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I'm analyzing Mozart's Turkish March piece for the piano.

As I see in measure 18 the harmony is F7 (fourth) with minor seven.

Assuming it is a minor seven because the harmony is F7 why they thought about the seventh as D sharp but not E flat ?

In other words:

Harmony is F7 --> includes Minor 7 --> should be E flat

See the picture (the measure in the middle)

measure 18

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    What key is it in again? Also note that E is notated in the next measure. While a natural sign wouldn't be strictly necessary in the next measure if Eb were used, it seems a bit clearer as written. Oh and E in the previous measure.
    – Todd Wilcox
    Jan 18, 2016 at 21:44
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    The key is A minor if anything.
    – user1803551
    Jan 18, 2016 at 22:01
  • For context, I believe this is the sheet music.
    – user1803551
    Jan 18, 2016 at 22:04

2 Answers 2

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It's a D# because it's functioning as a D#. In the three measures you can see the line goes E -> D# -> E. It's acting much more leading tone like than 7th like as if it were truly an F7 the next note would either be the same or resolve down.

The fact the harmony could be interpreted as an F7 is kind of a moot point as the next measure lands squarely on Am which harmonically doesn't make the most sense and could be a more chromatic harmony or exotic in nature which in that case a lot more needs to be looked into in this analysis.

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    That makes me think it might really be an augmented 6th instead of a minor 7th.
    – Todd Wilcox
    Jan 18, 2016 at 22:01
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    It's a French 6th. The B in the descant is a chord tone, the top three notes make a truncated B dominant 7th chord (no fifth), the F in the bass moves to E.
    – user16935
    Jan 19, 2016 at 0:13
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    Yeah, I agree with @Patrx2. This is a fairly clear example of a French augmented sixth (or Italian augmented sixth with a B passing tone, which to me is basically six of one, half a dozen the other). The only thing making it slightly less straightforward is that it doesn't proceed to as clear-cut of a V as it normally tends to. But it's still moving to a cadential 6/4 followed by an (admittedly somewhat mangled) V4/2.
    – Pat Muchmore
    Jan 19, 2016 at 4:24
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    @PatMuchmore, I'm saying French 6th here because Mozart is being really cute. The first half of the bar is being voiced as if it were F7, but he's treating the high C as an appoggiatura with a cambiata-style resolution.
    – user16935
    Jan 19, 2016 at 19:56
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    ...which is really cute because the C is consonant.
    – user16935
    Jan 19, 2016 at 22:14
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To amplify Dom's reply, it is indeed a D♯. What is going on here is that Mozart is using an augmented sixth chord (specifically the French sixth) that is being used as dominant preparation. Normally how a French sixth works is that the upper notes form V7 of V (with a missing fifth), while the bass falls a half step from ♭6 to 5. It is a variant of the Phrygian cadence (iv6 - V).

Thus the progression would normally be F6 - V - i, but Mozart is being cute here: instead of holding the high B and heading directly to V, he is taking the chord through the tonic second inversion (which is normally treated as a suspension or appoggiatura leading to V, and is thus also dominant preparation) to the second inversion diminished seventh on G♯, which stands in for V.

Sure enough, in the following bar he ends up on i6 (A minor). The B and A in the descant of the 2nd bar of your example are passing notes, the A being an accented one.

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