THEORY II REVIEW

The following is a recap of concepts covered in MUSC&142 Music Theory II …

WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH THE iii CHORD?

iii (3 - 5 - 7): This chord is called the MEDIANT

This chord is very rarely used at all in chord progressions. When it is, it might serve as a TONIC SUBSTITUTION (a chord that replaces a I chord) because it has two notes from the I chord (3 and 5) and is only one half step away from a I⁶ (I⁶ = 3 - 5 - 1, iii = 3 - 5 - 7). Sometimes you may see a iii in predominant areas. It might also serve as DOMINANT SUBSTITUTION (a chord that replaces a V chord) because it has two notes from the V chord (5 and 7) and the iii⁶ is only one whole step away from a V (iii⁶ = 5 - 7 - 3, V = 5 - 7 - 2). Using a iii chord is a great way to deescalate a melodic 7 and allow it to descend elsewhere in the scale rather than force it to move to 1 (as is a general rule established by Western Music harmony practices).

In general, most complete musical phrases in Western Classical Music will follow this area pattern:

TONIC (T) - PREDOMINANT (PD) - DOMINANT (D) - TONIC (T)

TRIADS IN INVERSION

There are two main reasons to use FIRST INVERSION CHORDS:

• Using any chord inversion in addition to root position gives more variety to a piece of music

• Using any chord inversion allows for a more melodic bassline

There are two main reasons to use SECOND INVERSION CHORDS:

• To expand the CADENCE (the last two chords of a phrase - how the phrase ends)

• To add interesting or surprising harmony; especially by weakening a harmonic area

  • Note that the Second Inversion chord is the least used of the inversions because the root of the chord is a P4 over the bass which is a non-triadic interval

  • Note that the Second Inversion chord can occur in ACCENTED (strong) or UNACCENTED (weak) places in a harmonic rhythm

Unaccented second inversion chords …

FORM (PHRASES & CADENCES)

MUSICAL FORM is the structure of phrases within a larger piece of music. To discover or create musical form, identify the length of phrases and periods by finding rhythmic pauses or important moments and repetition. Consider cadence types, weak and strong areas, and glean a birds eye view of large sections.

In music, a CADENCE occurs at the end of a musical phrase, serving as a resolution or pause point in the larger piece. It is similar to the way we use punctuation in written language. Just like a period “.” or a comma “,” or an exclamation mark “!” or a question mark “?” or an interrobang “?!” can help to bring the right energy to a sentence or phrase, so too, do cadences with phrases of music. In general, cadences are the interaction of the penultimate and final chords in a phrase within the context of the overall key of the piece (or section of the piece). The following are the most oft-used cadences …

PHRASE

A musical PHRASE is a self-contained musical event ending in a cadence. It doesn’t need to be a complete, fully-fleshed idea, but even, just like in writing, the first half of a sentence before a comma. ANTECEDENT PHRASES are phrases that feel open-ended like a musical question. They are often finishing in the Dominant area or somewhere outside of Tonic. CONSEQUENT PHRASES are phrases that follow Antecedent Phrases and usually feel, closed - like an answer to the question. These most often finish in Tonic.

PERIOD

When an Antecedent Phrase is coupled with a Consequent Phrase in a balanced, organized way, the resulting two-phrase idea is called a PERIOD. Because much Western Classical Music relies on symmetry and balance, Periods are usually the goal when composing in a logical sequence. In fact, composing with phrases that are not in Period form have the effect of surprising your listener with more unique forms.

PERFECT AUTHENTIC CADENCE | PAC | V - I

The PERFECT AUTHENTIC CADENCE is the strongest of all cadences and occurs most often at the end of a complete piece of music or at the end of large sections of music (but can, of course, occur elsewhere). It moves from Dominant area to Tonic area very directly. To be considered a PAC, the cadence must have both a specific two-chord progression and a specific melodic motion which is not required of other cadence types. The PAC must move from a root position V or V⁷ to a root position I chord. In the melody (soprano voice), it must follow a stepwise melodic contour above the V - I motion of scale degree 2 - 1 or scale degree 7 - 1.

