THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL ENDOWED BY THE DIALECTIC AND PHILANTHROPIC .. SOCIETIES — MUSIC LIBKAFvY Vault Folio MTliO .R36 T728 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 with funding from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill http://archive.org/details/newtheoryofresolOOreic n nwgr is :e © ie k Y .'I <> CO PI 1 inn I 6 tilt 1 ) J A v 1c i M I C M A . p 1L/J' OH y EntStaJXall. JP/rrr '>/ Zo?idon r PhifUea iyM.COCKS&C?Jftilrtis7i£rsttffyep5rks /f NEW THEORY of the R E HOLUTIO JV of B1-SC0EBS according- to the MOJDERN SYSTEM. A dissonant chord has always one natural resolution; but, besides this resolution, it will admit of several others, which form so many exceptions . Upon what principle are these exceptions admissible? This is a point respecting which all pur Treatises are silent. As, however, a thorough understanding of this principle is extremely im_ portant, we shall proceed to establish and develope it . In any discord, all the notes are not dissonant; one or two are so, the rest are consonant. In the first place, therefore, it is necessary that we should know exactly which are the dissonant notes in each chord, because to those in particular all our remarks are intended to apply . We shall now proceed to indicate the dissonant notes in each discord, General Rule. A note is dissonant in a chord, when it forms a dissonance with the fundamental bass, or root of that chord . I s * Discord, or the imperfect common chord: (only one note dissonant) . The dissonant note of this chord is F, because the F is a dissonance with respect to B, the fundamental bass of the chord . 5*4 Discord, or first species of the chord. of the seventh; or, as it is moreusu ally termed, the dominant seventh :(ohe dissonant note).The root is G,the dissonance F. c?4 Discord, or second species of the chord of the seventh:(one dissonant note). The root is G, the dissonance F . 4 l ." Discord, or third species of the chord of the seventh: (two dissonant notes) . The root is G, the dissonant notes are DP and F . £ l . n Discord, or fourth species of the chord of the seventh, or major se _ venth:(only bne dissonant note). The root is G, and the dissonance F#.(-*)( PH * ^ 6. Discord, or chord of the major ninth:(two dissonant notes). The root is G, the dissonant notes are F and A. 7V 1 Discqrd,or chord of the minor ninth:(two dissonant notes). The root is G', the disso.nant notes are F and Av . gth Discord, or chord of the superfluous fifth: (only one dissonant note), The root is G, and the. .dissonant note D#.-(#*) r * pn 9Y 1 Discord, or chord of the superfluous fifth and minor seventh: (two Q dissonant notes). The root is, G, the dissonant notes are D# and Ft|.(**) (*) HAYDN has nsed this chord with its fifth accidentally sharpened. See the third bar of the following example. The note affected with this chromatic alteration necessarily becomesanew dissonance, whir h mnst be resolved by ascending a Semitone. (*■*) In the two chords of the snperflnons f ifth„('N . s ftand.9) the note altered chromatically (the supertlcions tilth) mast always be resolved iji ascending . In the imperfect common chord N ? J , the dissonant note niav either ascend or descend" according to cirenmstanc es . Heicha's resolution of iMscords . 7r >7 ||=E*i=E^^jjEF \&h*= ^=Ie^z1e1= 3 lo 1 .' 1 Discord, or chord of the superfluous sixth: (three dissonant notes with respect to the fundamental bass, which is a supposed note). The root of this chord is G, as we have demonstrated- in our PRACTICAL COURSE of HAR. moxy. Consequently, the dissonant notes are Db,F,and Ab. Each of these three notes stands in the relation of a dissonance with Bt},the only consonance in the chord ll*} 1 Discord, or chord of the superfluous sixth and fourth : ( two dis_ J? , sonant notes). The root is G, the dissonant notes, Db and F. f Tr§ In correct harmony, we can only employ a dissonant note under the following conditions. I s .* When it is resolved immediately, no matter in what chord that resolution is made. In this case the dissonance almost always descends either a tone or a semitone . 2'.y When, by the choice of the following chord, the dissonant note becomes a con_ cord without changing its place . 3'.y When, without changing its place, it still remains a "dissonance in the follow, ing chord , and is resolved farther on. 4'.y When it skips from one part to another, in which latter part it is ultimately resolved . £*3 When it is employed melodially , or in arpeggio, in which circumstances it may often remain unresolved . We shall proceed to illustrate these five cases . V A § ¥, ■:... 