Lesson with Mark

So I think you use Finale, right? I myself always compose on paper. Occasionally I will copy one of my compositions into a MIDI editor to make a virtual "performance" of a piece, editing articulations and tempi to make a realistic MP3 using soundfonts or other samples. I often sightread my compositions as I finish them, but I rarely have time to learn to play them properly.

That said, I have Finale Notepad and if it's OK with you I will post examples in Finale.

What instruments do you play? On detail that I forgot to mention is that I have absolutely no knowledge of orchestration. Most of my writing is either for solo keyboard or for chamber groups of a few equal instruments and continuo. I think that the keyboard would be an ideal instrument for us to work with, especially with simple harmonizations and imitative counterpoint. Of course if you are more comfortable with another instrument, feel free to write for duets or trios or quartets or whatever. In baroque music a figured bass part is almost mandatory in such ensembles. Figured bass usually was given to harpsichord and cello, but organ, bassoon or dulcian, lute, theorbo, etc... were fairly common as well.

So, just to get a general picture of your knowledge of baroque melody and harmony and craftsmanship, I would like for you to write a simple 5-8 bar accompanied melody. The melody itself should be clear and singable and aria-like, though perhaps lightly ornamented. The accompaniment should be fairly chordal but not too blocky. You could write for keyboard or for solo instrument and keyboard. If you write for solo instrument and keyboard, however, I would prefer if you could write out the chords instead of using figured symbols.

Feel free to use chromaticism, but only if appropriate. I just want to see how you handle harmony and melody in general. I plan on also doing all the exercises I assign to you myself.

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So I plan to teach a few lessons with exercises on chromaticism in the Baroque period, and we could simultaneously work on a short piece to practice the concepts, like a keyboard suite or some sort of fugue or other imitative counterpoint. Does this sound like a good idea?

I also primarily compose on paper, and notate in Fnale only once I'm finished. I have Finale 06, and Notepad 07, so that'll be fine for examples and exercises.

My primary instrument is Classical Guitar, but about a year ago I started learning Piano as a composition aid, thus far I can play a few of Bach's inventions, and am working through the Fugue in F major from book one of the WTC, so I should be able to play most things I write without too much difficulty.

Kayboard sounds good, as it's something I'm happy with writing for and playing, and as you mentioned is ideal for harmonizations and counterpoint.

I shall start on this first exercise tonight, and should have something finished and uploaded by this time tomorrow, I think I'll go for Flute and Continuo :)

So I plan to teach a few lessons with exercises on chromaticism in the Baroque period, and we could simultaneously work on a short piece to practice the concepts, like a keyboard suite or some sort of fugue or other imitative counterpoint. Does this sound like a good idea?

That sounds like an excellent idea :thumbsup:

Here's my first exercise, for Flute and Harpsichord.

The harmony's fairly simple, almost to the point of being boring, but I didn't want to do anything too adventurous incase I bodged it up.

:)

I thought I'd upload these, as they're a considerably better representation of my abilities than my poor attempt at that first exercise :P

The first is part of an invention, with the exposition, first episode, and first middle entry in the dominant.

The second is a canonic chorale prelude in four parts for organ and any solo instrument, with the out voices being Tallis's canon.

:)

Invention Section.MUS

Chorale Prelude Tallis.MUS

Here is my tiny aria, for harpsichord or organ. (Only after writing this did I realize the first two bars of the melody blatantly plagiarize Dowland's Lachrymae Pavane.) I post the Finale fine here just as a score; if you want to hear it, please listen to this tiny MP3 I prepared (on organ):

Aria Example - eSnips, share anything

Of course Finale plays it back and it sounds terrible. Likewise, I think your tiny melody sounds totally lifeless in MIDI form :D, but I think that in actual performance it would be much more attractive. Your harmony is mostly fine, but actually I wanted you to focus more on melody. Perhaps in trying to write proper harmony you made your melody a bit too simple. As we work on these lessons, whether writing counterpoint or homophony, I think melody will be a most crucial aspect to focus on. (Even though we will be studying harmony, chromatic harmony necessarily implies chromatic melody.)

When writing music, do you generally begin with a harmony or a melody? As I slowly grow and learn as a composer, I have recently begun approaching compositions from a variety of perspectives like harmony, melody, rhythm and counterpoint before putting anything together. Thus I am sure that none of those aspects are deficient because of my hard work in another.

