Tag Archives: voice leading

The World Was Wide Enough for Different Approaches to Harmony

Posted on May 9, 2019 by timchenette

Hamilton: An American Musical centers around the friendship and rivalry between the contrasting characters Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. Hamilton is tense, ambitious, rash, risk-taking, trying to reach his goal (his power of speech, unimpeachable). Burr is cautious, waiting to play … Continue reading →

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Voice leading connecting weird triads

Posted on December 19, 2015 by timchenette

This post is about music from a long span of history that uses triads but not functional tonality–that is, dominants don’t always go to tonics, or there’s no obvious key center, or something like that. The music described by that … Continue reading →

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Descending Tetrachords: Muse and Handel are both sad

Posted on November 23, 2014 by timchenette

The term “descending tetrachord,” also “lament bass,” generally refers to a descent in a bass line by step from tonic to dominant, especially in a minor key. In its simplest form, the difference between the stable first and last pitches (do, sol) … Continue reading →

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