<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 14 (filtered medium)">
<style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Tahoma;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.apple-tab-span
{mso-style-name:apple-tab-span;}
span.EmailStyle18
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
color:windowtext;
font-weight:normal;
font-style:normal;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-size:10.0pt;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body lang="EN-US" link="blue" vlink="purple">
<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal">Dear Nick—<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For an example from 1840 (non-pop, but “popular” to this day), see mm. 17-19 of Song 7, “Ich grolle nicht,” from Robert Schumann’s
<i>Dichterliebe</i>. Here the progression serves to prolong (“lengthen”) dominant harmony (on the word “längst”), from the end of a contrasting middle section (B) into the reprise (A’) within a small-ternary form.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">All best,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Janet Schmalfeldt<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">___________________<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Janet Schmalfeldt<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Professor of Music, Tufts University<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Granoff Music Center<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">20 Talbot Ave.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Medford, MA 02155<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">home: 50 Dartmouth St.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> Belmont, MA 02478<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> (617) 932-1420<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<div>
<div style="border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in">
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif""> smt-talk-bounces@lists.societymusictheory.org [mailto:smt-talk-bounces@lists.societymusictheory.org]
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Nick Braae<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, April 10, 2013 4:42 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> Smt-talk@lists.societymusictheory.org<br>
<b>Subject:</b> [Smt-talk] Queen's Harmonic Technique<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Hi all,<o:p></o:p></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">I am carrying out some extensive analysis of British rock band Queen's music for my PhD. In a number of Freddie Mercury-penned songs, he employs a particular harmonic device/cliche, in which one note of the chord (usually the root or flat-seventh)
acts as a pedal and two other voices ascend stepwise through a major third with a chromatic passing note. In C major, it would be something like this:<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Upper Voice: <span class="apple-tab-span"> </span>
C<span class="apple-tab-span"> </span>C <span class="apple-tab-span">
</span>C<span class="apple-tab-span"> </span>C<span class="apple-tab-span">
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Middle Voice:<span class="apple-tab-span"> </span>
E<span class="apple-tab-span"> </span>F<span class="apple-tab-span">
</span>Gb<span class="apple-tab-span"> </span>G<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Lower Voice:<span class="apple-tab-span">
</span>C<span class="apple-tab-span"> </span>D<span class="apple-tab-span">
</span>Eb<span class="apple-tab-span"> </span>E, resolving (probably) to F major.<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">From a theoretical perspective, it's simple voice-leading with a chromatic passing note, and it can evidently be voiced differently (as Freddie did throughout Bohemian Rhapsody or as ABBA do in So Long, for example). But I wonder whether
anybody knows the stylistic origins of this particular voicing (i.e. pedal note as the top voice)? I have a sense of it being a barbershop, or ragtime, or vaudeville piano technique, but if anyone had come across this before in older popular contexts, I would
be delighted to hear about it (you can reply to the list, or to me directly at <a href="mailto:braae.nick@gmail.com">braae.nick@gmail.com</a>).<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Thanks very much,<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Regards,<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Nick Braae<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">PhD Candidate<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">University of Waikato<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Hamilton<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">New Zealand<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
</div>
</body>
</html>