Lecture #15: September 28, 2020

Reminders:

◦ Exam I metrics:
◦ Class average: 87.5%.
◦ Class median: 88%.

◦ Assignment #5 is due next Tuesday, October 6.

◦ Solutions to the part-writing examples from the end of class on Friday can be found at the end of these
slides, which, of course, will be posted to Canvas.
 A Look at I6 and V6
HC
Inverted Chords:
Translation of verse
1. Energize the fragments:
bassline and
render it more 1. A girl decided to get up
melodic. early…
2. [And] when she entered
2. Present the the greenwood…
possibility for 3. [The] lad was covered in
voice blood…
exchanges,
a: i6 i V6 V i i6 V
which intensify
the relationship
between inner
and outer
Brahms, “Vom verwundeten Knaben” (“The Wounded Lad”) – Traditional German Folk Song
voices.
 A Look at I6 and V6
Recomposition with ONLY root-position triads
HC

a: i V i V

Brahms, “Vom verwundeten Knaben” (“The Wounded Lad”) – Traditional German Folk Song
 A Look at I6 and V6
Inverted Chords:
HC
1. Energize the
bassline and Translation of verse
render it more fragments:
melodic.
1. A girl decided to get up
2. Present the early…
possibility for 2. [And] when she entered
voice the greenwood…
exchanges, 3. [The] lad was covered in
which blood…
intensifies the
a: i6 i V6 V i i6 V
relationship
between
melodic lines.

Brahms, “Vom verwundeten Knaben” (“The Wounded Lad”) – Traditional German Folk Song
Intensifying and Melodicizing the Tonic Region: I6 (or i6)
The tonic triad often appears in first inversion, adding contrapuntal interest to a bassline.
change of
change of
inversion;
voicing;
voice
voice
exchange
exchange

g: i V i i i V i i i6 V i

The change of inversion renders the bass more melodic; it also intensifies the voice leading!
Intensifying and Melodicizing the Tonic Region: I6 (or i6)
The tonic triad often appears in first inversion, adding contrapuntal interest to a bassline.
change of
change of
inversion;
voicing;
voice
voice
exchange
exchange

g: i V i i i V i i i6 V i

The change of inversion renders the bass more melodic; it also intensifies the voice leading!
Intensifying and Melodicizing the Tonic Region: I6 (or i6)
The tonic triad often appears in first inversion, adding contrapuntal interest to a bassline.
change of
change of
inversion;
voicing;
voice
voice
exchange
exchange

g: i V i i i V i i i6 V i

The change of inversion renders the bass more melodic; it also intensifies the voice leading!
Intensifying and Melodicizing the Dominant Region: V6
The dominant triad often appears in first inversion, adding contrapuntal interest to a bassline.
◦ When the leading tone is in the bass, it must ALWAYS resolve upward by half-step to tonic (unless
transferred to an upper voice—see below)!

g: i V i i V V I i V6 V I i V V6 i

The change of inversion renders the bass more melodic; it also intensifies the voice leading!

Don’t double the bass in V6 – it’s the leading tone!

Intensifying and Melodicizing the Dominant Region: V6
The dominant triad often appears in first inversion, adding contrapuntal interest to a bassline.
◦ When the leading tone is in the bass, it must ALWAYS resolve upward by half-step to tonic (unless
transferred to an upper voice—see below)!
change of
voicing

g: i V i i V V I i V6 V I i V V6 i

The change of inversion renders the bass more melodic; it also intensifies the voice leading!

Don’t double the bass in V6 – it’s the leading tone!

Intensifying and Melodicizing the Dominant Region: V6
The dominant triad often appears in first inversion, adding contrapuntal interest to a bassline.
◦ When the leading tone is in the bass, it must ALWAYS resolve upward by half-step to tonic (unless
transferred to an upper voice—see below)!
change of change of
voicing inversion

g: i V i i V V I i V6 V I i V V6 i

The change of inversion renders the bass more melodic; it also intensifies the voice leading!

Don’t double the bass in V6 – it’s the leading tone!

 Intensifying and Melodicizing the Dominant Region: V6
The dominant triad often appears in first inversion, adding contrapuntal interest to a bassline.
◦ When the leading tone is in the bass, it must ALWAYS resolve upward by half-step to tonic (unless transferred to an
upper voice—see below)! change of change of
reorder V6 and V
voicing inversion

g: i V i i V V i i V6 V i i V V6 i

The change of inversion renders the bass more melodic; it also intensifies the voice leading!

Don’t double the bass in V6 – it’s the leading tone!

Voice-Leading Considerations for I6 (or i6) and V6
Notice: 1 is doubled (S
1. When and where possible, keep common tones, and A); use a stem in
unless you use a voice exchange (which often requires each direction to show
movement in multiple voices). this in keyboard style!
K

2. In these first-inversion triads, it’s generally best to

look for ways to double the root or fifth of the chord.
(Never double the third of the dominant triad: it’s the D: I I6
leading tone!)

3. These two chords usually appear on metrically weak V

beats or parts of beats. Think of I (or i) and V as being
the “main” harmonies, while I6 (or i6) and V6 embellish
and add interest to them.
b: i V6 i
V6 as a Neighbor Chord: Longer-Range Voice Leading
We can extend our knowledge of Tones of Figuration from melodic events to harmonic events.

V V

N N
g: i i g: i V6 i
i i
A neighbor chord harmonizes a neighbor tone in the bass.
V6 as a Neighbor Chord: Longer-Range Voice Leading
We can extend our knowledge of Tones of Figuration from melodic events to harmonic events.

V V

N N
g: i i g: i V6 i
i i
A neighbor chord harmonizes a neighbor tone in the bass.
V6 as a Neighbor Chord: Longer-Range Voice Leading
We can extend our knowledge of Tones of Figuration from melodic events to harmonic events.

V V

N N
g: i i g: i V6 i

A neighbor chord harmonizes a neighbor tone in the bass.

V6 as an Incomplete Neighbor Chord
We can extend our knowledge of Tones of Figuration from melodic events to harmonic events.

Incomplete Neighbor Tone (IN)

◦ Not a “complete” neighbor tone
◦ Approached by leap and left by step: a V

neighbor tone on “one side”

◦ Unaccented
IN
g: i6 i
i
 V6 as an Incomplete Neighbor Chord
We can extend our knowledge of Tones of Figuration from melodic events to harmonic events.

Incomplete Neighbor Tone (IN)

◦ Not a “complete” neighbor tone
◦ Approached by leap and left by step: a V

neighbor tone on “one side”

◦ Unaccented
IN
g: i6 V6 i
i
An incomplete neighbor chord harmonizes an incomplete neighbor tone in the bass.
 Harmonic Prolongation
1. We know that tones of figuration embellish/decorate a particular chord. We can extend that
principle to how some chords embellish/decorate and prolong other chords.

2. We can think of Tonic and Dominant as “structural” harmonies in the tonal system.
◦ Two common ways to prolong “structural” harmonies with “subordinate” chords:
◦ Changing inversion of the same chord
◦ Embellishing/decorating a chord with another chord: neighbor and incomplete neighbor chords
◦ Each structural harmony can be assigned a contextual label: T (tonic) and D (dominant)
◦ The letters are placed beneath Roman numerals analysis to indicate harmonic prolongation.

3. Harmonic prolongation allows us to think about linear, long-range harmonic progression, rather
than just vertical, chord-by-chord motion.
◦ As a whole, this is how tonal music works: prolongation of basic harmonic regions.
Part Writing Solutions (From Friday,
9/25)