My apologies for not posting very often in recent weeks. I have been very busy this semester having taken on yet another class. I think I may have stretched myself a bit too far this time, but I will get some relief in just a month’s time as one of my courses is only 8 weeks.

In the meantime, I have a question for my fellow “theory” types that occasionally frequent this site: I was preparing for a class tomorrow morning and was browsing The Elements of Music, 2nd ed. by Ralph Turek and came across the following excerpt from the Bach chorale (”Durch Adams Fall is ganz verderbt”) and was a bit surprised by the harmony on the third beat of the first full measure.

I understand what it is, and when I look at its use, it seems obvious that it is filling in the ascending melodic minor bass line, but since I can’t ever recall seeing it happen this way (with the seventh being included in the analysis) before tonight, I’m curious about how often this harmony occurs in this unexpected way. Can anyone (Rob? Scott?) shed some light on the topic and would you agree with my feeling that teaching this particular example might create confusion for the students when they are finally introduced to applied chords? Would it not make much more sense to teach the E-flat as a suspension and dismiss the harmonic implications created by the chord quality or perhaps more appropriately just call it an exception and move on? If so, then how far into minor variants do you delve when you teach non-dominant diatonic seventh chords?

My thought is that it’s probably best to not even open this can of worms and instead keep the students focused on contexts that emphasize the dominant quality of this sonority. Personally, and with an eye towards future topics, I would rather the students recognize the major-minor seventh as a V7 in every context before I drop an exception on their plate and ask them to chew.

I know that I answered my own question (and yes, I do answer when I talk to myself), but I still want to hear your explanation. Not really for any good reason, but just because…

If you hadn’t seen, Gian Carlo Menotti passed away yesterday in Monaco. Although the winner of two Pulitzer Prizes in music was maligned by some, he has always been one of my favorites.