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Unit 1.1, Examples 1 and 2 In earlier periods musicians conceptualized cadences as a combination of Formal Clausulae in each of the separate voices. This idea, which originated in the…

Performing the discant and tenor clausulae at the same time results in a simple cadence. Notice that either clausula can be the either the higher or lower voice. Practice these…

The bass clausula consists of 1-5-1 or Do-Sol-Do It can only appear in the lowest voice It is the same for major and minor keys Practice these in all major…

The top parts consist of the discant and tenor clausulae The bottom part features the bass clausula Practice these in some major keys using Analytic Piano and some Minor Keys…

The four part cadence adds the alto clausula In this case the alto clausula is simply 5-5-5 or Sol-Sol-Sol In future lessons we will see that the alto clausula actually…

Figured bass indicates the intervals above the bass that should be played for each sonority. Sometimes these intervals are literal intervals, but often they do not indicate the octave of…

So far we have looked at cadences as the building blocks of musical patterns. We saw that cadences were conceptualized as combination of clausulae (or single voice clauses). These usually…

Could we add a third voice to the ascending scale in parallel tenths? We could add the 6th above the bass, resulting in the famous fauxbourdon. But what if we…

Perhaps even more common than ascending parallel tenths are descending parallel tenths: The descending scale lends itself to creating chains of suspensions since those must resolve downwards. The next two…

We can add a middle voice containing a chain of 7-6 suspensions This combines the fauxbourdon with a chain of suspensions making it a very common progression in music from…

The other common way of adding suspensions to descending parallel tenths is delaying the lower part. This creates a chain of 2-3 suspensions in the bass.

So far we have looked at simple cadences. Simple means that the voices move at the same time. Let's remind ourselves of the simple cadence in two parts: A compound…

As we saw earlier, the tenor clausula can take various forms. Every one of these lends itself to a compound cadence with a delayed Discant Clausula Derek Remeš, Compendium Derek…

In a compound cadence in three parts the bottom voice employs a Bass Clausula while the top voices remain the same as in two parts Notice that the 7-6 suspension…

The same progressions work with the upper voices rearranged so the tenor Clausula is in the top part and the Discant Clausula in the middle part This also works with…

We will now begin to structure our simple prelude. Lets begin with the bass: Opening pattern - Clausula Cantizans or do-do-ti-do in the bass. Descending sequenceClosing pattern - a clausula…

We will now realize the figured bass in three parts - adding two parts in the right hand. Opening pattern – Clausula Cantizans (8-7-8 in the bass): note: the choice…

Now we can add some movement to the upper parts. We will use a simple diminution technique called Bariolage. Bariolage is originally a violin technique that can translate well to…

It is very common in baroque keyboard compositions to find a diminution that is similar to Bariolage but instead includes a 16th note rest at the beginning of each beat.…

We will now turn back to exploring diminution in more depth. Diminution is the act of transforming a line of long durations into a line of shorter durations. The new…

According to the Oxford Music Online, Folia is a: "A term for a musical framework used during the Baroque period for songs, dances and sets of variations. In the late…

We will study how Vivaldi applies different diminutions to create variations in the bass part in this piece. The original piece involves diminutions in three different parts, but we will…

The next bass variation builds on the previous principles Bar one extends the idea of the repeated note and adds octave displacement The A in measure 2 is now an…

What type of diminution did Vivaldi use in variation no. 2? Here's the Violoncello line of variations 3 compared to the original structural line we created. What types of diminution…

At this point, we have looked at the theme and three variations. Now try to apply these principles and create a few bass variations of your own. Follow these guidelines:…

The first bar of variation 4 begins with an arpeggiation that is filled in with a passing-tone (goal oriented). This patterns is very common: This is followed by a goal…

There are many of notes in the bass line of Variation 5. (note that the right hand performs the assumed upper voices and we are not looking at the counterpoint…

What diminution techniques are used in variations 7, 8, and 9? What can we learn from comparing these to earlier variations?

Variation 10 returns to the alternation of two bar patterns. The odd bars include a simple repetition with octave displacement and an added repeated note. The even bars also originate…

Variation 11 features some striking reversals of the metric structure used so far. Vivaldi begins the variation with a half-quarter rhythmic pattern which correlates to our expectations of meter. In…

This variation employs arpeggiation with goal oriented diminution to connecting different notes of the chord. Leaping to and from chord tones is done freely.

