| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| bass line | The lowest melodic line in a musical composition that often implies harmonic progressions through its note choices. |
| chordal sevenths | The seventh note of a chord that typically resolves downward by step in proper voice leading. |
| chromatic pitches | Pitches that fall outside the prevailing major or minor scale, typically used to create harmonic color or suggest tonicization. |
| dominant chords | Chords built on the fifth scale degree that have a strong tendency to resolve to the tonic chord. |
| doubling | The practice of having two or more voices or instruments play the same pitch or pitch class in different octaves. |
| harmonic progression | A sequence of chords that move from one harmony to another, creating the harmonic structure of a musical passage. |
| part-writing | The process of composing individual melodic lines for each voice in a multi-voice musical texture. |
| secondary dominants | Dominant chords that resolve to chords other than the tonic, creating temporary tonicization of those chords. |
| soprano line | The highest melodic line in a musical composition, typically sung by the highest voices or played by the highest instruments. |
| tonic | The first scale degree and the primary harmonic center of a key, providing the sense of resolution and stability. |
| tonicization | The process of making a scale degree or chord other than the tonic sound like a temporary tonic, creating a brief harmonic event that does not change the primary key of the music. |
| V/V | The secondary dominant of the dominant chord, which resolves to the V chord and tonicizes it. |
| voice-leading | The technique of moving individual melodic lines smoothly and logically between successive chords. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| accidentals | Sharps, flats, or naturals that alter the pitch of a note from its diatonic position in the primary key. |
| cadence | A harmonic progression that marks the end of a phrase and provides punctuation in musical flow. |
| chord inversion | A chord voicing in which a chord member other than the root appears in the bass, resulting in first or second inversion. |
| diatonic scale degrees | The pitches and chords that naturally occur within a given key without accidentals. |
| dominant chord | The fifth scale degree chord (V) that naturally resolves to the tonic, creating a strong sense of harmonic closure. |
| dominant seventh chord | A seventh chord built on the fifth scale degree of a key, typically used to create harmonic tension that resolves to the tonic. |
| harmonic context | The surrounding chords and harmonic progression that determine how a chord functions and is voiced within a musical passage. |
| primary key | The main key of a musical work, established at the beginning and end of the piece. |
| secondary dominant | A chord that functions as the dominant of a chord other than the tonic, allowing that chord to be tonicized; also called an applied dominant. |
| tonic | The first scale degree and the primary harmonic center of a key, providing the sense of resolution and stability. |
| tonicization | The process of making a scale degree or chord other than the tonic sound like a temporary tonic, creating a brief harmonic event that does not change the primary key of the music. |
| triad | A chord whose essence consists of three distinct pitches stacked on adjacent lines or spaces in thirds. |
| V/ii | The secondary dominant of the ii chord, which resolves to and tonicizes the ii chord. |
| V/IV | The secondary dominant of the IV chord, which resolves to and tonicizes the IV chord. |
| V/V | The secondary dominant of the dominant chord, which resolves to the V chord and tonicizes it. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| chord inversion | A chord voicing in which a chord member other than the root appears in the bass, resulting in first or second inversion. |
| diminished seventh chord | A four-note chord built on a root with a minor third, diminished fifth, and diminished seventh. |
| diminished triad | A three-note chord built on a root with a minor third and a diminished fifth. |
| first inversion | A chord voicing in which the chordal third appears in the bass. |
| half-diminished chord | A seventh chord with a minor third, diminished fifth, and minor seventh, also called a minor seventh flat five chord. |
| harmonic context | The surrounding chords and harmonic progression that determine how a chord functions and is voiced within a musical passage. |
| leading tone | The seventh scale degree in a major scale, located one half step below the tonic with a strong tendency to resolve upward to the tonic. |
| major mode | A scale and harmonic system built on a major scale with a major third above the tonic. |
| major triad | A three-note chord built on a root with a major third and a perfect fifth. |
| minor triad | A three-note chord built on a root with a minor third and a perfect fifth. |
| secondary diminished seventh chord | A diminished seventh chord built on the leading tone of a chord being tonicized, functioning as an applied leading-tone chord. |
| secondary leading-tone chord | A diminished triad or diminished seventh chord built on the leading tone of a chord being tonicized, used to emphasize that chord temporarily. |
| tonicization | The process of making a scale degree or chord other than the tonic sound like a temporary tonic, creating a brief harmonic event that does not change the primary key of the music. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| chordal sevenths | The seventh note of a chord that typically resolves downward by step in proper voice leading. |
| doubling | The practice of having two or more voices or instruments play the same pitch or pitch class in different octaves. |
| leading-tone chords | Chords built on the seventh scale degree that typically resolve upward by half step to the tonic, creating strong harmonic motion. |
| part-writing | The process of composing individual melodic lines for each voice in a multi-voice musical texture. |
| secondary leading-tone chords | Chords built on scale degrees other than the tonic that function as leading-tone chords, creating chromatic voice leading to their resolution chords. |
| voice leading | The technique of moving individual melodic lines (voices) in a musical composition, including considerations for smooth transitions and proper resolution of chords. |