1 ^fm SP A discord is resolved regularly, that is, according to its natural law, when its fundamental bass descends a fifth to the fundamental bass of the following chord, which fifth is almost always perfect , ForExample When this condition is not observed, we introduce an exception to the ordinary and natural succession of chords: % ~. for example But ttie dissonant note Fin the first chord descends upon E in the second, resolving in the same manner in both examples, and thus preserving its regular resolution. Consequently, we may at any time resolve a discord by exception, provided its dissonant note be regularly resolved. This: important remark e_ nables us to lay down the following rule, which is of great practical influence . 521 «: m 53: sssd General Rule, Any discord maybe resolved by exception in various ways , provided that its disso_ nant note is resolved regularly . .Upon this principle, the dominant seventh admits of the following resolutions, be _ cause in all of them the dissonant note F descends to E, as its resolution . •csr * | H| fi | frHfllSl t -."l» S3C -©- =8: #S TV 1531 6 V3 'it- er} *°= ff^ f e 5 #S3= ■4# b ~ct~ •6' 5b 33T 6 b m ° Z53I 76 7 ft 3 H m T his rule is equally applicable when the dissonant note of the chord appears in the bass: n for Ex: ^ \> Si. ^a- 4P3 §^=3E S= s *== -©- ~>^~ 4+ 4 -8- 4 2 6* -fit ~cr There are but few exceptions to this rule. The most useful are the following, in which the dissonant note F ascends a semitone to its resolution . £g- _sa B IS s 4 m %^% »s; ^ #^ **s BS d^ To these three exceptions , we may add the following,where C and E,(two dissonant notes in the first chord), insteadofde_ sc ending, ascend a semitone to their resolution. aji i"^! i >§ j ■g I vYM ding. In a. succession of diminished sevenths, we may also resolve the dissonant intervals in asOen In the four preceding examples («4,B,C,Z},) the dissonance ascends only a semitone to its resolution by exception ;bnt,occasionally,we may. also cause the dissonance to ascend a whole tone, as in the following example * m m 4 - - -3 — -ey- This licence may be tolerated, wheni the bass takes the note upon, which the dissonant note would naturally resolve, if there were no ex- ception . This bass note produces the effect of an E, doubled in the octave. m S I a -e>- ~o~ We must not employ this licence too frequently, nor attempt it in any other instances A dissonant note may become consonant, without changing its place, even though the chord be changed . f ft l i A ^"1 S I I Sa I B I I ' Vlb^a Here C,the dissonant note in the \ \ Vy ki I o I I g I o I I g r b ~ first chord,becomes a concord in 11)6 2*? 6" 4 ■ =£3= 6 ZSSl 331 EC ^ ■©- 6' ~rr Another example, in which the dissonant note F be comes consonant in the following chord. ■ ~cw "svr isc ±t 6 - A third example, in which the two dissonant notes C and E P , become con _ sonant in the following chord . Ife i''y M i 1 ".' i''» i'"^ "t/ 7bf 7b ~~|T \>1 + ft I jflijlo I -^j-#-^-j- g I I *o | g I ^ 7K~, 7, '■ ' (7b 1 l'~ C -A A dissonant note may become a disso_ nance in the following chord,without its being changed, or subjected to anychro_ matic alteration ; this supposes at least two discords in succession. Example. The dissonant note F, still remains a dissonance, though the chord is changed. (See Ex:^,S.) In example C , the F remains dissonant in three successive chords. It is regularly re_ solved upon the E^ in the fourth chord, which, in its turn, is resolved in the fifth chord, Upon this principle, MOZART has employed the following succession in the opening of the Overture to Don Giovanni . i . - ■ \> ii - i i i "^^r 12 3 4 5 6 The I) in the second and third chord, is dissonant, and it again becomes consonant in the fourth'; the C in the fourth and fifth chord is also a dissonance, and is resolved in the sixth.* It is obvious that a dissonant note in one chord, which continues a dissonance in another, is a DISSONANCE COMMON to two chords. "When the common dissonance does not re quire preparation, (**) it admits: I s * | j JJ ja i i m ^zpgapg : | n i .J of being repeated an octave higher or lower in the same part; 2\y of being tranferred from one part to another, on striking the second chord. m 2fc © \^ s EC ■*r s q # « Q m *F^f s -eh T iss: s i i m i » ii 153= . ^ ••-•' In N? 1, the dissonance F descends or ascends an octave; in N? 2, the dissonance is transferred, on changing the chord, from an upper to an intermediate part. C A S ,E 4 . From what we have just said, it is evident that a riis_ sonant note which does not require preparation , may, in like manner, be transferred from one part to ano_ ther, without^ changing the chord. Example.