Variation 14 introduces a compound quadruple meter - some more rhythmic variety. Other than that, it is quite simple. The quarter-eighth rhythm is characteristic of the Siciliana and, in fact,…

Variation 16 once again combines several strategies. The first beat features an octave displacementThe second and third beat employ goal oriented diminution into a chord tone. This results in a…

These two variations feature simple bass lines (maybe the upper parts are complex?):

The last variation in the set is unique in its length (the final four bars repeat twice to add a sense of finality to the piece). The alternation of a…

We now return to study voice leading patterns. What is a double cadence? We can define it roughly as the following: Double Cadence = Simple Cadence + Compound Cadence Let's…

Tenor Clausula The most common variant used for the tenor clausula in double cadences is the following: A few important observations: The first two notes coincide with the simple discant…

Bass Clausula The simplest Bass Clausula we can add follows the original one - 1-5-1. Bass Variants There are some common bass variations for double cadences: Variant 1 Variant 2…

The following summarizes the variants of double cadences in three parts: Derek Remeš: Compendium of Voice-Leading Patterns from the 17th and 18th Centuries to Play, Sing, and Transpose at the…

A variant of the double cadence includes changing the tenor clausula to 4-3-2-3. This creates a 7 chord at the beginning of the double cadence and also allows for a…

Adding a 5-5-5 Alto Clausula to the three part cadences we can create double cadences in four voices. Derek Remeš: Compendium of Voice-Leading Patterns from the 17th and 18th Centuries…

The Discant Clausula can appear in the bass part, especially at the beginning of pieces. One of the upper voices will have the Tenor Clausula 1-2-1 and an auxiliary voice…

A cadence with the Discant Clausula in the bass, usually without syncopation and sometimes with a tonic pedal in the bass, is a common opening formula in Baroque pieces. Here…

The quiescenza is another common pattern used at the beginning of Baroque pieces. This simple idea gives rise to a four part progression similar to the previous opening formula: Here…

So far we've seen the alto clausula as a filler (usually 5-5-5) to achieve four parts. However, the Alto Clausula can take many forms and have many important uses. When…

Whatever the truth about Guido’s role, the association of ut re etc. with the pitches C–A soon gained hold, and the system acquired its chief pedagogical principle: that mi–fa is always a semitone. The…

This prelude is actually almost identical to J.S.Bach's original version of the C Major prelude from the Well-Tempered Clavier (BWV 846a): The original manuscript is quite telling in how Bach…

The pattern in Bach's first prelude seems quite simple, yet it incorporates a beautiful asymmetry, ascending 5 pitches and then 3. This prevents the piece from becoming dull on the…

Figured bass (or Thoroughbass) refers to a shorthand system to designate the intervals to be played above the bass. Depending on the number of voices, we choose different notes to…

In the assembly held on April 14, 1878, Cav. Maestro Ettore De-Champs, Resident Academician, answered that a study of harmony, as well as of languages, that begins from the theoretical…

We use the same figures in minor keys. However, the ascending RO features the raised 6 and 7 scale degrees. The descending rule of the octave features an augmented 6th…

As we saw in the Fenaroli examples, in four parts or more, we will encounter more four-note chords in the Rule of the Octave. We also saw in the Fenaroli…

Half step motions in the bass are rare in traditional major/minor scale. They play an important rule in establishing the key center and therefore merit separate discussion. Much of the…

It is not easy to tell exactly what a partimento is. It is a basso continuo or thoroughbass, but one that does not accompany anything except itself. It is a…

The Lament Bass is a Ground Bass or Passacaglia, built on a descending perfect fourth from the tonic to the dominant.  The Diatonic version of the Lament Bass uses descending…

Voice exchange often occurs between the second harmony and the last harmony. In minor this voice exchange includes false relations. Voice Exchange in the Diatonic Lament Voice Exchange in a…

The small ombinus is a chromatic voice exchange progression that utilizes the 6/4 figure in the middle for smoothest voice leading: If we simply focus on the outer voices, we…