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The dominant triad is built on the fifth scale degree, so in C major it is G–B–D. Because it contains the leading tone, it has a strong pull back to the tonic. The triad on scale degree 2 is the supertonic (a minor triad in major keys).
A key signature with no sharps or flats belongs to either C major or A minor, but the final cadence determines the actual key. Ending on E with no accidentals indicates E Phrygian or, more practically in tonal contexts, a modal piece centered on E; among the options given, E minor is the only key centered on E that shares the empty signature when written with the natural minor form. The decisive factor is the tonal center, not the signature alone.
Counting six letter names from F gives F–G–A–B–C–D, so the sixth above F is some D. A major sixth spans nine semitones, and F up to D is nine semitones, confirming D natural. D-flat would be a minor sixth.
A dot adds half the value of the note it follows. A half note lasts two beats, so its dot adds one beat, giving a total of three. This principle holds in any simple meter where the quarter note is the beat.
An authentic cadence is any V–I progression; when both chords are in root position and the soprano ends on the tonic scale degree, it is specifically a perfect authentic cadence. The plagal cadence moves IV–I, and the deceptive cadence moves V to a chord other than I.
A sharp raises the pitch a semitone while keeping the same letter name, so F becomes F-sharp. A flat lowers by a semitone, and a natural cancels a previous accidental. Accidentals alter pitch but preserve the letter name, which is why enharmonic spellings differ.
6/8 is a compound duple meter: six eighth notes are grouped into two beats of three eighths each. The felt beat is therefore the dotted quarter note. Counting six eighth-note beats describes the subdivision, not the tactus.
A minor triad consists of a root, a minor third, and a perfect fifth, which is equivalent to a minor third with a major third stacked above it. For example, A–C–E. The order of thirds determines whether the triad is major or minor.
Counting letter names G–A–B–C gives four, so the interval is a fourth. G up to C is five semitones, which is a perfect fourth. A perfect fifth from G would reach D.
The ii–V–I progression moves from the supertonic through the dominant to the tonic, the most common cadential formula in tonal music. In C major it appears as Dm–G–Cmaj. The other options list different functional sequences that do not conclude on the tonic.
The leading tone is the seventh scale degree, a semitone below the tonic. In B-flat major the scale runs B-flat, C, D, E-flat, F, G, A, so the seventh degree is A. It lies one semitone below B-flat and pulls strongly toward the tonic.
A deceptive cadence (also called an interrupted cadence) substitutes vi for I after V, creating an unexpected resolution. In C major this is G major moving to A minor. The effect delays closure rather than confirming the tonic.
Enharmonic equivalents sound the same pitch but are spelled differently. G-sharp and A-flat both designate the key a semitone above G, so they are enharmonic. The spelling chosen depends on the harmonic context and the direction of the line.
In natural minor the fifth degree is not raised, so the triad built on it is minor (for example, E–G–B in A natural minor). In harmonic minor the seventh degree is raised, which turns that same triad major and gives the dominant its leading-tone pull.
Compound meters divide each beat into three parts, and triple meters have three beats. 9/8 contains nine eighth notes grouped as three beats of three, making it compound triple. 6/8 is compound duple, while 3/4 and 4/4 are simple meters.
C to E-flat is a minor third, and E-flat to G-flat is another minor third, producing a diminished triad (a minor third plus a diminished fifth above the root). A minor triad would use G natural instead. Diminished triads occur diatonically on the leading tone of major keys.
The major scale follows the interval pattern W-W-H-W-W-W-H between successive scale degrees. The natural minor scale instead begins whole–half–whole. This pattern determines the placement of the two semitones in the major scale, between degrees 3–4 and 7–8.
In SATB chorale style the soprano voice carries the principal melody, with alto, tenor, and bass supplying harmony beneath it. The bass provides the harmonic foundation and often outlines the root motion. Voice leading rules govern how each part moves between chords.
Ternary form consists of a statement, a contrasting section, and a return of the opening material, diagrammed A–B–A. The return provides a sense of closure and balance. Binary form, by contrast, has two sections (A–B) without a full restatement.
The chord F–A–C–E is a major triad on the fourth degree F with a minor seventh above the root, written IV7 in C major. It functions as a subdominant seventh, often preparing the dominant. The dominant seventh in C major would be G–B–D–F.
The church modes follow the degrees of the major scale in order: Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Locrian. The second degree therefore yields the Dorian mode, which in C major begins on D. Dorian resembles natural minor but has a raised sixth degree.
G major requires F-sharp in its key signature, and that accidental functions as the leading tone of the new tonic G. Its arrival, often in a V7 of G, signals the modulation. B-flat would point toward F major, and C-sharp toward D major.
The Neapolitan sixth is a major triad built on the lowered second scale degree, usually in first inversion. In C major that is D-flat major with F in the bass, notated as bII6. It typically functions as a pre-dominant chord leading to V.
Parallel perfect fifths and octaves are forbidden because they undermine the independence of voices. When two voices move in the same direction by the same interval and arrive at a perfect fifth or octave, the sound is considered faulty. Thirds and sixths may proceed in parallel without this restriction.