All that said, your melody is nice. Its curve moves down and then up again, the reverse of the most common arrangement, but that isn't necessarily an issue. I do hope that you are paying attention to the shapes of your melodies; if that's something you are unfamiliar with or interested in reviewing, I can briefly discuss. (One minor issue, I would have not used that ornament on the penultimate note. Ornaments can usually go wherever you want, but they are much more common on rhythmically strong notes. And the turn only became common in the classical period, although by Bach's time it was already showing up. I personally would have placed a medium-length trill on the note before that.)

Your harmony is not quite so stunning however. The harmonies themselves don't venture past the tonic and dominant! I have seen you do much better before; I think if it's not too much trouble you should reharmonize it using more varied chords. Also the A in the bass in measure five could be seen as an unaccented appoggiatura or as the root of a 7th chord, in which case the 7th is not resolving properly.

And one last note about the continuo itself. I understand many classical musicians might not know too many details about the performance of continuo, so don't worry too much about this, but know that the continuo's upper line should never rise above the solo instrument. Also the continuo should never double a leading tone or 7th in the solo melody. Both of these rules keep the continuo from drawing attention away from the instruments. "Illegal" parallels between the continuo's upper parts and the soloist are very common since the continuo is usually improvised, but they should never become too consistent. Your main issues are the doubled leading tones and crossings.

So I would like for you to reharmonize your melody with some interesting new chords, keeping in mind these guidelines for the harpsichord. I hope my example helps you; analyze its chords and figure out how it works! I think for both you and me, writing little melodies like this reveals deficiencies that are easier to hide beneath counterpoints, imitations, etc... My ridiculously short melody took a lot of thought and about half an hour to write, and I'm sure yours did too.

I really liked your chorale prelude and invention. Today or tomorrow I will begin the actual lessons :), beginning with, I think, a brief summary, with short examples, of the types of baroque chromatic harmonies and their historical uses.

Aria Example.MUS

And also, what sounds more interesting for us to apply this to: an invention/sinfonia, or a dance suite movement? I myself lean towards the dance suite movement idea... of course a gigue could combine both ideas.... but the decision is up to you!

Here's my revised version.

I've altered the melody aswell somewhat, keeping the same basic pitches though. The harmony is still simple, all diatonic, etc, but using more than just tonic and dominant this time :D

I think a dance movement (maybe a three voice Minuet or Bourree for keyboard of something?) sounds like a good idea :) Maybe later we could try something more complex, but for now I think the simpler the form the more we can focus on the harmony :happy:

First exercise for echurchill.MUS

I really like how that turned out. I've noticed that you "filled in" some of the long note values, a good choice. I would still object (even despite my very modal ears) to the iii chord you use, but it's a minor issue and really depends on what exactly you want :D.

I think a Bouree or Minuet sounds like a great idea. Though I myself would rather write one of the standard movements... well, if I write a Courante and you write a Minuet, we would be working in similar rhythmic modes, though at different tempos. These dance movements are excellent practice because they can and should involve a little bit of everything: some counterpoint, some homophony; some light two voice imitation, some dense chordal parts, etc... as well as plenty of solid melodies. A great way to practice chromatic harmonies.

I'm happy with any of the dance forms, they were just the first two that jumped to mind as they're the only ones I've ever attempted writing in before - If you'd like to do a Courante then I'm more than happy to do likewise :happy:

I shall have a look at a few Courante's by Bach and others so I've got a bit of a better idea of what sort of melody I'll be wanting, as it will doubtless take me a long time to come up with some decent melodic ideas :D

After examining the French Suites (Bach) in detail, with scores and listening through a few times, I found I'm really enjoying the Sarabandes - more so than any of the other dances - so could we do a Sarabande please?

:)

Finally, the surely much awaited lesson has arrived; this week and the last I have been auditioning at various colleges. Sorry for the delay, but I do plan to keep up a one-lesson-per-week average if I can!

CHROMATIC HARMONY

Harmonic Function

(I am posting some review in case you aren't used to looking at harmony this generally. If you understand all of this just ignore it :). Tomorrow I will describe the voice leading of specific chromatic harmonies... I didn't get there tonight.)

From what I see in your short melody and its accompaniment, you have a fairly good "textbook" knowledge of chords, that is, you can use common chords like I, V, IV, ii, etc... to effectively harmonize a melody. Not to say that your technique is dry or primitive; after all I did ask for a very simple melody.

