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 Mozart’s Minuet in C Major, K. 6. What type of non-harmonic tone is the circled note?
Reply to post your answer, and check back on Friday, September 24 to see if you’re right!
ANSWER for 9/20/21
This is called a retardation, a delayed resolution of a tone that results in temporary dissonance. The circled note is the leading tone in the key of G major, F-sharp. But rather than resolving up to G when it should, at the beginning of the final measure, its resolution is delayed until the last beat. This is the opposite of an anticipation, which is an early resolution of a tendency tone.
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It’s an appogitura.
Over the years, the term appoggiatura has been expanded to include a lot of non-harmonic tones. But, more strictly speaking, appoggiaturas are usually approached by leap and then resolved by step. This one is a delayed resolution of a tendency tone 🙂
I’d say it’s a retardation.
🙂
It has the unfortunate name of “retardation.”
🙂
Suspension
Hi Thomas, in a way, it’s like a suspension, but it resolves upward. It’s really a delayed resolution of the leading tone, so it goes by another name 🙂
It’s a ritardiation. Approach is the F# followed by the dissonance with the resolution up. Think a backwards suspension.
🙂
Secondary dominant leading tone.
Hi Keith, it absolutely is the leading tone of the V key, but it doesn’t resolve on the downbeat as it should. It’s a delayed resolution, so there’s another name I’m thinking of 🙂
Leading tone.
Hey Herbie! It is the leading tone, but it hasn’t resolved to the new harmony on the downbeat. Its resolution is delayed until the last beat, and there’s another name for that 🙂
Anticipation
Hi Tom! It’s actually the opposite of an anticipation, the delayed resolution of a tone 🙂
Leading tone
Hi Dean! Technically you’re right…it IS the leading tone in G major. But it doesn’t resolve up to G until the end of the last measure. So it’s a delayed resolution of a tone, making it dissonant. What kind of non-harmonic tone would that be? 🙂
If P. D. Q. Bach instead of Mozart were writing this, he’d omit that last G in the right hand entirely and just leave that F# hanging there. This omission would cause innumerable concertgoers to play the missing G on whatever instrument was available when they got home so that they’d be able to sleep.
A nice tuning fork to turn in our sides!