[Smt-talk] I - II- IV as a progression: classical precedents

[Richard Porterfield]

Dear Dr. Reed, 
You ask about classical precedents for the progression I-II-IV-I characteristic of 1960s rock. Although Roman numerals provide a useful shorthand here, in the end what you’re describing are not harmonic functions but motions of counterpoint. 
 
The melodic progression of the bass ^^1-2-4-1 supporting 5/3 chords of major quality (with or without an added minor 7th) counterpoints well with various motions of upper voices, including the chromatic descent ^^5-#4-4-3 you note in (the inner voices of) “Eight Days a Week” by Lennon and McCartney, and "Atlantis" by Donovan. In the second instance, with a 7th over ^2, it furthermore supports a motionless top voice sustaining a ^8 pedal. In “Atlantis” the contrapuntal motions are all submerged. 
 
Although the progression may indeed be “indigenous to rock” as others on the list have suggested, it must be aboriginal to modal counterpoint in whatever style it is practiced. 
 
With this in mind I went looking for it in the seventeenth-century Fitzwilliam Virginal Book. There, in the aptly titled “The Hunt’s Up” by William Byrd, behold your progression, complete with major third over bass ^2, supporting a large-scale neighbor motion ^^5-6-5 (but note how Byrd inverts the voices for the final variation). In the second section of the anonymous “Watkins Ale” of the same collection, the related I-ii-IV-V (to adopt your shorthand) supports a rising ^^3-7, preparing the octave descent of the third and last section. 
 
These are all British examples, but I would be surprised if you can’t find similar instances in Josquin, for example. Someone else suggested Brahms as a possibility; I would also suggest looking at late Liszt. Do let us know what you find.  
 
Richard Porterfield 
Instructor, Mannes College
Ph.D. Candidate in Music Theory, CUNY GC
porterfr at hotmail.com

 
> Date: Sun, 30 Aug 2009 01:24:58 -0400
> From: alexreed at ufl.edu
> To: smt-talk at societymusictheory.org
> Subject: [Smt-talk] I - II- IV as a progression
> 
> Dear Collective Wisdom:
> 
> Today I heard Donovan's 1968 "Atlantis," which prominently 
> features a I - II - IV chord progression, not unlike the verse of 
> The Beatles' 1965 "Eight Days A Week." (I refer to the second 
> chord here as II rather than V/V because the dominant never 
> figures into the equation, except perhaps as a marked absence.) 
> Clearly, part of the interest in such a progression is the 
> chromatic descent from scale degree five but I am curious as to 
> whether there is a more compelling and complete discussion of this 
> harmonic move anywhere, and also whether anyone knows of classical 
> precedents for its use.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> S. Alexander Reed, Ph.D.
> University of Florida
> 
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