And I do not doubt that your understanding of harmony is even deeper than that. I do however want to briefly describe a more general way of viewing harmony that both you and I should be aiming for. Let us begin with with a simple chord, C Major. Let us say this is our tonic chord.

We follow it with a secondary dominant, V/V (D Major).

Then we finally reach V, a simple G Major chord.

So what comes next? Does the ear expect the tonic chord? Actually, you have probably noticed that our I V/V V progression in C Major is also a IV V I progression in G Major. Unless that final G Major chord has a 7th, our ears will be perfectly content to accept it as final.

Thus it makes no difference how we label a G Major chord: it could be V in C Major or c minor, I in G Major, IV in D Major, VII in a minor, VI in b minor, III in e minor, a Neapolitan in f# minor........ the possibilities are endless. And no matter how you choose to label it on paper, you ear may be hearing it as all of those to some very minute degree. It is important to realize that tonality isn't automatically set to D Major when we add two sharps to a key signature; instead the chords we pick will either confirm or reject the tonality. Thus in our D Major, a progression like vi ii vi I will not sound very final and may suggest i iv i III in b minor; a progression like I IV V, we both know, will certainly suggest D Major even if the V never resolves.

Basically what I mean is that any chord lies not in the key you want it in but in the key it wants itself in.

The degree to which a particular key is suggested can be very variable. There is no need to make a clear division between "tonicisations" and "modulations" because there is a gray area between them.

How do we describe the "function" of a chord? Different authors subscribe to different theories and argue over them; the truth, on the other hand, I think lies somewhere between all of them. Thus I think it is useful to keep all of them in mind simultaneously, as they all come into play:

1. The Circle of Fifths. I think you have Kostka and Payne's Tonal Harmony. They justify progressions as being based off of the circle of fifths:

iii - vi - ii - V - I,

where IV performs much the same function as ii and vii* as V:

iii - vi - [iV ii] - [vii* V] - I

2. Strong versus Weak Progressions. Since Rameau theorists have classified progressions into strong progressions (up or down a fifth, up a second, down a third) which more clearly suggests sequences like

I vi IV ii V I

I iii IV V I

Weak progressions to be avoided are up a third and down a second, ruling out tonally weak progressions like ii - IV or V - IV. (Notice that I can move anywhere, permitting I - iii and I - vii*)

3. Tonic, Dominant and Subdominant Functions. The progression I IV V is very strong and uses every note of the scale: a convenient summary of the entire tonal mechanism! Some authors consider all progressions to be modified I IV V progressions, where the function of IV is fulfilled by IV, ii, and maybe vi; the function of V can be replaced with V or vii*. iii does not clearly fulfill any of these.

All of these viewpoints reveal the inner workings of tonality, but none of them are definite. The circle of fifths must be altered considerably before it fits most music, and it fails to explain plagal cadences and progressions that seem to flow backwards. Many beautiful passages particularly in French, Spanish and Italian music move backward along the circle: I V ii vi V/vi. The weak vs. strong theory fails to allow such beautiful modal passages like one in the Lachrymae Pavan, i III v VII... Tonality is a fluid concept and can be manipulated artfully once we begin to see past "rules" and "progressions."

I've read this through, and understood it all, am now going to sit at my piano for a bit, and try playing some progressions while thinking in different ways, as my normal way of thinking is based on strong versus weak progressions, as you put it, so I shall have a try at playing progressions based on the other schools of thought you mentioned, to get myself used to working with them.

I eagerly await the next lesson :)

These lessons WILL move forwards! :) Unfortunately I have been busy with auditions, but they're all over for now.

So I guess you have had a lot, or perhaps too much, time to think over the mysterious inner workings of our tonal system :D.

I have two short topics concerning the last lesson to briefly discuss, followed by an in-depth study of the uses of secondary dominants.

REGRESSION VS PROGRESSION

The first is an example of the backwards circle-of-fifths sequence. It can be very beautiful because of its movement away from the tonic rather than towards it. The attachment "Zipoli Example" shows a pair of particularly beautiful examples from an organ canzona by Domenico Zipoli. (The repeat bars separate examples; they are not real repeats.) I mention this because it relates back to yet another way of classifying progressions and perhaps the most general: regressive versus progressive. A traditional circle of fifths sequence, such as

vi ii V I

moves towards the tonic and thus regresses in tension, beginning far from the tonic and then resolving back to it. On the other hand,

I V ii vi

moves away from the tonic and thus progresses (the terminology sounds a bit backwards). Tension and excitement increase as we move further and further away from the tonic (especially with the irregular resolution of V). Yet, when this progression continues, we usually see

I V ii vi V/vi

since a new goal has to be set, another key. So in practice, this backwards sequence is often modulates to the relative minor of a major key.

