Exercise 2
By listening to the lied Widmung by Schumann, make a note of all the ways in which the composer creates contrast in the middle section, B. Think about texture, dynamics, key etc.
The accompaniment and score to the above:
Fill in the table. Try and create distant keys by relating a new chord to the first one in some way with a common note. The two first examples have been completed.
| key | tonic triad note | pivot note | new key |
|---|---|---|---|
| C major | CEG | E being the pivot note. | E major E/G#/B |
| C major | CEG | G being the pivot note. | E♭ major E♭/G/B♭ |
| F major | D major D/F#/A |
||
| D major | B♭ major B♭/D/F |
||
| Bb major | F minor F/A♭/C |
What therefore is the exact process here?
Try and find ONE note in common in the tonic key contained in a new unexpected chord.
This is a section from the movement Confutatis Maledictis from the Requiem Mass by Mozart. It creates very unexpected modulations by using ONE note to shift the tonality from one bar to the next.
Mozart’s plan was to move from A minor to F major. There are three interesting and lyrical sequences that guide the listener from one key to another like this:
Note: There are many 7th chords which are essential here. Try to remind yourself of the dominant 7th and diminished 7th.
Notice too that this sequence ends with an F major chord, a device called tierce de picardie.
tierce de picardie: a cadence ending with a major chord instead of the expected minor.
The crucial notes – the pivot notes – are in pink. Notice how these pink notes are able to shift keys down a semitone at a time; from A minor to A♭ minor, to G minor, to G♭ minor and finally to F minor/major.