Tonicization through Secondary Dominant Chords

• Secondary key - Key that is not the primary key of a piece of music but is used temporarily to create a sense of tension or contrast.

• Temporary tonic - The note that becomes the new tonal center when a secondary key is used.

Closely Related Keys

• Closely related keys - Keys that share many of the same notes as the primary key.

• The most closely related keys are the ones that differ by only one accidental.

• They are usually adjacent to the original key on the circle of fifths.

• Closely related keys to a major key

  • Its relative minor

  • The keys a fifth above and a fifth below

  • The parallel minor

• Closely related keys to a minor key

  • Its relative major

  • The keys a fifth above and a fifth below

  • The parallel major

Secondary Dominants

• Secondary dominant - Dominant chord that is not in the primary key but is used to tonicize a chord in a secondary key.

• It’s usually a major chord that is a fifth above the chord being tonicized.

Suffixes and Prefixes

• Suffixes and prefixes are added to chord symbols to indicate their function in a progression.

• The most common suffixes are "7" and "maj7", which indicate a dominant seventh chord and a major seventh chord, respectively.

• The most common prefixes are "I" and "V", which indicate the tonic and dominant chords, respectively.

Part Writing of Secondary Dominant Chords

• Secondary dominant - A chord that functions as the dominant of a chord other than the tonic. It is usually a major chord built on the fifth degree of the target chord.

• Most common secondary dominants

  • V/V (the dominant of the dominant)

  • V/ii (the dominant of the supertonic)

  • V/IV (the dominant of the subdominant)

Part Writing Secondary Dominants

• When part writing secondary dominants, it is important to follow the rules of voice leading to ensure smooth and effective harmonic progressions.

• The leading tone of the secondary dominant should resolve to the tonic of the chord it is leading to.

• The seventh of the secondary dominant should resolve down by step to the third of the chord it is leading to.

• The root of the secondary dominant should move up by step to the third of the chord it is leading to, unless it creates parallel fifths or octaves.

• In four-part writing, the fifth of the secondary dominant can be omitted if necessary to avoid voice leading errors.

Regular, Irregular, and Deceptive Resolution

Regular Resolution

• Regular resolution - A type of resolution in which the leading tone of a chord resolves upwards to the tonic.

• This resolution creates a sense of stability and finality in the music.

Irregular Resolution

• Irregular resolution - A type of resolution in which the leading tone of a chord resolves downwards to a note other than the tonic.

• This type of resolution creates a sense of tension and instability in the music.

Deceptive Resolution

• Deceptive resolution - A type of resolution in which the leading tone of a chord resolves to a chord other than the expected tonic.

• This type of resolution creates a sense of surprise and unpredictability in the music.

Tonicization through Secondary Leading Tone Chords

Tonicization through Secondary Leading Tone Chords

• Secondary leading tone chords are notated with a slash followed by the chord name of the key being borrowed from.

  • For example, C7/F indicates a C7 chord with an F in the bass, which is borrowed from the key of F major.

Part Writing of Secondary Leading Tone Chords

• The leading tone of the secondary key should resolve to the tonic of the original key.

• The other notes of the secondary leading tone chord should resolve to notes in the target chord.

• The bass note of the secondary leading tone chord should move by a step to the root of the target chord.

• Avoid parallel fifths and octaves between the secondary leading tone chord and the target chord.

Tonicizing Deceptive Motion

• Deceptive motion - A harmonic motion that leads the listener to expect a certain chord, but instead, a different chord is played.

• Tonicizing deceptive motion - A technique where a deceptive cadence is used to establish a new key.

  • The new key is usually the relative major or minor of the original key.

• By tonicizing the A minor chord, the composer can establish the key of A minor within the composition.