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Dear SMT-talk,<br>
<br>
I've missed a few posts, but there is a V 6/4 passing between I and
I6 in Beethoven Op. 2/3 Trio.<br>
<br>
Deborah Burton<br>
Boston University<br>
School of Music<br>
College of Fine Arts<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:burtond@bu.edu">burtond@bu.edu</a><br>
<br>
On 10/3/11 4:22 PM, Devin Chaloux wrote:
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Dear colleagues,<br>
<br>
Are we limiting this search just to "neighboring" 6/4 chords based
around the tonic? If you're interested in a "neighboring" 6/4
chord not extending the tonic, there is a fine example in
MacDowell's Piano Sonata #1 with a vi-halfdim 6/5 --> V6/4
--> vi-halfdim 6/5. If you'd like to see yourself, use this
IMSLP score: <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://erato.uvt.nl/files/imglnks/usimg/7/7e/IMSLP122243-PMLP06384-MacDowell_-_Piano_Sonata_No1_Op45_rsl.pdf">http://erato.uvt.nl/files/imglnks/usimg/7/7e/IMSLP122243-PMLP06384-MacDowell_-_Piano_Sonata_No1_Op45_rsl.pdf</a>.
Page 10, last three measures of the third system. And if you're
interested, there is a Youtube video of this movement with score:
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wY57mp3wPmQ">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wY57mp3wPmQ</a>.
The moment discussed happens at 6:19. (This is one of the rare few
recordings of this sonata, which in my opinion deserves to be
performed more.)<br>
<br>
There are few strange things about this example specifically.
First, the use of the half-diminished submediant seventh chord,
which has three common tones with a tonic chord. In my opinion,
however, this passage prolongs a predominant, an intensified one
at that, heading into a half cadence, which essentially ends P.
From my experience, the half-diminished submediant seventh chord
is rarely discussed. All the times I've seen it, it's been used in
a minor piece with a raised scale-degree 6, usually either leading
directly into a dominant chord or a more intensified predominant,
such as the augmented-sixth chords. I've seen at least one
presentation on this chord and its peculiarities but if anyone is
interested in finding out more, the piano sonatas by MacDowell use
this chord more than I've ever seen it in the rest of literature
(the end of the development of Brahms op. 79/2 also comes to
mind.) If anyone wants to enlighten me on more literature about
this chord, I'd gladly love to hear it because I think it is
particularly fascinating.<br>
<br>
Second, this 6/4 is a passing chord in the expositional statement
of this passage. Is this merely a mistake by MacDowell? Or with
his varied harmonic structure of the recapitulation motivating
this change to a "neighboring" 6/4 chord? <br>
<br>
I wouldn't be surprised if MacDowell had a few more examples of
this in his music. He uses some incredibly strange voicings,
especially for piano music, which has quite a dramatic effect.
(See the fourth movement of the score I posted here just to get an
example). I wouldn't be surprised if we saw this in more music of
the mid- to late-Romantic era especially in "nationalist"
composers, who, although they may have been trained in Europe
(particularly Germany), may have sought to find their own voice. I
think this is clear in Grieg's use of the soprano line 1-7-5
(Do-Ti-Sol) very often in his music, especially his Piano
Concerto.<br>
<br>
Nevertheless, the concept of "neighboring" 6/4 is strange. I
usually hate the reasoning of "it just doesn't happen" when
teaching, because usually shortly thereafter I find an exception.
Hopefully there can be some reliable reason so I don't have to
resort to "it just doesn't happen" in the future. This sounds like
it would be a fascinating issue for a paper sometime.<br>
<br>
Cheers!<br>
<br>
<div><b>Devin Chaloux</b></div>
<div> University of Cincinnati - College-Conservatory of Music </div>
<div> M.M. in Music Theory '12 </div>
<div> University of Connecticut </div>
<div> B.M. in Music Theory '10 </div>
<br>
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