Lionel Richie, Hello (excerpt from
  chorus)

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Assignment (2/28/05)

• Read Chapter 16.