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Harmony  in  Composi-on  Chords & their functions!

Harmony:  The  Mark  Scheme  

The  Diminished  7th  chords  

✤  A  diminished  triad  (two  minor  3rds  above  the  root)  with  an  added  diminished  7th.    For  example:  

A  diminished  7th  will  always  form  two  tritones  

This  chords  can  also  be  describes  as  “a  stack  of  minor  thirds”  

Using  the  Diminished  7th  chord  -­‐  Minor  keys:  ✤  In  a  minor  key  the  diminished  7th  chords  is  typically  found  on  the  raised  7th  degree  of  the  scale.      

✤  Here  the  root  note  rises  to  the  tonic  while  the  others  fall    (as  a  result  this  basically  func-ons  as  a  dominant  chord).  The  following  example  show  this  use  in  the  key  of  A  minor:  

Using  the  diminished  7th  chord  -­‐  Modula-on  

✤  The  diminished  7th  chord  is  regularly  used  by  composers  as  a  tool  for  modula-on,  due  to  it  being  a  tonally  unstable  chord.  

✤  A  common  technique  is  to  use  a  diminished  7th  chord  based  on  the  tonic  note,  lower  the  root  note  by  half  a  step  which  in  turn  creates  a  V7  chord  &  leads  to  the  new  key  (the  next  in  the  circle  of  5ths).    This  technique  creates  a  smooth  modula-on  from  C  Major  to  E  Major  (via  Bmaj7):  

Tonic Key!(C Maior)!

Diminished !7th chord!

Root note lowered!by 1 semi tone !

Resolves to !

Harmony  in  Composi-on  Chopin - Prelude No.4 in E Minor!

✤  How  many  harmonic  devices  can  you  iden-fy  in  opening  8  bars  of  

a  7th  is  added  to  the  A  minor  

chord    (iv  Subdominant)  

ii  degree  chord  

C#  Diminished  7th  (C#  -­‐E  -­‐G  -­‐Bb)  

✤  Listen  to  the  excerpt  again  &  iden-fy  

Neapolitan  Sixth  

✤  The  Neapolitan  Sixth  (bII)  is  a  first  inversion  of  the  major  triad  (usually  -­‐  unless  you’re  Beethoven)  built  on  the  fla]ened  2nd  degree  of  the  scale  

✤  It  usually  precedes  V  -­‐  I  in  a  cadence  and  there  fore  func-ons  as  the  sub  dominant  chord.  

✤  The  Neapolitan  Sixth  is  a  long  way  from  the  tonic  on  the  circle  of  fi_hs  which  creates  an  expected  tension.    The  result  is  an  intensified  resolu-on  of  the  perfect  cadence  

✤  The  name  comes  from  the  ‘Neapolitan’  school  of  composers,  which  included  Scarlaa,  who  made  use  of  this  chord.    However  many  famous  composers,  including  Corelli  &  Purcell  have  also  made  use  of  the  device  in  their  work.  

Schubert:  Augmented  Sixth  

✤  Schubert’s  “Der  Doppelgänger”  has  examples  of  Neapolitan  sixth  chords.  

✤  The  composi-on  also  uses  German  &  French  Augmented  sixth  chords.  

✤  A  German  augmented  sixth  chord  uses  a  major  3rd,  perfect  5th  &  augmented  6th  intervals,  most  commonly  built  upon  the  6th  degree  of  the  scale  (fla]ened  in  major  keys).    

✤  A  French  augmented  sixth  chord  uses  a  major  3rd,  augmented  4th  &  augmented  6th  intervals  most  commonly  built  upon  the  6th  degree  of  the  scale  (fla]ened  in  major  keys).  

✤  Name  the  chord  found  at:  A)  bar  32  B)  bar  51  C)  bar  41  of  “Der  

“Der  Doppelgänger”  Augmented  Sixth  

✤  The  following  chords  are  neapolitan  chords  with  added  German/French  sixths.    Match  the  chords  with  their  correct  labels,  you  must  be  able  to  explain  why:  

B)! C)!

“Der  Doppelgänger”  Answer  A  Neapolitan  Chord  with  an  added  French  6th  

Built on the flattened second

(c natural)!

Major 3rd (e)!

Augmented 4th (F#)!

Augmented 6th (A#)!

“Der  Doppelgänger”  Answer  C  German  Augmented  6th  Chord  

Built on the 6th degree of the

scale (G natural)!

Major 3rd (B)!Perfect 5th (D)!

Augmented 6th (F natural)!

Neapolitan  Chord  with  an  added  German  6th  

Built on the flattened second

(c natural)!

Major 3rd (e)!Perfect 5th (G)!

Augmented 6th (A#)!