The Baroque
3/4
ca 1600-1750
Based on the writings of Anna
Butterworth: ‘Stylistic Harmony’
(OUP 1992)
NB To understand the slides herein, you must play though all
the sound examples to hear the principles in action.
The sound of the music will make sense of the rules.
Harmony of Bach’s Chorales
• Usually basic, functional
• Uses mainly primary triads (I, IV, V) +
inversions thereof
• Progressions often in 5ths & 3rds
• Modulation to closely-related keys.
What’s special?: contrapuntal decoration, &
harmonic decoration. NB chorales are
based on hymn words and tunes known.
E.g. play through these...
Harmonizing Roots that move in 3rds
The Cadence
Constitute some 30% of a chorale
(cadences at end of every short
phrase).
Cadences need careful handling...
Some rules:
• No passing notes on pause chords,
because they’re pausing + there are no
words.
• Leading notes often fall a 3rd to the 5th
of the triad (of chord I), or rise (leap) to
the 3rd of the tonic chord.
• Chorales always end on a major triad.
• Cadence chords are usually in root
position.
How J. S. Bach usually writes
his perfect cadences
1. ii7b before chord V:
2. Renaissance 4-3 suspension over chord V:
REMINDER TIME:
I. Tonic (1)
II. Supertonic (2)
III. Mediant (3)
IV. Subdominant (4 [IV])
V. Dominant (5 [V])
VI. Submediant (6)
VII. Leading-note (7)
VIII. Tonic (1)
NB difference
between
chords and
keys.
Modulation to the subdominant (IV) key
NB difference between modulation
(changing key with a cadence into that
key followed by a section of music in that
new key) and tonal digression (hinting
at a key for just a few chords, without
cadencing).
In terms of harmonic structure then:
CHORD => TONAL DIGRESSION => MODULATION.
Modulation to the subdominant (IV) key
Tonal digressions to the submediant can
be made when the melody falls by a
third. Viz:
Modulation to the subdominant (IV) key
Tonal digressions to the submediant can
be made when the melody falls by a
third. Viz 2:
The Imperfect Cadence (anything to V)
Also known as a ‘half-close’ (it’s a strong
cadence)
Often not resolved, e.h. here where the phrase
starts in another key...
The Imperfect Cadence (anything to V)
...or here where the chorale ends with an
imperfect cadence as modal chorales
often do:
The Imperfect Cadence (anything to V)
EXERCISE 1: label the cadence chord here:
The Imperfect Cadence (anything to V)
EXERCISE 2: label the cadence chord here:
The Interrupted Cadence (V-VI)
These are rare but dramatic when they
happen in Bach’s chorales. Here are
two examples to play...
The Interrupted Cadence (V-VI)
Example 2 (very striking):
The Plagal Cadence (IV-I) = the
‘Amen’ progression
These are as rare as interrupted cadences
in Bach’s chorales. They may follow a
perfect cadence to ‘extend’ the piece
(dramatic).
Bach will often provide a tonal digression
in the subdominant (IV) to strengthen the
plagal cadence, by decorating it with
contrapuntal lines (nice). E.g....
The Plagal Cadence (IV-I) = the
‘Amen’ progression
Note how minor chord iv is used in this
dramatic example:
The Dominant 7th Chord (V7)
NB In jazz, all 7th chords are called ‘dominant 7ths’,
even if they are not dominants (= functioning as a V
in the harmony)!
In the Baroque, the Renaissance rules for handling 7ths
get dropped, as the 7th begins to be accepted as a
semi-consonance.
Bach still treats the dominant 7th (V7) with care,
especially in root position when it’s always prepared,
introduced in stepwise motion or treated as a
passing note.
The Dominant 7th Chord (V7)
Some examples:
The Dominant 7th Chord (V7)
And another:
Slides on treating different inversions of the
dom. 7th to follow.
The Dominant 7th Chord (V7)
Because it’s such an unstable chord, V7 can be
used to effect an abrupt modulation from one
chorale phrase to another. E.g.:
The Dominant 7th Chord (V7)
And another example of modulation with V7:
The Diminished 7th Chord
In minor keys, the 7th chord is diminished.
The Diminished 7th Chord
In minor keys, the 7th chord is diminished.
As such, the diminished 7th chord is
sometimes used in minor key chorales
instead of V7b.
The effect of this? - It beings tension to the
music, and is sometimes used as a dramatic
modulating passage. E.g. ...
The Diminished 7th Chord
The diminished 7th chord used in a minor key chorales
instead of V7b in modulation (example 1):
The Diminished 7th Chord
The diminished 7th chord used in a minor key chorales
instead of V7b in modulation (example 2):
The Diminished 7th Chord
The diminished 7th chord can also be used as a coloured chord at
a cadence. Here, iv7 has been altered (see p62 Butterworth)
...it’d the diminished 7th of the dominant key:
Modulation
Bach usually modulates at least once in a chorale.
Often, the new key will be hinted at at the beginning of a
phrase before it’s cadenced into. E.g.
Modulation
Magic chords to use to modulate are: V, V7, viib and the
diminished 7th chord.
In chorales, you can get an abrupt modulation from one
phrase to the next...
Modulation
Tonal digressions can (of course) happen within a
phrase, e.g. observe the tenor here:
Modulation
Flattened 7ths can be used to contradict a modulation:
FIN