[Smt-talk] BELGIAN +6

[Salley, Keith]

A quick (possible) correction, some excerpts, and a citation:

1) According to Marvin and Clendinning's discussion in the "Musician's
Guide' textbook (Norton), Calcott's treatise does discuss the three
national favors of augmented sixth chords, but does not attribute the
geographical designations to any localized practices. See p. 500 of the
first edition, or p. 551 of ed. 2, and you'll see that the names are hardly
the product of research. To quote the text

"The chords were named according to Calcott's perception of the national
character of the Italians ('elegance'), French ('feebleness'??!),and
Germans ('strength')."

I must admit that I haven't read Calcott's treatise. It may be that he does
refer to national styles at some point. So, please forgive me if I'm
speaking out of turn.

2) Regarding the 'strange' augmented sixth chord that started this thread:
Scriabin uses such a chord in at least a few early works.

   - It occurs in his op. 1 (1885).  Measures 52-53 produce an odd case,
   where a sonority comprised of the tones Ab, C, E, and Gb functions like a
   dominant seventh on Ab (though the augmented sixth between Gb and E
   resolves properly).
   - See also m. 16 of op. 16 no. 1 (1895). Here, it really functions like
   an augmented sixth.
   - See also mm. 30-32 of his op. 8 no. 10 (1894). There, you'll hear the
   sonority 'inverted' with a diminished 3rd above the bass. The local key is
   Ab, and the tones are (D, Ab, C, and Fb).
   - Finally, see op. 23 (1898), mvt. IV, mm. 32-33. Here, the sonority is
   also 'inverted' the same way as above.

When the harmony functions as it 'should' (i.e., leading to V), I like to
think of it at the major-mode equivalent of the German (with 'mi' instead
of 'me').

I believe you'll find references to this harmony as a 'Russian augmented
sixth' in Bettsylyn Dunn Goldwire's (DMA)  nearly impossible-to-find
dissertation. If I'm not mistaken, Rimsky-Korsakov used it before Scriabin
did (but don't tell you-know-who). Here's the citation:

Goldwire, Bettsylynn Dunn. 1984. Harmonic Evolution in the Piano Poems of
Alexander Scriabin. D.M.A. thesis, The University of Texas at Austin.


Hope this is helpful.


On Sat, Nov 19, 2011 at 7:58 PM, Stephen Jablonsky <jablonsky at optimum.net>wrote:

> In the music of such late Romantics as Cesar Franck we occasionally see a
> half diminished chord, usually viiø/V, that has its third lowered in the
> first inversion or even root position. This is just like the German
> augmented 6th chord but it is half-diminished, not diminished. I was
> wondering if there is a nationality associated with this phenomenon. We
> have the Italian, German, and French versions of augmented sixths chords
> but I know of no name for this chord.  I am, therefore, suggesting for lack
> of better appellation that we call this chord the Belgian augmented 6th in
> honor of Franck. A nice example of such a chord is found in the first
> movement of his Symphony in Dm (p. 17 in the Kalmus score).
>
>
> Prof. Stephen Jablonsky, Ph.D.
> Music Department Chair
> The City College of New York
> 160 Convent Avenue S-72
> New York NY 10031
> (212) 650-7663
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Smt-talk mailing list
> Smt-talk at lists.societymusictheory.org
>
> http://lists.societymusictheory.org/listinfo.cgi/smt-talk-societymusictheory.org
>
>


-- 
Keith Salley
Coordinator of Music Theory
the Shenandoah Conservatory
Shenandoah University
Winchester, VA


On Sat, Nov 19, 2011 at 7:58 PM, Stephen Jablonsky <jablonsky at optimum.net>wrote:

> In the music of such late Romantics as Cesar Franck we occasionally see a
> half diminished chord, usually viiø/V, that has its third lowered in the
> first inversion or even root position. This is just like the German
> augmented 6th chord but it is half-diminished, not diminished. I was
> wondering if there is a nationality associated with this phenomenon. We
> have the Italian, German, and French versions of augmented sixths chords
> but I know of no name for this chord.  I am, therefore, suggesting for lack
> of better appellation that we call this chord the Belgian augmented 6th in
> honor of Franck. A nice example of such a chord is found in the first
> movement of his Symphony in Dm (p. 17 in the Kalmus score).
>
>
> Prof. Stephen Jablonsky, Ph.D.
> Music Department Chair
> The City College of New York
> 160 Convent Avenue S-72
> New York NY 10031
> (212) 650-7663
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Smt-talk mailing list
> Smt-talk at lists.societymusictheory.org
>
> http://lists.societymusictheory.org/listinfo.cgi/smt-talk-societymusictheory.org
>
>


-- 
Keith Salley
Coordinator of Music Theory
the Shenandoah Conservatory
Shenandoah University
Winchester, VA
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