Music Theory in Practice, Grade 7 (Music Theory in Practice)

104 Pages·1993·75.49 MB·English

by  Peter Aston

Peter Aston & Julian Webb

Music Theory in Practice

GRADE 7

The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music

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Music Theory in Practice

Grade 7

PETER ASTON & JULIAN WEBB

‘The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music
Syllabus for Grade 7

As in preceding grades, with the addition of rocogniion uf all diatmi secxmdary 7th chord
and their inversions, the Nespolitan 6h and the diminished 7ch chords, and of all yore
commonly used by composers during the periad €.1620-1790 10 indicate harmonies abuve 3
bass part. Questions will cover:

(0) The indication of chords and movement of the innet parts by figuring the bass in a passage in
which both the melody and bass are given.

{2} Rewriting a given passage co include appropriate suspensions and notes of melodic
‘Secoration,

{8} Continuation of a given opening lor sols instrument with keyboard accompaniment,
‘which will be given in fill throughour the passage, by completing the solo part, er (at the
temdidate's choice) composition of a melody for a spevilied instrument (a choice will be
given) based on 2 given progression of chords or melodic Figure.

(4) Questions on short extracts of music wricen lor piana or in apn soore for voices ox for
‘any tombinution of instruments and/or voices, designed to test the candidate's knovwledge
of the elements and notation of musi, including the realisation of ornaments, the
‘dentilication and notation of underlying harmonic steucture, phrase structure, style,
performunce, snd an the yoiccs and instruments for which the works were written.

Fie publisd in 1998 hy
‘The Assorted Boatd of the Royal Schone of Mune ‘Publi! Lad
1 Redfeed Square, London CTE. 31G

© 1095 by The Assorted Boa of the Royal Schools of Music
ISBN 1 95472 suze

All sights wsersed. No pat of this bein may be repuoduasd
Sol in a reteeal sytem, or Warmed im any orn of by ty mene,
stein reshani, photo sing, nen oF eters,

‘lout the yer permusion af the ipyrigh! ovner

“ype and music processing by Halstn & Co, Led, Amersham, Buss
Pace in Grea Britain by Healey Brhens Li Astley Kent
Contents

Section A armonic vocshulury
Distonic secondary sevenths in msjor keys
Distonic secondary sevenths i minor keys
Diminished seventh chords
‘The Neapolitan sisch chord

Seetion B_ Consens, dissonaoe and partivriting
Suspensions
‘Figuring a bass
Exercise 1
Paresriting
“Yeio-sonana textures
Exercise 2
‘Writing in four parts: chorale harmouisations
Exercise 3

Section G Melodic composition
Continuation of a melody or solo part
serve 4
‘Melodic composition in more modem styles
Exercise 5
Working from a harmonic framework
Exercise 6

Section D General Exercises
Exercises 7-14

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Harmonic vocabulary

PRAMBLE 1

(See The AB Guide 10 Music Theory, Part IL, 16, 19/3, 17/4, 17/8)

“The sylabus reyuiement for Grade 7 extends the harmonic vocabulary to include the
ecogniton ofall diatonic secondary 7¢hs and thet inversions, che Neapolican 6th and the
diminished 7th chords. You will also be expected to recognise all the figures comimealy
used by composers during the period, 1620-1790 to indicate harmonics above a bass par.
Advice on how to figure the bass ine in Baroque instrumental iting, 28 well as on further
aspects of melodic decoration and dissonance treatment (especially suspensions) approprie
te thie grade, will be found in Section B.

Note that you will nat be expected to write four-part harmony, of to harmonise a
soelody, in the Grade 7 examination. In each question relating to harmonic vocabulary you
willbe given either the complete harmony, or the harmonic framework; you will then be
capccted to curry out various tasks which wil tet your understanding ofthe basic principles
of tonal mci writing and harmonic language (see Tercises |-4 below). You wil aso be
asked to identify chords from the Grade 7 sjllabus in Questions 4 und 5 inthe examination
(sce Bxcrcses 714 below). As in Grade 6, you may use any of the methods outlined in
4B Ge, Pars L& Uy to identify chords, provided you are clear an complete in your
description. The advantoges of using Extended Romaa numeri! notation have been set out in
Music Theory in Pracion, Grade 6, pp-24-28, and the method is Folly explained in AB Grid,
Part IT, Appendix D, Where chord symbols (other tha for Figured bass) have heen applied
in this volome, the Extended! Roman method (HR) hasbeen used both to avoid the
necessity of using longer verbal descriptions and to give you pease in the metho ite

By now you should be familiar with the harmonic vocabulary and principles of harmonic
writing covered in Music Thnory in Pracrce, Grade 6, Section B, ro shich constant
reference should be made for advice on such matters as chou progressions in major and
Ininor keys, eulence pattems, harmonic rhythm etc. Information and advice ox note=
doubling, chord spacing, and pert movement, especially in vocal ant Keyboard wating, can
be found in Music Thaory in Practice, Grade 6, Secon A.

‘The chorus that are new in the Grade 7 syllabus are cealt with in the soctions below.

Diatonic secondary sevenths in major keys

Bx | shows all the secondary 7ehs in the Jey of C major, Note that for the sake of complete
ness, the supertonic 7th (i) as been included, although you have alrcady mer this chord at
Grade 6. The dominant 7th (V7) is nor included as i i usually regarded as being of such

importance that itis not counted among the “secondary 7ths’ (soe AB Gude, Part IL p.134).