IMPERFECT AUTHENTIC CADENCE | IAC | Vˣ or viiᵒˣ - Iˣ

The IMPERFECT AUTHENTIC CADENCE is a way to move from Dominant to Tonic area in a weaker way which is a good technique when you want the harmony to move to Tonic but not feel like your longer idea is over. An IAC will be any Authentic Cadence that doesn’t follow the strict rules of the PAC above. This could include moving from a V - I chord with either or both chords in inversion or a viiᵒ - I chord with either or both chords in inversion or the melody not moving from 2 - 1 or 7 - 1 or a combination of both.

HALF CADENCE | HC | ? - V

The HALF CADENCE is the musical phrase equivalent to a question mark or a comma in a written sentence. An HC completes the phrase in dominant, making the phrase feel not only incomplete and unresolved, but leaving it in the dominant area specifically adds tension to the point where your ear can only be satisfied by hearing another phrase that provides the answer. Half Cadences always finish on a V but can come from any chord before it. Most often, it will come from a Tonic area or Predominant area before moving to Dominant on this final V chord.

PLAGAL CADENCE | PC | IV - I

The PLAGAL CADENCE is also known as the “Amen Cadence” because of its prevalence as the final cadence in many Christian church hymns. The PC is the movement of a IV chord to a I chord. This cadence type skips the Dominant area altogether, moving straight from Predominant to Tonic. However, many times this cadence is used as a “follow-up” to a previous V - I cadence set-up. The PC is much weaker than the PAC or IAC because the IV is lacking a leading tone. Without the leading tone or time in the Dominant area, the resolution to Tonic is not as strong or satisfying.

DECEPTIVE CADENCE | DC | V - ?

The DECEPTIVE CADENCE, sometimes referred to as the Interrupted Cadence, is a cadence that deceives our ears by making us think we are about to hear an Authentic (V - I) Cadence. Instead, the Dominant V chord will cadence on any other chord besides I resulting in a “surprise ending.” The chord V most often moves to instead if I is the minor vi chord. This chord works well in this place because there is still a first scale degree in the vi chord and the resulting effect is a moment of minor when your ear expected major.

We also know that while a vi chord is most often found in the Predominant Area, it can function as a TONIC SUBSTITUTION, especially in first inversion when the chordal 3rd (which is the 1 of the scale) is in the bass.

NON-HARMONIC TONES

… aka Embellishing Tones aka Non-Chord Tones … are notes in a piece of music that do not fit into the vertical chord harmonically. These notes are present in a piece of music to allow for more melodic movement of each voice, especially the soprano melody.

Each non-harmonic or embellishing tone can be categorized in several ways … ACCENTED are non-harmonic tones occurring on the beat. Some types of non-harmonic tones are only accented and others can be accented or unaccented. UNACCENTED are non-harmonic tones occurring off the beat (on eighth or sixteenth notes). Some types of non-harmonic tones below are only unaccented and others can be unaccented or accented depending on where they are placed. CHROMATIC Non-Harmonic Tones tend to be easy to spot because they use notes outside of the given key (thus, they are “chromatic”). Most often, these notes are a half-step in either direction from the note they are leaving or approaching.

PASSING TONE (PT)

The PASSING TONE, like the Passing Chord, is a note that connects the notes of two chords that are a third apart with the missing note between. It is one of the most common Non-Chord Tones because it creates stepwise, scalar motion in voices which create comfortable, predictable melodic lines. For example, if the Soprano had an “C” for Chord 1 and a “E” for Chord 2, the Passing Tone between would be a “D”. Passing tones are usually unaccented, but can also be accented.

NEIGHBOR TONE (NT)

The NEIGHBOR TONE, like the Neighbor Chord, is a note that moves away from and back to a common tone between two chords. For example, if the Soprano had an “C” for Chord 1 and holds the “C” over as a common tone to Chord 2, then a Neighbor Tone would be the motion between of “C-D-C” (upper neighbor) or “C-B-C” (lower neighbor). Neighbor tones are usually unaccented, but can also be accented.

