Elektra chord

Elektra chord: E B D♭ F A♭.

Elektra chord
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Elektra chord as arpeggio then simultaneously

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The Elektra chord is a "complexly
dissonant signature-chord"[1] and motivic
elaboration used by composer Richard
Strauss to represent the title character of
his opera Elektra that is a "bitonal
synthesis of E major and C-sharp major"
and may be regarded as a polychord
related to conventional chords with added
thirds,[2] in this case an eleventh chord. It
is enharmonically equivalent to a 7#9
chord : D♭-F-A♭-C♭-E.
 Elektra chord
Component intervals from root

diminished fourth

minor second

diminished seventh

perfect fifth

root

Forte no. / Complement

5-32 / 7-32

Elektra chord implies an E major and C♯ major chord

 p j j
together (C♯ E♯ G♯ = D♭ F♮ A♭)

Each chord separately as arpeggio then both

simultaneously
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In Elektra the chord, Elektra's "harmonic

signature" is treated various ways
betraying "both tonal and bitonal
leanings...a dominant 4/2 over a
nonharmonic bass." It is associated as
well with its seven note complement which
may be arranged as a dominant
thirteenth[1] while other characters are
represented by other motives or chords,
such as Klytämnestra's contrasting
harmony. The Elektra chord's complement
appears at important points and the two
chords form a 10-note pitch collection,
lacking D and A, which forms one of
Elektra's "distinctive 'voices'"[3]

Motivic elaboration of Elektra chord

Elektra chord as motive

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The chord is also found in Claude
Debussy's Feuilles mortes, where it may be
analyzed as an appoggiatura to a minor
ninth chord, and Franz Schreker's Der ferne
Klang, and Alexander Scriabin's Sixth
Piano Sonata.[2]

See also
Gamma chord
Mystic chord
Petrushka chord
Psalms chord
Tristan chord

Sources
1. Lawrence Kramer. "Fin-de-siècle
Fantasies: Elektra, Degeneration and Sexual
Science", Cambridge Opera Journal, Vol. 5,
No. 2. (Jul., 1993), pp. 141-165.
2. H. H. Stuckenschmidt; Piero Weiss.
"Debussy or Berg? The Mystery of a Chord
Progression", The Musical Quarterly, Vol.
51, No. 3. (Jul., 1965), pp. 453-459.
3. Carolyn Abbate, 'Music and Language in
Elektra', in Richard Strauss: Elektra, ed.
Derrick Puffett, Cambridge Opera Guides
(Cambridge, 1989), 107-27. Cited in Kramer
(1993), p.156.

External links
 Some occurrences of the Elektra chord
in the scores of Petrucci Music Library

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Last edited 5 months ago by Jackof…

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