MODALITY VS TONALITY

A while ago I commented on your little aria and said I still objected to an iii V (actually iii I64) progression. It is clear to both of us that that progression is weak and does not follow the circle of fifths, and that the iii chord cannot successfully fulfill any tonal function (except for perhaps EXTREMELY WEAKLY IV, as you have used it here). But of course I mentioned that such weak progressions form many of the most beautiful passages in Renaissance music. What is going on with your example?

The real question begins during the slow rejection of modality that occurred towards the end of the 16th century. Before then all harmonies were determined by voice-leading; really almost any harmony could follow another harmony; in a sense, there were no harmonies, only consonant combinations of notes flowing in counterpoint. The one exception was the dominant chord, clearly viewed as a true harmony, with a tonal implication and function. Especially in minor the dominant chord required chromaticism; thus from V arose the tonal and chromatic systems of the next two centuries.

My basic point is that iii V would sound beautiful in a modal context. But the voice carrying B in the iii is hardly a soaring melody in your exercise. So since the accompaniment is not meant to be melodic, it is wiser and more appropriate to choose, for example, I6 V (especially since that would prepare the I64, something you do not seem to be doing). Now in a modal context, a progression like ii IV vi I iii happens to be among the most beautiful in all music in a piece like Dowland's Lachrymae, especially because its beautiful imitations transcend later tonal theory.

Don't think that I actually bothered this much about the tiny chord; I just used it to explain something much larger.

SECONDARY DOMINANTS

Please open the attachment "Chromatic II."

You see that in measure 2 I have a V/ii chord. What effect does it have on the feel of the piece at that point?

A secondary dominant is a very brief tonicisation, a modulation of about two chords, so to speak. And you should think of it that way, a temporary venture into another tonality lasting a few seconds, more as an ornament to the main tonality than anything powerful itself.

In this case, the V/ii resolves just as a dominant chord should, in this case to ii. The effect is a brief touch of the minor mode feel in an otherwise major phrase.

Now open up the attachment "Secondary Dominants."

In fact, many times the most beautiful secondary dominants imply a new mode briefly: in Major, V/vi and V/ii (and possibly V/iii) and in minor V/VI and V/III (and perhaps V/VII, though almost a modulation).

Also keep in mind exactly how chromatic a secondary dominant chord is. V/V in major is very common. In minor however, two notes have to be sharpened in V/V, so it must be used with care to avoid sounding harsh (the same applies to V/iii in Major, which is very hard to convincingly use (example 1)).

Exercises

In my next lesson I will discuss specific ways to voice lead secondary dominants, but before then I would like to see how you handle them so far. So choose a mode, either major or minor, and write ten little four-part-harmony chorale phrases, two to five bars long each, each one using a different secondary dominant (e.g. in Major, V/iii, V/vi, V/ii, V/IV and V/V, in minor, V/VII, V/III, V/VI, V/V, and V/iv). The dominants can have sevenths of course. Each phrase should be its own little unit, moving through a variety of different chords and finally resolving at a cadence. The secondary dominant should not sound terribly awkward, just colorful (be especially careful with V/iii in major and V/V in minor). The bass and soprano lines should be satisfying.

Now choose three of those little phrases to ornament each in two different ways, perhaps with counterpoint, perhaps with a florid soprano or bass, perhaps with arpeggiation, etc... I want to see how creatively you manage your texture in actual music! You can, of course, take out inner voices to lighten the texture, or add full chords where appropriate. Show me some sarabande rhythms!

Just to be clear, I am asking for sixteen little exercises. It may sound like a lot, but it isn't really that much once you start. I understand it might take a while, or that you might not finish them all, but most importantly have fun and explore. Carefully notice the sound of each dominant. Remember, I will be doing all of these too; I could use the practice :).

Zipoli Example.MUS

Chromatic II.MUS

Secondary Dominants.MUS

As I think about that last long exercise, keep in mind it can be a work in progress, as the knowledge in our next lesson will definitely help you.