NEIGHBOR GROUP (NG) or DOUBLE NEIGHBOR (DN)

The NEIGHBOR GROUP, or Double Neighbor, is also sometimes referred to as a “Turn” in Classical Music technique. This occurs when both the upper and lower neighbor are used between two chords with a common tone. To continue with the example above, the Neighbor Group versions would be: “C-D-B-C” and “C-B-D-C”. Just like Neighbor Tones, Neighbor Groups can be unaccented or accented.

ANTICIPATION (ANT)

An ANTICIPATION is when a chord tone of the next chord enters early while the music is still functioning harmonically in the previous chord. In this situation, one voice will move to its note for Chord 2 when the overall harmony is still on Chord 1. An example of this would be Soprano on “C” for a C Major chord but switching to a “B” in anticipation of all voices moving to a G Major chord. An Anticipation can be stepwise or not from its previous tone - the main thing is that the note is a chord tone of the next chord in order. An Anticipation is always unaccented because it becomes a chord tone when the chord eventually changes.

ESCAPE TONE (ET)

An ESCAPE TONE is a Non-Chord Tone that involves both a step and a leap. From Chord 1, a voice will take one step up at the end of Chord 1 (this note will be a Non-Chord Tone of both Chord 1 and Chord 2), then leap downward to resolve to a chord tone of Chord 2. This seems like a strange sequence but it creates a lot of drama so it can be a desirable method of melodic movement. An example is a C Major chord moving to a G Major chord. The Soprano starts on “E”, moves stepwise up to “F”, and leaps down to “D” for Chord 2. Escape Tones are always unaccented.

APPOGGIATURA (APP)

An APPOGGIATURA is another Non-Chord Tone that involves both a step and a leap. It is opposite from an Escape Tone in that the Non-Chord Tone is approached by a leap and resolved by a step. The Non-Chord tone also occurs on the beat of Chord 2 as opposed to on an unaccented moment of Chord 1. An example is a G Major chord moving to a C Major chord with “D” in the Soprano leaping up to “F” at the beginning of the C chord before resolving downward to “E” (a chord tone). Appoggiaturas are always accented.

SUSPENSION (S)

The SUSPENSION is one of the most common Non-Chord Tones. A Suspension holds a note over from Chord 1 into Chord 2 and resolves it downward to a chord tone in Chord 2. For example, as a G Dominant 7th chord moves to a C Major chord, a voice will hold the “F” over into the C Major chord and then resolve it downward to “E”. The three types of Suspension movement in chord tones are 4-3, 7-6, and 9-8. All Suspensions will move stepwise downward. Suspensions are always accented.

RETARDATION (R)

RETARDATION is almost identical to Suspension but whereas a Suspension holds a note over into the next chord and then resolves downward, the Retardation holds a note over into the next chord and resolves upward. For example, as a G Major chord moves to a C Major chord, a voice will hold the “B” over into the C Major chord and then resolve it upward to “C”. All Retardations will move stepwise upward. Retardations are always accented.

PEDAL (PED)

A PEDAL is a note specifically in the Bass voice that is held out usually under several chords (two or more, but often more than two) when this Bass note does not fit into the chord tones of the other voices above it. This is different than a Pedal Six-Four chord because in the Pedal Six-Four chord, the Pedal Bass is a chord tone of every chord. When the Pedal is a Non-Chord Tone, it is not part of the chord above it. An example of this might be a Pedal “C” held out under an A minor chord, G Major chord, and C Major chord. The “C” will fit in the exterior chords (A and C) but not in the interior chord (G) and thus, it is a Non-Chord Tone under the G Major chord. Pedals are unique in that they don’t change through a chord (as they are present before and after the chord) and so are not accented or unaccented.

*CHORDAL LEAP* (CL)

The CHORDAL LEAP is an embellishment tone while technically not being a non-harmonic or non-chord tone because the note is a member of the chord. This label is used when a voice moves from one chord tone to a different chord tone during the duration of the chord. This can happen a single time or a voice might move through all three notes in a triad, which would then be called an ARPEGGIATION (ARP). An example of a Chordal Leap would be the Soprano moving from “C” to “E” over a C Major chord. For this to be an Arpeggiation, the Soprano would move from “C” to “E” to “G” - or any order of the arpeggio of the given chord. Chordal leaps are unaccented because they will occur after the chord has already been struck.