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‘Notice thar, although the tonic and subdominant riads (chords L and IV) are define as
‘primary triads (soe Music Theary in Practice, Grade 6, Sccvion B) when they acquite Tihs
above the root they fall within the definition of ‘secondary 7ths’ It should be suiliient ro
EXAMPLE 2

EXAMPLE 3

EXAMPLES

show all the inversions of one secundary 7th, since the method of Forming inversions is the
same for each 7th chord.

A similar set of secondary Tths and their inversions may be formed in any’ mujor key

‘The hasie chord shapes have been shown in Exs.| & 2. Far the most pert, composers do
not use secondary 7ths in these shepes alone. You will find it easy to identify a secondary
‘Teh ifthe chord in question, however spaced and however many parts it may contain, ean
be reduced to one of these basic shapes by acuve transposition (as appropriale) of any or all
‘ofits notes, Tt is important to retain the same bass note in order not to make a mistake in
describing the postion of the chord. Ex3 shows how the basic shapes can be produced,

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As with all mutters relating uo harmonic analysis, you will have to remember to take
account of the prevailing key signamure and any accidentals there may be in ordee to arrive
stan accurate description of a chord, Fer example, if you failed to te account of the key
signature in Ex.3b above you might wrongly identify this basie shape as vite in C major!

‘Seventh chords may not always contain all four notes of the chord (see AB Gide, Part Th
pp.137-8). Since a chord could not be described as 2 7th chord if the 7uh above the root
were to be omitted, it follows that the 3rd or the Sth above the root are the only notes ta be
‘considered, However, it would be far more usual for the 5th to be omitted than the 3rd,
since the 3rd above the root determines whether the 7th chord is an extension of a major or
‘minor iad. This will not be a matter for concern in a major Key, where the absence of
3rd above the root will have no effect upon the description of the chord.” Thus, chords
‘whose basic formations are as in Ex.4a-f may he described as shorn.

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BXAMPLI

EXAMPLE 3

EXAMPLE ®

In your work for Grade 6 you have already discovered that when the supertouic 7th (i)
is used in Rarogue music, che dissonant note {the 7th) is almest invariably sounded in the
previous chord (See Music Pheory in Practice, Grade 6, p9, noke 6). At Gat stage, you were
‘not expected fo recognise that this method of dissonance teeatment is known a3 8
suypensinn. Further detailed information on suspensioas is contained in the next section,
and in AB Gide, Part TL, 15/6, but iis important to understand yhat most ‘secondary
ths’ in music written before 1800 {and im quite alot of music weitten aller that date} have
been produced hy part movement based on the principle that the aote u 7th above the root
of a tad is a dissonance that needs to be smunded as a consonance in the previous chord
and then resolved onto « consonant interval above the bass note in the fallowing chord. You
will ind many exumples of this treannent of Tehs, particularly in Baroque and Classical
wsic, Here are ter

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4a the examination you may be asked 1 identify @ chord containing a 7d that has
obviously een produced by suspension. You should not esulaie the 7dh from the chord
scription on the grounds that itis a apn-hurmemy note, unless specifically asked to do se.
' show have this might appls, dhree of the examples of diatonic 7th chords iven in 2B
Guide, Part TT, pp.166-167, are shovin here with appropriate chord descriptions, Ties have
bbecn added to highlight the ths that hove been proxluced by this method, You can see how
they enrich and reinforce the familiar diatonic harmonic sequences.

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During the 19ch century, composcrs showed an increasing interest in chords that were
extensions of the basic triad. The use of scoondary hs gave their barmonie language
sreater variety without undermining the stability af the nal system. Beethoven began to
exploit the sonority of the secondary 7th in situations where ihe ‘Wismant" 7th bas not
EXAMPLE

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been prepared, although a ‘resolution’ ofthe Tih is usually provided, sometimes several bars
later.

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EXAMPLES
EXAMPLE 9

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Here the first barmony which lasts for three bars) s obviously chord ib, ten without
reparaim. Moreover, the Th (Eb) remains in the harmony unt bar 7 where it finally
resolves onto a D. By bar Bit becomes apparent cha Beethoven is establishing his home”
ey by spacing out the commonly ase cident formula ib Ie V" 1 over eight bars, In this
‘ef pasta, a in many sma Places in his musi, he teats a sense of mystery and
suspense by his use of harmony.

By the end of the 19th century, secondary Ths had become an established feature inthe
hacmonic language of most composers, Debussy, however, began to use fama chords in
rew ways, ne of which was to add them in parallel motion to + melodic ine. He was more
ineesed in the colour ofthe harmony thus produced then in chord progeessions related
wo particular Key (se AB Guide, Part I, 24/1, whore the example given on p244
shows the use of dominant 7ehs without any resolution). Fx.8 shows Pui sing this
“parallel mocion technique ia a passage fom an opera composed in 1918. Because the
tonality at cis point is debra waguc (ait isin mich of Debuss’s music) he
secondary Tihs, which ae both unprepared and wnreoied, could mot be salto be
“dimonic, Nonethelee, the example shows one way in which a acy imple chord has
continued tobe used in amsic of che 20th century. Many experiments in the structure and
‘se of chords have ther orgins in Debussy’ new approaches to harmoay and tonality

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Hore are some more cxamples of secondary 7ths in major Keys in which the harmonic
context is shown, You are urged to play as many of them as you can, however slowly.

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EXAMPLE 10

EXAMPLE 11

EXAMPLE 12

BXAMPLE 13

EXAMPLE 14

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EXAMPLE I

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secondary sevenths in minor keys

‘The ful ist of diatonie secondary 7ths in C minor is shown below.

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