Sixth fourth chord
A fourth chord is a sound that contains at least one fourth and at least one sixth above a bass note (each in any octave position ). Octave doubling of the bass can also be added. Examples:
The name comes from the figured bass script : In contrast to the "normal" layering of thirds and fifths to form a third-fifth sound , the fourth and sixth are layered to form a fourth-sixth sound . This interval structure is indicated by the superimposed digits 6 and 4 for the bass tone.
If a triad twice vice versa , this results in a six-four chord. However, it does not make sense in every situation to interpret an sixth fourth chord as a second triad inversion.
Consonance or dissonance
Music theory consideration
Counterpoint
The frequent classification of the sixth chord as consonant and the fourth chord as dissonant stems from the early counterpoint rules, according to which the third and sixth above a bass note were considered consonant, while the "primary fourth" (fourth above a bass note) were regarded as dissonant .
Conceptual dissonance
Despite the acoustic flawlessness of the sixth fourth chord, in certain cases (see below) it is perceived as dissonant (dissonance of perception ) and in need of resolution. This endeavor to dissolve was often used in classical instrumental concerts, for example, as a moment of tension in order to attract attention to the soloist's improvisational cadenza . This case corresponds to the sixth fourth chord .
The dissonance tension felt here is not due to the structure of the chord itself, but to the position that the chord has within the cadence . The fact that in such cases the bass tone is often given a lot of weight by being amplified by mostly octaved basses is intended to illustrate the position of the chord and thus its position within the cadence.
In the language of clause teaching words, the bass has the position of the Paenultima hold the bass clause, the other two chord tones respectively represent the station of the Antepaenultima the soprano (in the case of the fourth) or the operative part of clause (in the case of the sixth to the bass tone). It is about a station within the cadence at which the ultimate has not yet been reached in all structural voices . At the time of early polyphony, it represents the station of greatest possible consonance . These structural relationships also have an effect on music composed later, the cadential harmony it contains and thus ultimately also on our present-day feeling for the end of a section or piece. The fact that e.g. For example, if the musical situation with the fourth text requires a continuation or resolution - that means that we perceive it that way - is based on the musical syntax and our hearing psychological approach to it. In summary, this concerns the perception of a dissonance, which is based on listening experience and has grown historically in the occidental musical context.
Physical consideration
Acoustically, the dissonance character of the sixth fourth chord cannot be verified as long as it is three-tone in close range. Since it only contains consonant intervals (fourth, major sixth and major third), there is no immediate reason to regard it as dissonant. At best, this could still be found in dissonance frictions of the accompanying overtones or difference tones .
The following overtone and difference tone analysis shows that the sixth fourth chord acoustically even has a higher degree of consonance than the sixth chord , which is considered consonant from a music theory perspective.
Overtone analysis
In the C major sixth fourth chord (g-c'-e ') shown in the diagram opposite, there is a dissonance (small second) between the three-stroke c (third overtone of c') and the two-stroke b (second overtone of e ' and fourth overtone of g).
The comparison with the relationships of the sixth chord also shown shows that with this the friction of a small second already occurs in a lower area of the overtone series, namely between the b '(second overtone of e) and the c "(first overtone of c') There is also another conflict between the g sharp "(fourth overtone of e) and the double g" as the overtone of the other two chord tones.
Difference tone analysis
The consideration of the difference tones (1st order) gives the following picture:
Sixth chord (e - g - c ')
- The third eg produces the difference tone C 1 .
- The fourth gc 'delivers the C one octave higher.
- The sixth ec 'gives the G.
Sixth fourth chord (g - c '- e')
- The fourth gc 'provides the difference tone C.
- The third c'-e 'gives the same note C.
- The sixth ge 'creates the c an octave higher.
In both cases, the difference tones together with the chord result in a completely consonant sound, whereby the overall sound of the sixth chord is a little darker and more colorful, with the sixth chord a bit lighter and purer.
perception
The two context-dependent interpretations as dissonance or consonance have the consequence that the various possible uses of the sixth fourth chord listed below also depend to varying degrees on music theory and physics. While in the first-mentioned cases the context of the composition is decisive, i.e. one tends to perceive a dissonance in the sense of the composition - although acoustically one hears a consonance - the physical aspect predominates, especially in newer music, because the classical conventions and the syntax of the composition and gradually lose importance. Nevertheless, the feeling of consonance is in many cases attached to the history of the sixth fourth chord as a dissonance. For composers in the 19th and 20th centuries, this also opens up the possibility of playing with these two poles of the sixth fourth chord to different degrees in different aesthetic or stylistic contexts. Every perception - whether consonant or dissonant - ultimately always remains an individual one in music and depends on the respective musical experience of the listener. In music of the last two centuries, the perceptions should therefore tend to differ more than in the time before, when the compositional structure dominated the listener's expectations and thus the perception of sixth fourth chords.
Use of the sixth fourth chord
Sixth fourth chord
If the third and fifth of a sound are held in front of them by being replaced by fourth and sixth, one speaks of a fourth chord . The theory of functions and degrees therefore do not assume a triad inversion when naming this chord, but rather the root note (= bass note) of the harmony, which is provided with a fourth string .
In the cadence in particular, the sixth fourth chord is often used as a dominant lead. In this context it is also called the cadencing sixth fourth chord .
The sixth fourth chord always occurs on a stressed beat .
Alternate fourth chord
If an sixth fourth chord consists of the combination of two alternating notes , it is called an sixth fourth chord .
Passing sixth fourth chord
If a sixth fourth chord appears as a continuation chord , e.g. B. If its bass note behaves like a passing note , one speaks of a passing fourth chord .
Inverse sixth fourth chord
If the bass part jumps into the fifth of the harmony with the same function on an unstressed beat, one speaks of an inversion fourth chord . This often occurs in marches , folk music or simple dance music , where the bass tone often changes between the root and fifth of the chord ( alternating bass ). Since such a sixth fourth chord takes place on a different structural level than, for example, a sixth fourth chord, it should mostly be perceived as a consonant.
"Floating sound"
The sixth fourth chord is sometimes used (and then mostly in repetitive form), for example in song accompaniments, without any recognizable attempt to resolve it, in order to achieve the impression of a “floating” lightness. In most cases, however, a bass note appears in the immediate vicinity, through which it becomes clear that this is not a structurally important sixth fourth chord, but that it is merely an aesthetic design element on the musical surface.
Examples :
- Schubert : To the music, op.88 No. 4
- Schumann : The lotus flower of myrtle op 25th
Final chord
In recent music, the sixth fourth chord is occasionally encountered as a final chord.
Examples:
- Beethoven : 7th Symphony : 2nd movement - (Here, too, the sixth fourth chord is only a remnant that remains on the surface after the structurally important keynote in the bass has already sounded.)
- Modest Mussorgsky : Pictures at an Exhibition : The Tuileries
- Stravinsky : Histoire du soldat (Great Choral)
- Hindemith : Ludus tonalis : Fuga nona in B
Remarks
- ↑ The method of difference tone analysis to determine the tone value was presented by Paul Hindemith in his instruction in tone composition .
- ↑ The composition of this sound is f'-d "-b", so that no audible conflicts can occur between the overtones of the bass and the higher chord tones. Rather, it creates the impression of a pure, "ethereally floating" sound.