Excessive sixth fifth chord

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The expression excessive fifth sixth chord denotes a chord that consists of an excessive sixth , a perfect fifth and a major third (each in any octave position ) above its bass note . In English-language music theory , it has been referred to as German sixth ( chord ) since the early 19th century :

\ new PianoStaff << \ new Staff {\ override Staff.TimeSignature.transparent = ## t \ new Voice = "right" {\ relative c '' {\ clef treble \ key c \ minor <c es fis> 1 \ bar "||" }}} \ new Staff {\ override Staff.TimeSignature.transparent = ## t \ new Voice = "left" {\ relative c '{\ clef "bass" \ key c \ minor as1}}} \ new FiguredBass {\ figuremode {<6+ 5> 1}} >>

The chord was widely used from the middle of the 18th century. In music this time the bass note of the chord is the sixth stage of a minor scale (in the above example, as in C minor). The excessive sixth is a chief foreign tone that as a leading tone is used for the fifth tone of the scale. With an immediate dissolution into the triad of the  fifth degree ( dominant ) so-called Mozart fifths arise . These are usually avoided by first following a leading fourth chord , as in this example (Ludwig van Beethoven, Variations in C minor WoO 80 , theme):

\ version "2.14.2" \ header {tagline = ## f} upper = \ relative c '' {\ clef treble \ key c \ minor \ time 3/4 \ tempo 2 = 63% \ autoBeamOff r4 c4 .. es16 d8 \ staccato rg, 4. \ tuplet 5/4 {g32 (abcd} e8 \ staccato) r e4 .. g16 f8 \ staccato rf, 4. c'32 (def \ tweak NoteHead.color #red \ tweak Stem.color #red \ tweak Accidental.color #red fis8 \ staccato) r fis, 4. c'32 (d es f g8 \ staccato) r <as, cf! as> 2 r8. as16 f8 rgrc, r r4 r \ bar "||" } lower = \ relative c {\ clef bass \ key c \ minor \ time 3/4 <c es g> 2. <bdg> <bes ceg> <acf> \ override NoteHead.color = #red \ override Stem.color = #red \ override Accidental.color = #red <as! c es fis> \ revert NoteHead.color \ revert Stem.color \ revert Accidental.color <gc es g> 8 r <f! as cf! > 2 r8. as16 f8 rgrcrgrc, r} \ score {\ new PianoStaff << \ new Staff = "upper" \ upper \ new Staff = "lower" \ lower >> \ layout {\ context {\ Score \ remove "Metronome_mark_engraver"}} \ midi {}}

Function-theoretical interpretation

If it is used as described above, the functional theory interprets the chord as the inversion of a dominant seventh chord with a concealed root note and a lower fifth and with the function of a double dominant :

\ new Staff {\ override Staff.TimeSignature.transparent = ## t \ relative c '' {\ clef treble <as c es fis> 1 \ bar "||" <fis as c es> \ bar "||" <\ tweak NoteHead.color #grey d fis as c es> \ bar "||" <d f sharp a! c es> \ bar "||" }}

Enharmonic reinterpretation

The excessive sixth can be reinterpreted enharmonically to a minor seventh (and vice versa). Therefore, the excessive fifth sixth chord can be reinterpreted enharmonically to a dominant seventh chord (and vice versa):

\ new PianoStaff << \ new Staff {\ override Staff.TimeSignature.transparent = ## t \ new Voice = "right" {\ transpose ca \ relative c '{\ clef treble <c es \ tweak NoteHead.color #red \ tweak Accidental.color #red fis> 1 << {\ voiceOne g '} \ new Voice {\ voiceTwo <c, es> 2 <bd>} >> \ oneVoice <> 1 \ bar "||" <c es \ tweak NoteHead.color #red \ tweak Accidental.color #red ges> 1 << {\ voiceOne f} \ new Voice {\ voiceTwo <f des>} >> \ bar "||" }}} \ new Staff {\ override Staff.TimeSignature.transparent = ## t \ new Voice = "left" {\ transpose ca \ relative c {\ clef "bass" \ tweak NoteHead.color #red \ tweak Accidental.color #red as1 g \ tweak NoteHead.color #red \ tweak Accidental.color #red as des}}} \ new FiguredBass {\ figuremode {<6+ 5> 1 <6 4> 2 <5 _ +> <7-> }} >>

This possibility of reinterpretation is based on the concept of tritone substitution in jazz harmonic .

example

Franz Schubert : Piano Sonata in A minor, D  845 (1825), 1st movement, m. 18 f.

\ new PianoStaff << \ new Staff << \ set Score.tempoHideNote = ## t \ tempo 2 = 88 \ override Staff.TimeSignature.transparent = ## t \ relative c '' {\ override DynamicTextSpanner.style = # 'none \ crescTextCresc <e gis> <e e '> 2 \ <<e e'> 4 ~ <e e '> <e e'> 2 <e e '> 4 <ac a'> \ ff <a, c es a> 2 \ fz <ac es a> 4 <bes d bes'> <a 'c es a> 2 \ fz <ac es a> 4 <bes d bes'> <a, c \ tweak NoteHead.color #red \ tweak Accidental.color #red es a> 2 \ fz <ac es a> 4 <bes d bes'> <a 'c \ tweak NoteHead.color #red \ tweak Accidental.color #red dis a'> 2 \ fz <ac dis a '> 4 <acea> r <eac e> \ fz r <eab e> \ fz r <e gis be> \ fz ra, 8 \ ff (a,) a-. a-. a4-. \ bar "||" } >> \ new Staff << \ override Staff.TimeSignature.transparent = ## t \ clef "bass" \ relative c {<e e '> 2 <e e'> <e e '> <e e'> < f f '> 4 <f, f'> 2 <f f '> 4 <f f'> <f f '> 2 <f f'> 4 <f f '> <f f'> 2 <f f ' > 4 <f f '> <f f'> 2 <f f '> 4 <e e'> r <e 'ac e> r <eab e> r <e gis be> ra ,, 8 (a') a-. a-. a4-. } >> >>

Other uses

The chord also arises when a sixth ajoutée , which is added to a major triad, is altered upward. In addition, in the 19th century the chord was increasingly used as an altered dominant or intermediate dominant, thus breaking away from its original function as a predominant .

literature

  • John Callcott: A Musical Grammar . Manning & Loring, Boston 1810 ( archive.org ).
  • Mark Ellis: A Chord in Time: The Evolution of the Augmented Sixth from Monteverdi to Mahler . Farnham, Ashgate 2010, ISBN 978-0-7546-6385-0 .
  • Daniel Harrison: Supplement to the Theory of Augmented Sixth Chords . In: Music Theory Spectrum . 17, No. 2, 1995, pp. 170-195.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ See Callcott 1810, p. 239; Harrison 1995, pp. 181f.
  2. ↑ z. B. Johannes Brahms : Im Herbst , op.104 No. 5 (1888), T. 10.
  3. ↑ z. B. Franz Schubert : Piano Sonata in A major, D 959 (1828), 1st movement, end.