Breaking Barlines

Online Music Theory Lessons: Turn Sound Into Skill

bach

By Aron Bernstein 6 Comments

Weekly Music Challenge: 6/6/22

Test your theory chops with my weekly challenge! You’ll find a new question here every Monday. Please comment to post your reply.

This Week’s Challenge:

This is the beginning of Contrapunctus V from J.S. Bach’s Die Kunst der Fugue (The Art of Fugue). As opposed to a more conventional fugue, this one has an unusual answer…why?

Contrapunctus V, Die Kunst der Fugue by Johann Sebastian Bach
Listen to Audio

Post your reply and come back Friday, June 10th for the answer!

ANSWER for 6/6/22

While a typical fugal answer is more or less a literal restatement of the subject, this answer is the inversion of the subject. It also remains in the tonic key, a further departure from conventional practice; fugal answers usually bring the music into the key of the dominant. It isn’t until later in this fugue that Bach employs a more typical answer–a tonal answer in the key of v….but still inverted!

Learn More Here!

With Breaking Barlines you learn music theory the right way: fun, encouraging video lessons grounded in real music! Have a look at the complete Breaking Barlines Course! Then sign up for a monthly subscription for full access to all lessons, worksheets, and answer keys. New lessons are always added, so stay tuned!

By Aron Bernstein 6 Comments

Weekly Music Theory Challenge 9/13/21

Show off your theory chops with my weekly challenge! You’ll find a new question here every Monday. Please comment to post your reply.

This week’s challenge:

This is from J. S. Bach’s Contrapunctus VII from Die kunst der fuge (The Art of Fugue). What rhythmic technique has he used in changing the melody in the top staff to the one in the bottom?

Listen to Audio

Reply to post your answer, and check back on Friday, September 17th to see if you’re right!

ANSWER for 9/13/21

This is a good example of diminution. All the note values on the top staff have been cut in half, resulting in the same melody on the bottom staff, but twice as fast. Bach’s ingenuity lies in fashioning a melody that works in counterpoint with a diminished version of itself. He never actually finished Contrapunctus, but the many fugues of this work show him at the pinnacle of his contrapuntal genius.

Want to Learn More?

With Breaking Barlines you learn music theory the right way: fun, useful, and with a personal touch! Have a look at the complete Breaking Barlines Course! Then sign up for a monthly subscription for full access to all video lessons, worksheets, and answer keys. New lessons are always being added, so stay tuned!

By Aron Bernstein 10 Comments

Weekly Music Theory Challenge 6/21/21

Show off your theory chops with my weekly challenge! You’ll find a new question here every Monday. Please comment to post your reply.

This week’s challenge:

In last week’s challenge we said hello to this Phrygian cadence in Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor. This week, what type of chord would you get if you sharped the root of the iv6 chord? Careful: make the root sharp, not the bass:

ANSWER for 6/21/21

Those of you who crossed the Alps for an Italian holiday: CORRECT! By sharping the root of the iv6 chord in a Phrygian cadence, you end up with an Italian augmented sixth chord. And this is very likely the origin of the Italian 6th: a chromatically embellished Phrygian cadence. Listen to both:

Phrygian Cadence followed by Italian Augmented Sixth

This B-flat Italian 6th is enharmonic with a B-flat dominant seventh chord, but the sharped root is spelled G-sharp, not A-flat. And spelling makes all the difference. When you hear how this chord resolves (the augmented 6th goes outward to the octave), that’s when you can distinguish it from a Bb7.

Want to Learn More?

This summer I’m creating a whole new module for the Breaking Barlines course: Chromatic Harmony! Sign up for a monthly subscription for full access to all video lessons, worksheets, and answer keys. Also, this year I’ll be adding new lessons on modes. I created Breaking Barlines with one thing in mind: making music theory effective and FUN!

By Aron Bernstein 8 Comments

Weekly Music Theory Challenge 6/14/21

Show off your theory chops with my weekly challenge! You’ll find a new question here every Monday. Please comment to post your reply.

This week’s challenge:

This is from J. S. Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor. What type of cadence is highlighted in red?

Listen to the Audio

ANSWER for 6/7/21

This is a Phrygian Cadence, or Phrygian Half Cadence. Most often seen in minor keys, we go from a iv chord in first inversion to V (Gm/Bb to A). Notice that the bass drops down a half-step, which is reminiscent of the first two notes in the Phrygian mode (hence the cadence’s name).

Want to Learn More?

You can brush up on your cadences with all new lessons in the Diatonic Harmony Course!  Sign up for a monthly subscription for full access to all video lessons, worksheets, and answer keys. Also, this year I’ll be adding new lessons on modes. I created Breaking Barlines with one thing in mind: making music theory effective and FUN!