Yearly Archives: 2007

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(musTh211) Final Exam Stuff

Just an update to aid in your feverish studying this weekend.

The exam will have:

  • Three analysis examples. At least one will modulate enharmonically. Others might use some altered common chord, or other chromatic chords (like common-tone °7, V7 – Ger65, respellings of vii°7, et.c)
  • Short (3 chords) part writing problems, with Neapolitan chords, N and P°7, N/PGer65, straigh-ahead Aug6 chords, etc.)
  • A figured bass example (probably about four measures) with all kinds of juicy chromatic chords.
  • Some chromatic/enharmonic exercises. Make sure you know how to alter a °7 chord to make it a V7 (lower the root a chromatic half step). Know that you can respell the °7 with any note as the root, and alter it to V7 chords all a minor third apart.

With the part writing, remember your general rules.

  • Flat 6 (scale degree) almost always goes to scale degree 5.
  • Sevenths of chords almost always resolve down by step. (except for common tone °7 chords)
  • +6 resolves out to octave.
  • Flat 2 goes to the leading tone, perhaps getting there through tonic.
  • Raise the leading tone in minor!!!!!!!!

As I think of more stuff, I’ll add it to this post. Look for the title to change slightly (more, newly edited, etc.)

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(musTh211) Apology

I’m very sorry about missing class this morning – even more so since you drag yourself out of bed most every morning to get there. I had a family emergency (everyone in my immediate family is fine). I will be in class on Friday.

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(musTh211) Bring workbooks to class on Wednesday

Bring your workbooks to class on 11/28 (Wednesday)

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(musTh211) Assignment 19: Modulation to Foreign Keys II

Due Wednesday, 11/28:

Wkbk, pp. 359 and 360, Numbers 1 and 2.

note: we did the first half of number 1 in class.

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(musTh211) Enharmonic Modulations (Mod to Foreign Keys, II)

From Chapter 40 of the Gauldin:

Enharmonic spellings as part of modulations

New keys with enharmonic spellings. We’ve already seen this some with modulations to bII and bVI. If you start in Ab major and modulate to bII, it’s easier to read as A major rather than Bbb major.

Pivot chords with enharmonic spellings. In C major, bVI is an Ab major triad (Ab – C – Eb). Changing the spelling of the triad to G# (G# – B# – D#) would give you V of C# major or minor.

Enharmonic spellings of fully-diminished seventh chords. Because fully-diminished seventh chords divide the octave equally into minor thirds, any note of the chord can serve as the root. This leads to an enharmonic spelling of the chord and a new target resolution. c# – e – g – Bb would resolve to D, but if respelled e – g – Bb – Db then the chord would resolve to F. (Note the minor third difference.) You usually find these enharmonic spellings creating a vii°7/V in the new key, but this is not always the case.

V7 enharmonically spelled as a Ger+6 (Ger65). We already know that a Ger+6 chord sounds the same as a V7, with the minor seventh spelled as an augmented sixth. This relationship allows for either chord to be enharmonically spelled and resolved accordingly. In C major, bVI is Ab – C – Eb – F#. If the F# is changed to Gb, the result is an Ab – C – Eb – Gb chord, or V7 in Db. Spelling a Ger+6 in the original key as a V7 will lead to a modulation one half step up. Changing V7 in the key to a Ger+6 takes you to a key one half step down. Also possible are enharmonic changes of secondary dominants to Ger+6 chords. The resulting modulation is still one half step down from where the secondary dominant chord would have resolved. For example, V7/IV in major changed to a Ger+6 will lead to a modulation to iii. (or more likely, III)

Altering fully diminished seventh chords to make dominant seventh chords. Lowering the root of a fully diminished seventh chord by chromatic half step will create a dominant seventh chord. Example: the fully diminished chord C# – E – G -Bb becomes the dominant seventh chord C – E – G – Bb (C# -> C) when its root is lowered. Instead of resolving to D, the chord now resolves to F. Since we know that fully diminished seventh chords can be enharmonically spelled with any chord tone serving as the root, then we can lower any chord tone by chromatic half step and end up with a collection of pitches that can be enharmonically spelled as a V7.

Modulation by strict harmonic sequence.

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(musTh211) Assignment 18: Modulation to Distant Keys, 2

Due Friday, Nov. 9.

Wkbk: p. 320, #2 B, C, D, F
p. 322 – 3, #4 A

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(musTh211) Textbook watch

Apologies for not getting word out regularly about this.

Until further notice, bring your workbook to class. If you want to bring the textbook for reference, go ahead. I know how much you like reading it. I imagine you in study groups, reading aloud to each other….

I’ll let you know when you need to bring the Anthology.

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(musTh211) Assignment 17, Modulation to Distant Keys (updated, see comment)

Note: Shortened from what I wrote on the board!

Wkbk, p. 319, 1A and B

***p. 320 (#2) will be assigned later.

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(musTh211) Assignment 16: Analysis

Due Monday 11/5

Instructions and questions to answer are found on the file <HWBeethNo8Op13-1.pdf>, found in my iLocker account.  The same location also has an mp3 recording of the movement. You can also find numerous recordings in the BSU library, and through Naxos online.

You’ll need to listen to the piece several times, and work through your analysis carefully. This movement varies in some significant ways from “standard” sonata form. I try to guide you through this, but you still have to examine carefully.

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(musTh211) Linear Chromatic Chords

Today’s lecture covered chromatic chords  derived from linear motion. Chopin’s Prelude No. 4 in E minor was the example piece, found on pp. 326 – 7 in the Anthology.

The piece begins with a first inversion tonic triad, moving to a V7 in m. 10 (with iv6 as an embellishment) – 12. The chords in between are best described as being derived from the descending motion that connects the i6 to the V7.

Measure 13 starts this process over again, moving to the dominant in m. 18 (with suspensions and embellishments), before finishing with a deceptive cadence to bVI in m. 21, followed by a cadential 6-4 (major then minor) in m. 22, and V4-2/bII in m. 23, and finally cadential 6-4 — V — i to end.