I also have Sarabande listening homework! These two Sarabandes are among the most beautiful I have heard, as well as being excellent performances. Please listen to them carefully; enjoy but also notice the chromatic harmony:

1. Track 13 of Janine Johnson: J.S. Bach Works For Harpsichord

This is by Bach and has its fair share of secondary dominants and secondary leading tones.

2. Track 6 of Trevor Pinnock: Rameau - Les Cyclopes

A very difficult but exquisite piece by Rameau filled with exotic harmonies and ornaments in the French style.

Feel free to ask any questions or request particular topics as our lessons continue! I would appreciate, in addition to homework, just comments on your general opinion of the concepts I am teaching.

I've started work on the long exercise, and am enjoying myself :)

One question I have is regarding the second example in the secondary dominants file, the second and third beats of the first bar and the first beat of the second, I don't quite understand that... it seems to sound quite crude compared to the rest or the example, and what is the chord Bb D# F# doing there?

As for your examples, they seem to be linking to the player as opposed to the exact work you wanted me to listen to, could you specify which piece of music I should look for in each please?

Here are my first 5 phrases using V of ii, iii, IV, V and vi in C major.

I thought I'd 'hand in' these first, make sure I'm not barking up the wrong tree before ploughing on with the rest of the exercises. The only one I'm not sure about at all is V of iii, I think that one was a bit dodgy ;)

These are surprisingly fun, composing phrases 'to order', makes you think about the melody a bit more, making sure you'll be able to fit the chromatic chord in there.

Secondary Dominants.MUS

One question I have is regarding the second example in the secondary dominants file, the second and third beats of the first bar and the first beat of the second, I don't quite understand that... it seems to sound quite crude compared to the rest or the example, and what is the chord Bb D# F# doing there?

It is very interesting that you don't like the III+6 (the D F# Bb chord)... yes, an augmented chord in first inversion performing the function we normally associate with i64! Let me just say that it is not everyone's cup of tea. It just so happens that my favorite composer used it a lot; I picked up that habit from him. Try to hear it a few more times and see if you can pick up the feel for its sound... it almost belongs in the twentieth century, which makes it even more bizarre in the middle of modal Renaissance music. I will discuss its uses in detail tomorrow, along with examples from the great masters.

As for the V/V chord in minor.... pretty much the truth is that it is really that harsh! Remember, ii* is diminished in minor; to make V/V in minor requires two accidentals, just like V/iii in Major. I will, however, post more examples from various composers. Its sound is instantly recognizable.

So yes, this "crude" sound is something I intentionally produced with these rather unprepared chromatic chords. Try to think of them as just another color, perhaps to bright to use very often, but useful in the right circumstances. Both can be found in Bach, though not too often. While the first example sounded like a chorale harmonization, no composer would have used the second in a chorale. I meant the second as more of a skeleton for faster music.

As for your examples, they seem to be linking to the player as opposed to the exact work you wanted me to listen to, could you specify which piece of music I should look for in each please?

As for these, you can click and scroll down to the track numbers I posted next to the links. :D

1. Track 13 of Janine Johnson: J.S. Bach Works For Harpsichord

This is by Bach and has its fair share of secondary dominants and secondary leading tones.

2. Track 6 of Trevor Pinnock: Rameau - Les Cyclopes

A very difficult but exquisite piece by Rameau filled with exotic harmonies and ornaments in the French style.

Ah, I obviously didn't notice the track numbers :blush: Sorry about that.

Having read your explanation of the second example, I now understand what you were doing, but I'm afraid it still jars my ears slightly, maybe it would sound more acceptable to my ear if there were less metrical accent? it seems that havig it on the first beat of the bar makes it really stick out, which I suppose is a good thing if you're a fan of it's effect. Ah well, maybe I'll start to appreciate it more when we go over that chord in detail and I can hear/see it in some different contexts.

Both pieces you recommended I have listened to several times, and in the case of the Bach one, listening with score in hand and doing a bit of analysis on the form. This is the first of Rameau's music I've actually heard, and I must say I rather enjoyed it, and have been checking out some of the other stuff on that album.

I've been reading over a few of your comments on modal harmony again, and found sheet music of Dowland's Lachrymae, which I have come across before, when looking for more Guitar repertoire, and I have played this before and enjoyed a great deal:

I think it may be time to dig out the sheet music again and analyse it, as some of the progressions, as you say, don't sound remotely tonal, but are incredibly beautiful

I'm very glad you enjoyed the Rameau! It is awesome, among the most expressive and difficult music for harpsichord. I very much recommend on that album Track 10, the gavotte and doubles which I think is Rameau's best. Not too chromatic though, but the progression featured in the second half is exactly this backwards circle of fifths I mentioned.