The chords C major and A minor share the same key signature and are relative keys, so the fluctuation between them is a form of modal mixture or relative-key mixture. The melodic emphasis on A confirms the minor center without a full modulation. This technique is common in Romantic and popular styles.
The tonic triad is built by stacking thirds above scale degree 1, which yields degrees 1, 3, and 5. In a major key this produces a major triad, the home chord of the key.
An augmented fifth above E is B-sharp, since a perfect fifth above E is B and the augmented fifth raises that by one semitone. B-sharp is enharmonically equivalent to C natural, so the same sounding leap can be spelled as an augmented fifth.
The leading-tone triad contains scale degrees 7, 2, and 4, sharing the tritone-bearing tendency tones of the dominant. It therefore functions as a dominant substitute and normally resolves to the tonic.
Parallel keys share a tonic but differ in mode, so their key signatures and their third scale degree differ. For example, C major and C minor both center on C but have different signatures.
A cadence that moves from V to I with both chords in root position and the melody ending on the tonic is an authentic cadence. When these conditions are fully met it is called a perfect authentic cadence.
Compound meters group the beat into three equal subdivisions, so 9/8 contains three beats per measure, each dividing into three eighth notes. Simple meters, by contrast, divide each beat into two.
In C major, D–F–A–C is built on scale degree 2 and stacks a minor triad with a minor seventh, making it a minor seventh chord labeled ii7. It commonly functions as a predominant preparing the dominant.
Harmonic minor raises the seventh scale degree by a semitone relative to natural minor, creating a leading tone a half step below the tonic. This alteration produces the dominant-function harmony characteristic of harmonic minor.
The progression I–vi–IV–V visits the tonic, the relative minor (submediant), the subdominant, and the dominant in turn. This is a common tonal pattern that sets up a return to the tonic.
The exposition introduces the main thematic material, usually with the secondary theme in a related key. The development then transforms this material, and the recapitulation restates it with the secondary theme adjusted to the tonic.
The ascending melodic minor scale raises both the sixth and seventh degrees, producing the stepwise ascent 5–6–7–1. This smooths the augmented second that harmonic minor creates between the sixth and seventh degrees.
B–D–F–A-flat stacks a diminished triad with a diminished seventh above B, which is the leading tone of C major. This yields a fully diminished seventh chord on vii, labeled vii°7.
A modulation establishes a new tonal center, typically confirmed by a cadence and continued use of the new key's harmonic vocabulary. A tonicization is a brief, local emphasis on a chord as if it were tonic, without a lasting change of key.
Contrary motion occurs when two voices move in opposite directions, as when the upper voice ascends while the lower voice descends. Here the upper voice rises from C to D and the lower falls from G to F-sharp.
A major triad consists of a major third from the root to the third, then a minor third from the third to the fifth. The resulting interval from root to fifth is a perfect fifth.
A cantus firmus is a pre-existing melody, often chant, used as the structural foundation of a polyphonic composition; Renaissance composers commonly placed it in the tenor in augmented note values. Fauxbourdon is a specific parallel-sixth chordal texture, word painting is a madrigal device, and basso continuo is a Baroque practice.
The allemande is a moderate-tempo dance in duple meter with a characteristic upbeat (anacrusis) and is conventionally the opening movement of a Baroque suite. The sarabande is slow triple meter with accent on beat two, the gigue is fast compound meter, and the minuet is a stately triple-meter dance usually placed later.
The exposition introduces the main thematic material, usually moving from tonic to a related key such as the dominant or relative major. The development manipulates and fragments that material, the recapitulation restates it in the tonic, and the coda concludes the movement.
An oratorio is a large-scale sacred dramatic work for soloists, chorus, and orchestra performed in concert without staging or costumes. A Mass is liturgical, a motet is typically a shorter polyphonic sacred choral piece, and a cantata is a shorter multi-movement work that may be sacred or secular.
J. S. Bach compiled The Well-Tempered Clavier in two books (1722 and 1742), each providing a prelude and fugue in every major and minor key. This collection helped establish equal temperament and remains a cornerstone of fugal writing.
Bel canto literally means 'beautiful singing' and refers to the Italianate style emphasizing smooth legato, agility, and beautiful tone, especially in nineteenth-century opera by Bellini, Donizetti, and Rossini. It contrasts with speech-like declamation and serial vocal writing.
A character piece is a short, self-contained instrumental work that evokes a mood, scene, or idea, common in the Romantic era. Mendelssohn's Songs Without Words are a classic example of the genre.
The twelve-tone method, developed by Schoenberg, arranges all twelve pitch classes into a row whose forms (prime, inversion, retrograde, retrograde inversion) generate the musical material. Minimalism relies on repetition, aleatory on chance, and neoclassicism on older forms and textures.
The solo concerto features one soloist in dialogue and competition with the orchestra, often highlighting virtuosity. The concerto grosso contrasts a small concertino group with the full ripieno, a string quartet is chamber music for four strings, and a symphonic poem is a single-movement orchestral work with a program.
The da capo aria presents an A section, a contrasting B section, and then a return to A, during which the singer customarily adds improvised ornaments. This ternary design became a hallmark of Baroque opera and oratorio.