Bending the Rules of Music Theory: Lessons from Great Composers

328 Pages·2019·33.399 MB·English

by  Timothy Cutler

BENDING THE RULES OF MUSIC THEORY
For students learning the principles of music theory, it can often seem as though the tradition of
tonal harmony is governed by immutable rules that define which chords, tones, and intervals can
be used where. Yet even within the classical canon, there are innumerable examples of compos-
ers diverging from these foundational “rules.” Drawing on examples from composers including
J. S. Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Chopin, Brahms, and more, Bending
the Rules of Music Theory seeks to take readers beyond the basics of music theory and help them
to understand the inherent flexibility in the system of tonal music. Chapters explore the use of
different rule-breaking elements in practice and why they work, introducing students to a more
nuanced understanding of music theory.
Timothy Cutler is Instructor and Chair of Music Theory at the Cleveland Institute of Music.

BENDING THE RULES OF
MUSIC THEORY
Lessons from Great Composers
Timothy Cutler
First published 2019
by Routledge
52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017
and by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
 2019 Taylor & Francis
The right of Timothy Cutler to be identified as author of this work
has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of
the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
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retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
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or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this title has been requested
ISBN: 978-1-138-47823-7 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-138-47824-4 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-351-06916-8 (ebk)
Typeset in Bembo
by Swales & Willis Ltd, Exeter, Devon, UK
For Amelia
May you find your passion as I have with music

CONTENTS
Acknowledgments xi
Preface xii
1 “Rules” 1
2 Consonance and Dissonance 13
Classifying Consonance and Dissonance 13
Intervals and Musical Context 14
Consonant and Dissonant Perfect Fourths 16
Functionally Flexible Intervals 17
Dissonant Perfect Fifths 18
Dissonant Perfect Octaves 19
Dissonant Perfect Unisons 21
The Stability of Major and Minor Triads 24
Unstable Triads and Nonharmonic Tones 26
Unstable Triads and Hypermeter 26
Stable Diminished and Augmented Triads? 27
3 Chord Construction 32
Chordal Doubling 32
Doubling Chordal Thirds 33
Doubling Tendency Tones 35
Incomplete Chords 37
Missing Thirds 37
Incomplete Inverted Chords 39
Missing Roots 40
Other Uses for Incomplete Chords 44
Chord Spacing 48
viii Contents
4 Voice Leading I: Parallel Fifths 52
Good and Bad Parallel Fifths 52
Parallel Fifths and Nonharmonic Tones 53
“Mozart” Fifths 57
Parallel Fifths at Deeper Levels of Structure 57
Illusory Parallel Fifths 59
Full-Voiced Textures 60
“Parallel Fifths” by Octave Transference 62
Enharmonic Parallel Fifths 62
Parallel Fifths between Phrases 63
Parallel Fifths and Arpeggiated Textures 63
Bad Parallel Fifths 64
Avoiding Parallel Fifths 67
Brahms’s Notebook 71
Coloristic Parallel Fifths 72
5 Voice Leading II: Parallel Octaves and Other Procedures 77
Parallel Octaves 78
Fifths and Octaves by Contrary Motion 85
Diminished Fifth–Perfect Fifth 87
Ascending Chordal Sevenths 89
Voice Leading the Cadential 6 95
4
Leading Tones in the Soprano 97
When Two Voice-Leading Principles Collide 99
6 Harmonic Syntax I: Contrapuntal Chord Function 100
Harmonic Function 101
The Limits of Harmonic Function 101
Stylistic Considerations 102
The Pitfalls of Seeking Syntactical Irregularities 103
Standard Harmonic Syntax Obscured by Nonharmonic Tones 104
Harmonic Sequences 105
Parallel 6 Chords 109
3
Contrapuntal Chord Function 109
Passing Chords 109
Neighbor Chords 111
The Limits of Contrapuntal Chord Successions 113
I as an Unstable Contrapuntal Chord 114
Chords that Support Contrapuntal Gestures in Upper Voices 115
The Dangers of Contrapuntal Chord Function 118
7 Harmonic Syntax II: More Unorthodox Progressions 120
V(7)–IV 120
V(7)–II(7) 129
Contents ix
Predominants Progressing “Up” by Third 130
II6–I 133
5
II4–I 135
2
II–I 136
♭II6–I(6) 140
Multiple Explanations for Unusual-Looking Syntax 142
V 4–I5 143
2 3
Harmonic Retracing 145
Voice-Leading Function 146
8 Deviant Harmonies I: Forbidden and Functionally Flexible Chords 149
“Forbidden” Harmonies: 5 and 6 Diminished Triads 149
3 4
Functional Flexibility: Half Cadences with V7 153
Functional Flexibility: Decorative and Predominant VII7 Chords 154
Functional Flexibility: III and VII 158
Misleading Labels: III6 and VI6 165
Misleading Labels: Illusory Applied Chords 168
An Illusory V7 174
9 Deviant Harmonies II: 6 Triads 176
4
Dissonant 6s 177
4
Consonant 6s 178
4
Arpeggiated 6 179
4
Oscillating 6 180
4
6s by Delayed Bass Resolution and Delayed Bass Entrance 182
4
Notable 6 Triads in Works by Beethoven and Chopin 184
4
Can We Invert the Cadential 6? 187
4
Voice Exchanges 187
The Inverted Cadential 6 192
4
10 Aberrant Nonharmonic Tones I: Analytical Conundrums 204
Optical Illusions 205
Figuration within the Prevailing Harmony 206
Nonharmonic Tones and the Obfuscation of Harmony 207
Dual Interpretations 208
Ornamenting Ornaments 210
Floating Nonharmonic Tones 215
Nonharmonic Tones and Registral Displacement 217
11 Aberrant Nonharmonic Tones II: Textbook Deviations 223
Passing Tones 223
Escape Tones 226
Suspensions 228
Implied Suspensions and Implied Resolutions 231