Timeline for Preparation of Chordal 7ths in Classical Harmony
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
9 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Jul 25, 2019 at 18:33 | comment | added | phoog | @HeatherS. fair enough on the scope; perhaps my comment should be addressed to Stephen Laitz. As to the frequency of ^7 ^5, it may depend on the period. I just scanned a couple of pages of Bach 4-part chorales and every ^2 ^1 melodic cadence I saw had ^7 ^5 in the alto or tenor. But I do not know of any "common practice" pieces that don't have a fifth in the final chord. | |
| Jul 25, 2019 at 17:39 | comment | added | user50691 | I agree w/r to the inclusion of secondary dominants but I interpreted the OP as a classical harmony question, perhaps I assumed too basic of a question. But yes, if you are adding relative V7 to chords to a sequence you clearly want to hear 7-->8 and 4-->3 through the entire sequence. | |
| Jul 25, 2019 at 17:30 | comment | added | Heather S. | I will also stick to what I said about semi-tone movement, especially when it comes to secondary chords and fully diminished chords as it is very important to clarify what chord they are tonicizing. | |
| Jul 25, 2019 at 17:25 | comment | added | Heather S. | @ggcg, I agree that there is not a lot of change in how to approach part-writing when it comes to using 7th chords. However, that being said, secondary 7ths and fully diminshed 7ths will contain non-diatonic tones which need some special care. And I'm going to stick to smoothest is best in those cases, in a classical style. | |
| Jul 25, 2019 at 17:21 | comment | added | user50691 | The other exception is when you have repeated chords, they you are free to jump around from one inversion to the next. This helps create smooth transitions between chords that do not have many notes close together. | |
| Jul 25, 2019 at 17:20 | comment | added | Heather S. | @Phoog Writing interesting inner parts or melodies is beyond the scope of the OPs question. Also, I would disagree that the move from the ^7 to ^5 at the final cadence happens "often." It does happen, but it is merely a matter of personal preference as the ^5 is not necessary for the tonal quality of the final chord. A tripled root is not something to avoid. The ^5 is there for added color, if desired. Many composers would prefer to satisfy the pull of the ^7 to the tonic rather than leave it hanging in order to hear the ^5 in the last chord. Again, totally about preference. | |
| Jul 25, 2019 at 17:20 | comment | added | user50691 | I am not sure that this is special to the dom 7 chord, as per my comment to the OP. It seems that in classical harmony texts there are several rules of thumb that apply to ALL possible chord movements. One of these is keep movement as small as possible when going from one chord to the next (with the exception of the bass). The OP is looking for V7 special rules and imo they standard rules "prepare" the V7 just fine. Can you explain the difference? | |
| Jul 25, 2019 at 15:21 | comment | added | phoog | Smoothest isn't always best. That's a commonly stated "rule," but breaking it judiciously is one key to writing interesting inner parts (and melodies, for that matter). Also, when the melody's cadence is ^2 ^1, the tenor or alto will often move ^7 ^5 to avoid having a tripled root in the final chord. | |
| Jul 24, 2019 at 13:48 | history | answered | Heather S. | CC BY-SA 4.0 |