As for Lachrymae.... it may be my favorite piece of music from all times. At around 2:10 of your video, begins a progression whose roots move up by third. A progressive motion rather than regressive: so very non-tonal. So hearing such a novel progression combined with careful imitation makes that passage my favorite in all music :D.

I'm now digging into a lot more Dowland, finding a few more of his pieces that I've played in the past. 'Frog Galliard' in particular is a great piece, a video, if you're interested:

I loved this piece when I first played it. Have just tried sight reading it through, but it looks like I'll need a few readings before I'm playing it properly again ;)

I listened to the Rameau Gavotte and Doubles, and very much enjoyed them, was it the first double that had the progression we're discussing?

You've really rekindled my interest in Baroque and Renaissance music, and for that I thank you, as for one it's made me pick up my guitar for the first time in some time ;)

Would you be able to have a quick look at those first secondary dominant phrases please? I would like to make sure I'm not doing anything wrong before doing the other 8 exercises :)

Once again, thank you for doing these, I'm learning loads and really enjoying myself :D

First of all, I would like to alert you that I edited my second secondary dominant example, keeping the harmonies in an attempt to make the III+6 more convincing. But I think the problem is that it is a very new chord for you. Either way, I will be teaching about it eventually:).

First, however, I will discuss corrections. I liked the sound of all of them, especially your V/ii and V/vi exercises. I was, however, bothered to find upon closer inspection a dangerous amount of parallels. My criteria for parallels is much more liberal than some composers of the Classical period: in the Renaissance and Baroque many parallels were easily accepted as long as they were hidden with arpeggiation or other intervening material.

There were not, however, outright parallels unless the composer was sure no other solution would respect the musical vision. For beginners like you and me, this means we must train well now in exercises like these to avoid them, so that in real music we can focus on melody and expression. As someone who has battled with this extensively, I can say that with practice, avoiding parallels almost becomes subconscious. I found at least six parallel fifths and octaves; I think it might be a good idea for you to check those exercises and find and correct all of the parallels.

Also the dominant chord in bar three (after the V/V) really needs a 3rd and can easily get one in the tenor.

That said, it's nothing to worry about. Its not really what our lessons are about, and I think you are showing some true understanding with these progressions. I was extremely impressed to see the Bb Major chord before V/ii. Could you explain why you used it?

VOICE LEADING SECONDARY DOMINANTS

Even in dense four part harmony, all of the voices often have clear melodic trajectories. In a contrapuntal piece, all of the voices should have excellent and different curves to them. Whether approaching homophony or polyphony, Baroque composers often thought in terms of melody above all other aspects of music.

Thus to study secondary dominants, we must see how their extraordinary feature, their leading tone, their third, is used in melody.

Please open the attached file "Secondary Dominants - Voice Leading." The repeats divide the file into numbered examples I will refer to.

Example 1 shows the chromatic tone used in a stepwise pattern, somewhat like a passing tone. Border tone figures are also very common. Example 2 shows another stepwise pattern, this time composed exclusively of semitones. Both approaches are common whether the altered tone is in a florid melodic part or in an accompaniment.

Examples 5 and 6 illustrate how those approaches can be harmonized. Notice how the 7th can sometimes very conveniently be used. Example 5 is a sort of deceptive progression, and example 6 shows a root motion down by a third then up by a fifth, very common when a line rises by semitone.

Examples 3 and 4 have the leading tone approached by a leap. Note that in instrumental music, the melodic diminished fifth or fourth that may result is often acceptable. In example four, we see one leading tone deceptively resolving by a whole step to another leading tone. Notice carefully how I harmonize that in example 7, where V/ii makes an altered deceptive cadence to V/iii, a beautiful effect. Also notice how I retained the root of V/ii to become the 7th of V42/iii.

Some special sequences and voice leading patterns became almost traditional in the Baroque period. Example 8 shows the circle of fifths varied with secondary dominants. Notice the pattern where a leading tone resolves extraordinarily downwards, becoming the seventh of the next dominant. In a sequence like this the ear may loose track of the tonality; the music can continue indefinitely like this and jump off the sequence at any desired key.

