Inverted Dominants

TH101 - Seth Monahan

INVERSIONS V7USAGE RESOLUTION ANDOF COMMON RESOLVING INVERSIONS OF V7

^4

Inversions of V7, like V7 itself, resolve to a tonic harmony (now either I or I6). However, voice-leading is much simpler with inverted dominants. All three inversions resolve according to the same rules, summarized in the scale-degree matrix shown at the right. The leading tone always resolves to ^1, the chordal seventh still always descends by step1, and ^2 may move either up or down by step depending on context.

^1

^7

^5

^5

MIXING INVERSIONS: TRANSFERRING TENDENCY TONES When inversions of V7 move to tonic, the tendency tones ^7 and ^4 must resolve according to the chart above. However, we can delay resolution to tonic by moving among various inversions of V7 (including the root position version). This will often involve “transferring” tendency tones from one voice to another. We can see this at the right, where the green notes show the transfer and resolution of the chordal seventh F, while the red notes show the transfer and resolution of the leading tone B.

^3

^2

& ˙˙ ˙ ? ˙

˙ ˙ ˙ ˙

w w w w

C: V%

V#

I

Two additional points: t t

Leaping through dissonant intervals is OK when mixing inversions of V7 (see the bass tritone above). Once you introduce the chordal seventh into the dominant, you must eventually resolve it properly. It is not acceptable simply to revert to a consonant triadic dominant.

INVERSIONS OF V7 AS “CONTRAPUNTAL CHORDS” Inversions of V7 are often used as “contrapuntal” chords, meaning that their bass note takes on a neighbor or a passing function. This chart shows the idioms you will be responsible for. All progressions can be used in both major and minor. CHORD

V#

BASS

RESOLVES TO

^7

I

“NEIGHBOR” BASS

I - V# - I ^1

ONLY!

^7

^1

“PASSING” BASS

[also common as incomplete neighbor]

*

V - IVß - V# - I ^5

^6

^7

^1

[reversible]

V$

^2

V%

^4

I

OR

Iß

Iß

ONLY!

I - V$ - I ^1

^2

OR

^1

Iß - V% - Iß ^3

^4

^3

Iß - V$ - Iß

I - V$ - Iß

^3

^1

^2

^3

[also common as incomplete neighbor]

^2

^3 *

V - V% - Iß ^5

^4

^3

In most of these idioms, the inverted dominant prolongs/embellishes the adjacent tonic harmony. In the two marked with asterisks [*], the chord expands the dominant as part of a broader V  I motion. 1

Though see the special voice-leading issues of the ascending “10” paradigm (I - V4/3 - I6) on page 2!

INVERSIONS OF V7 RESOLUTION AND COMMON USAGE TH101 - Seth Monahan

CONTRAPUNTAL DOMINANT FLOW CHART The diagram below shows a “map” of bass-voice pathways that use contrapuntal dominants. (The chart is in C major but can be transposed to any key.) The inverted V7 chords are shown in black noteheads, while the chords they prolong and connect are shown in white. Pay special attention to the arrowheads, as they indicate possible directions of motion. Note that this chart omits the less common “passing bass” use of V# shown on page 1.

NEIGHBOR MOTIONS

PASSING MOTIONS

When incomplete, neighbors typically precede the tonic they embellish.

BASS VOICE

?

œ

I

œ

˙

Iß

˙

˙

V

œ

œ

Iß

˙

œ

V#

V$

V%

V%

V$

N

N

N

P

P

I

˙ œ V7 ˙ == INVERTED “Pillar” chords I, I6, or V

CAVEAT: THE ASCENDING “10” PARADIGM When V$ is used as a passing chord between I and I6, the soprano will often move in parallel tenths with the bass, 3-4-5 against 1-2-3. (Hence the aural-skills nickname“10.”) The “10” paradigm is the only context in which the dominant’s dissonant chordal seventh may ascend rather than descend. As example (a) shows in green, the dissonant seventh (^4) may proceed by step into ^5, in parallel tenths with the bass. This is only permitted in this progression, and when the seventh is in the top voice! dissonant seventh ascends

## 10 & ˙˙

(a)

ASCENDING “10” PARADIGM

? ## ˙˙ D:

I

10

˙ ˙ ˙˙

V$

diminished fifth moves into perfect fifth 10

˙˙ ˙˙

Iß

(b)

10

10

10

˙ ˙

˙˙

˙

˙˙

I

˙ ˙

vii¿ß

[P]

[P]

GOOD

GOOD

˙˙

Iß

The rising 10 paradigm also allows us another voice-leading license: as the chordal seventh ascends, it creates “parallel” motion into a P5 from a d5, as the brackets in (a) show. Normally prohibited, such a motion is permitted here and in the paradigm’s “sibling progression,” I - viio6 - I6, shown in (b) above. (They are “sibling” progressions because viio6 differs from V$ by only one note, and is used in exactly the same way: as a passing chord between I and I6.)