I am asking about the notes colored in red.
Also, the notes colored in green are a bit confusing, is there a special name for this type of figure since it comes back to the same tone before moving on to the next harmony.
2 Answers
As I analyze it, the notes in red represent a decorated G. It's a mordent (or inverted mordent depending on which author one uses.) The notes in green look like one of the types of turns. (Note, Neighbor, other Neighbor, Note. or Note, Neighbor, Note, other Neighbor, Note.)
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Mordents usually have a shorter decorating notes don't they? In my melody, each note is a 16th note and equal in length so can one say that this ia mordent?– user35708Jul 28, 2022 at 9:54
It's possible to decorate a passing tone, but that's not what's happening here.
Red case
There are several possible interpretations:
- The harmony is iio6, the first G is a passing tone, and the F# is an anticipation of the F# in the next measure. The second G is the upper neighbor to the F#. I find this interpretation most convincing. It can be tested by playing the passage as below.
First, demonstrate that the first G is a passing tone — to the next measure.
Then, demonstrate the F# as an anticipation.
- The chord is actually iv, rather than iio6. This makes G the primary note — the chord tone — with the A as an accented passing tone and the F# as a lower neighbor.
- The chord could actually be viio4-3. To my ear, this interpretation doesn't hold up as well as the others, but the Gs would function as in #1 above — first a passing tone, then a neighbor.
Green case
This is an arpeggiated i6 chord with an A passing tone between the initial G and Bb chord tones.
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Hmmm interesting, so the F# is an anticipation even though it goes to G first? I thought anticipations were notes that arrive early and become consonant once the harmony changes but in this case It goes to another note before going back to F#– user35708Jul 27, 2022 at 20:38
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@armani Exactly. The F# does anticipate the F# in the next measure, but that anticipation is also decorated by the upper neighbor.– AaronJul 27, 2022 at 21:36
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I had a fresh listen this morning and I actually played it in my DAW to really try and hear this interpretation of yours that the F# is an anticipation of the F# in the next bar but in all honesty, I hear G as the main note being decorated on its way down to the F# so to me, it really sounds like F# is decorating G.– user35708Jul 28, 2022 at 9:44
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@armani That's the interpretive part of music theory. One person will hear it the way you do, another will hear it the way I do.– AaronJul 28, 2022 at 12:50
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ha ha ok... I tried my best to hear it your way, I really did :) Thanks for your help– user35708Jul 28, 2022 at 14:33