A variation of that sequence can harmonize descending chromatic lines. Also, the circle of fifths can be varied in any way imaginable, using secondary dominants and leading tone chords as well as normal triads and sevenths.

Example 10 is a common embellishment to the deceptive cadence:

V V6/vi vi

Once again the bass moves upwards by semitone.

Finally, example 11 in E minor shows how a rising chromatic line in the bass can be harmonized by alternate 5 and 6 chords (you do know figured bass, right?), a favorite during the 17th century.

These are just the beginnings of the common ways secondary dominants were voice-led. All of these should be tools available for you to use, so they should ALL be carefully studied and mastered. Pay attention to how I managed every note, and, just as important, pay attention to their sound, their harmonic effect. Study other formulas in your favorite music. Use some of these in your remaining exercises :D. Above all make sure they are used appropriately; don't unnaturally force them in, and you will find that they will write themselves into the music.

I will assign analysis exercises after we finish the tiny four part harmony assignments.

And I have links here to scores of some of the pieces we discussed:

Domenico Zipoli - Canzona e Minor

http://icking-music-archive.org/scores/zipoli/Zipoli_09.Canzona_Em.pdf

J. H. Rameau - Suite in a Minor - Sarabande

http://icking-music-archive.org/scores/rameau/nouv_p_de_clavec/Rameau_Sarabande.pdf

J. H. Rameau - Suite in a Minor - Gavotte and Doubles

http://icking-music-archive.org/scores/rameau/nouv_p_de_clavec/Rameau_Gavotte_Am.pdf

It turns out that the progression I thought this featured is actually not here. But if you want, it might be a good exercise for you to analyze the harmonies of the gavotte itself. The doubles are all variations on the gavotte and thus share the exact same progression.

Secondary Dominants - Voice Leading.MUS

I see what you mean about the parallels, I wasn't paying too much attention to them, was concentrating on the secondary dominants. I shall be much more attentive on the next ones, to ensure none slip in ;)

Yes, I do know figured bass, and use it regularly, I find it much easier to write melody and bassline, figuring the bassline, if I'm in a hurry to get something notated than to write out the harmony in any other way.

The Bb major in my V/ii exercise was there to lead smoothly into the A major chord, it could be analysed as VI in D minor, or a borrowed VII from the tonic minor. I personally would call it both :D

I shall make a start on the Minor ones, and should have them done relatively soon. I shall make an effort to be slightly more creative with them, trying out some of your formulae, and looking for others of my own.

:)

The Bb major in my V/ii exercise was there to lead smoothly into the A major chord, it could be analysed as VI in D minor, or a borrowed VII from the tonic minor. I personally would call it both :D

Very wise; and of course the fact that it is VI in d keeps the following V/d from sounding too unexpected. That's also the sort of thinking that may help you write a more convincing V/iii :D.

I have finished three progressions in c-minor.

They aren't too spectacular, but you still might want to take a quick look at them, especially the V/III, which as I used it could almost be called a modulation.

Secondary Dominant Exercises.MUS

Here are three minor phrases I'm fairly happy with. I'm aware of one hidden parallel fifth in the third phrase, between the bass and the alto, bars one to two, but as far as I know the rest is clear. I've tried to be a bit more creative with these than the last ones, which were mainly just tonicizing the predominant.

I've tried to vary the exercises slightly, by using different meters and registers, just to keep things interesting, and give myself practice in more situations.

Thought I'd provide a brief analysis, to give you an idea of my intentions in each exercise:

In the first exercise I used a V/iv to precede an imperfect cadence. It seems more like an 8 bar sentence in structure than a 4 bar phrase, as the second bar ends with an imperfect cadence - though with a minor v - and the fourth bar ends with a perfect cadence after a bit of repetition, so I suppose it could be barred in 2/4 and called an 8 bar sentence. I was in a happy mood, and so ended with a tierce de picardie.

The second I was slightly more adventurous and decided to end the phrase with a perfect cadence on the relative major. This is definitely a four bar phrase, and leaves a definite feel of a need of a consequent phrase to balence it, with a perfect cadence on the tonic. I might write one actually, next time I have some time to kill ;)

The third phrase I tried using one of your formulae, example ten in your finale file: V - V/VI - VI. This was a slight problem for me as your example was in the major mode, and I am in the minor, but eventually I worked out what I think to be a pleseant sounding and theortically sound progression.

I look forward to your comments/corrections :D

Secondary Dominants - Minor.MUS