A Model for Scale-Degree Reinterpretation: Melodic Structure, Modulation, and Cadence Choice in the Chorale Harmonizations of J. S. Bach

Clercq, Trevor de

doi:10.18061/emr.v10i3.4334

EMR

2015

DOI: 10.18061/emr.v10i3.4334

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A Model for Scale-Degree Reinterpretation: Melodic Structure, Modulation, and Cadence Choice in the Chorale Harmonizations of J. S. Bach

Trevor de Clercq

Abstract: This paper reports a corpus study of the 371 chorale harmonizations by J. S. Bach. Specifically, this study investigates what kinds of events are typical at phrase endings given various melodic conditions, i.e., how well melodic structure is a predictor of modulation and cadence choices. Each fermata event was analyzed by ear and encoded with regard to the local key area and the cadence type. The frequency of each cadence type was then tabulated with respect to categorizations of the melodic structure (in term… Show more

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Cited by 4 publications

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“…Only a few existing corpus studies include cadential labels (e.g., de Clercq, 2015;Duane, 2019;Ito, 2014;Martin & Pedneault-Deslauriers, 2015;Raz, Chawin, & Rom, 2021;Sears, 2017;van Kranenburg & Karsdorp, 2015), as noted by Hentschel, Neuwirth, and Rohrmeier (2021) in their newly published data report. Our dataset shares similarities with that of Hentschel, Neuwirth, and Rohrmeier (2021), although we created it independently.…”

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An Analytical Dataset of Approaches to V in Mozart

Brown

Tan

Lin

2023

EMR

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Tonal functions—tonic, pre-dominant, and dominant—are a standard feature of North American music theory. The pre-dominant (PD) encompasses the largest number of chords, varying in quality and scale degrees; unlike the tonic and dominant functions, it is primarily defined by its syntactical role, preceding the arrival of the dominant. While Western harmony textbooks consistently organize PD chords according to a regulative syntax (e.g., IV goes to ii), they differ on its rationale and are rarely explicit about the repertoire(s) on which it is based. Furthermore, while the PD is thought to be an essential element of cadential closure, the role of PDs at various formal locations is underexplored, be it in textbooks or corpus studies. To facilitate exploration of these claims for future research, we analyzed all 22 sonata-allegro movements from the Mozart piano sonatas and generated a new dataset containing every occurrence of V (including the Cad6/4), the three chords preceding each V, and their formal location.

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confidence: 99%

An Analytical Dataset of Approaches to V in Mozart

Brown

Tan

Lin

2023

EMR

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“…2, 6-7. Regarding scale-degree reinterpretation in chorale harmonization, seeGauldin 2009, 104, andClercq 2015.…”

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New Sources and Old Methods. Reconstructing and Applying the Music-Theoretical Paratext of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Compositional Pedagogy

Remeš

2019

ZGMTH

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In attempting to determine how Johann Sebastian Bach taught composition, this article draws on recent archival discoveries to claim that it was not the ornamented, vocal Choralgesänge, but the simpler, thoroughbass-centered Choralbuch style that played a central role in Bach's pedagogy. Fascinatingly, many newly-rediscovered chorale books from Bach's milieu contain multiple basses under each melody, suggesting that Bach too may have employed this technique. What theoretical perspectives shall we bring to bear on this long-lost multiple-bass chorale tradition? This article asserts that it is a fallacy to assume that any pattern-yielding methodology offers a valid window into Bach's teaching. Rather, an attempt is made to recover modes of music-theoretical understanding that existed contemporaneously with Bach. Such a coterminous theoretical "paratext" potentially offers more insight into Bach's pedagogy because it establishes a horizon of possibilities from which we can draw when examining multiple-bass composition. Foremost within this paratextual horizon is the centrality of thoroughbass for Bach's understanding of composition. In particular, Bach was immersed in the pre-Rameau thoroughbass tradition as represented by the writings of Johann David Heinichen. In contrast to many modern harmonic perspectives, chordal roots and root progressions played little to no role in the pre-Rameau thoroughbass tradition. Dissonance was understood not harmonically, but dyadically in terms of syncopatio (suspension) and transitus (passing and neighbor) figures. Drawing from a variety of sources from Bach's circle, particularly those of his pupil, Johann Christian Kittel, this article posits that Bach may have understood multiple-bass chorale harmonization in terms of interlocking clausulae -that is, as a series of overlapping cadential modules. In sum, this article contributes to an ongoing revisionist project of recent years that aims to elevate early eighteenth-century thoroughbass from mere "pre-theoretical" accompaniment practice to its true place as the theoretical and practical basis of compositional understanding in Bach's day.

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Expectation adaptation for rare cadences in music: Item order matters in repetition priming

Chander,

Aslin

2023

Cognition

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A Model for Scale-Degree Reinterpretation: Melodic Structure, Modulation, and Cadence Choice in the Chorale Harmonizations of J. S. Bach

Cited by 4 publications

References 15 publications

An Analytical Dataset of Approaches to V in Mozart

An Analytical Dataset of Approaches to V in Mozart

New Sources and Old Methods. Reconstructing and Applying the Music-Theoretical Paratext of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Compositional Pedagogy

Expectation adaptation for rare cadences in music: Item order matters in repetition priming

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