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cadence

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!