Overview of elementary chromatic harmony Technique Leading-tone seventh chord (viio7) Function DOMINANT surrogate (especially popular as an applied chord) Distinguishing Emphasizes the following chord (i.e., its tonic) via characteristics chromatic approach and saturating dissonance Mechanics Be sure to include ALL FOUR pitches, and to spell them properly Resolve the tritones normatively (each A4 expands to 6th; each d5 contracts to 3rd); as a result, the THIRD of the following triad is doubled (NOT its root or fifth) Technique bII6 (“Neapolitan”) Function PRE-dominant Distinguishing In conjunction with the following dominant, emphasizes characteristics scale degree 1 by successive chromatic approach from above (b2) AND below (the leading tone), thus creating a highly unusual melodic d3 Mechanics Bass takes scale degree 4 one upper voice (normally the soprano) moves from b2 down by d3 to the leading tone; one upper voice moves from b6 down a semitone to scale degree 5 one upper voice doubles the BASS (scale degree 4), and either remains on it (as the 7th of V7) or moves down by m3 to scale degree 5 (as the 5th of V) Technique Chords of the augmented 6th (“Italian,” “French,” “German”) Function PRE-dominant Distinguishing Emphasizes scale degree 5 characteristics via simultaneous chromatic approach from above (b6) AND below (#4) Mechanics ALL: Bass moves from scale degree 6 in minor keys (or, in major keys, b6) to scale degree 5; one upper voice moves from raised sc.deg. 4 to sc.deg. 5; Ital (six-three) one upper voice moves from sc.deg. 1 to the leading tone one upper voice moves from sc.deg. 1 to sc.deg. 2; (NB the third above the bass is doubled) Fr (six-four-three) one upper voice moves from sc.deg. 1 to the leading tone one upper voice takes sc.deg. 2 and stays on it Ger (six-five) Cadential six-four to avoid parallel P5s: one upper voice takes sc.deg. 1, stays on it, and then moves down to the leading tone (i.e., 4–3 above bass) one upper voice takes a perfect fifth above the bass (sc.deg. 3 in minor, b3 in major), stays on it, and then moves down to sc.deg. 2 (i.e., 6–5 above bass) Technique Mode mixture (a.k.a. “borrowing”) Function Increases variety by injecting pitches foreign to the home key Distinguishing Chords borrowed from the parallel mode characteristics Mechanics Be sure to use each chord in accordance with its normal function (e.g., any submediant triad extends the tonic triad, any first-inversion supertonic seventh chord prepares a dominant, etc.)

Overview of Elementary Chromatic Harmony

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