Lectures and Assignments

Theory 2, Cantus Firmi

I will be checking these and we'll begin working on entering them into a music notation program. Wednesday 3/11, we will start moving into new material for you to study over the weekend.

Music Theory 11/20, Passing Chords

Embellishing tones

Class Lecture 10/31

Embellishing tones are notes that do not belong to the harmony (in our case so far, the triads).

Embellishing tones are classified by how they are approached and left-by step, leap or common tone.

Embellishing tones are also classified as either accent or unaccented. An unaccented embellishing tone appears after the arrival of the chord, on a weaker beat or part of the beat. In contrast, an accented embellishing tone appears at the very start of the chord.

Passing tones are the most common type of embellishing tone. Passing tones fill in the space between two different chord tones with step wise motion. A passing tone is thus always approached and left by step in the same direction. There may be multiple passing tones in succession between chords. This may also be the case if a chord is sustained or repeated, like the example from class. There are two types of passing tones to consider:

A chromatic passing tone is approached and left by half step and uses an accidental (making it non-diatonic).
An accented passing tone coincides with the onset of the chord.

Unlike the passing tone, which moves between two different chord tones, the Neighbor Tones (NT) decorate a single tone. Accordingly, a neighbor tone departs from a chord tone by step and returns to the same tone by step in the opposite direction.

Neighbor tones are approached and left by step in opposite directions, decorating a single tone.
A chromatic NT uses an accidental and is both approached and left by step.

Another common type of embellishing tone is the Suspension (SUS). A suspension is an accented embellishing tone that is approached by common tone from a note of the previous chord. A suspension resolves down by step. Suspended notes may be either tied or restruck.

Other embellishing tones are found less frequently. These include the Incomplete Neighbor Tone (INT), which is an embellishing tone that is either approached by step and left by leap, or approached by leap and left by step.

Still rarer are the Anticipation (ANT), an unaccented non-chord tone that is approached by step and left by common tone; and the Retardation (RET), an accented embellishing tone that is approached by common tone and resolves up by step.

Points for Review

Chord tones may appear successively, forming arpeggiations
One or more voices in a four-part texture may be doubled in parallel octaves. This is not considered a voice-leading error.
Chord tones may be decorated by embellishing tones. These are classified by how they are approached and left (step, leap, or common tone-up or down), as well as whether they are accented or unaccented.
The most common embellishing tones are the passing tone (PT), neighbor tone (NT), and suspension (SUS).
Less common embellishing tones include the incomplete neighbor tone (INT), anticipation (ANT), and retardation (RET).

**I was unable to upload the photos taken from the lecture today. I will attempt to add them tomorrow or air-drop them to you in class.

Weekend Assignment 10/11-10/14-Due Tuesday October 15th

I assigned this knowing that you have an extra day this weekend (Monday-no school).

Please do the "circle progressions" in the key of G Major. Be sure to put the proper roman numerals underneath each chord. Click on/copy and paste the link below for an example.

https://www.musictheory.net/lessons/56

Please indicate the Common Tone (CT) between each chord.

Remember the rules: avoid parallel perfects

avoid leaps and jumps; skips are okay no greater than a major 3rd

keep everything in root position

Weekend Homework:

Review the Half Cadences.

Move on to the Perfect Authentic Cadence.

Follow the rules listed previously and then apply the new rules.

This progression has some unique rules to follow in order to be correct.

1. The triads must be in root position (just like we've been doing)

2. The Soprano must end on the tonic meaning that it will be a leading tone. What this means is that the soprano voice will go from the 7th scale degree to the 8th (tonic). In vocal solfege, you'd so "ti-do". Notation wise in C major, it will go from a B natural to a C while the bass goes from a G down (or up) to a C. The soprano could also go from the 9th scale degree down to the 8th while the bass goes up from G to C.

3. AVOID PARALLEL MOTION BETWEEN THE SOPRANO AND BASS VOICES.

Below is an example of good voice leading in C major. Notice that I have written it out in steps. This is how I want you to approach writing Perfect Authentic Cadences (PAC's)

Exam Review notes from Sept. 23rd 2019

There are four sections to the test.

Key signatures
Intervals
Triad blocks
Notated Triads

Updated information from class lectures. 9/9/19-9/19/19

The following picture is the homework assignment. Make sure you write each chord in ROOT POSITION meaning the bass note is the tonic. Following that are the two examples we did in class today. Remember the rules we established about part writing:

Do not exceed an octave between voice parts except in rare cases with bass to tenor. Never between tenor and alto or alto and soprano.
Do not cross voices. In other words, a bass note should not be higher than a tenor, a tenor not higher than an alto, and an alto not higher than a soprano.
Avoid leaps or jumps for each individual voice part from one chord to the next except for the bass part. You should not have to use intervals more than a Major 2nd apart.
Make sure you have a common tone (circle and label it)
Label your chords on the staff paper.
You will have to double a voice. The tonic in the 1 chord always seems to work well. So does the dominant or fifth scale degree...I wonder why that could be?

Let me know if you have any questions.

Mr. V.