Music Transcription Harmonic Dictation and Analysis 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When dictating a chromatic mediant relationship, what makes two chords chromatically mediant to each other?
- They share no common tones
- Their roots are a third apart with different modes (Correct answer)
- They are enharmonically equivalent
- They both contain a tritone
Correct answer: Their roots are a third apart with different modes
Chromatic mediants have roots a third apart but differ in quality (e.g., C major to E major), sharing one common tone.
Question 2: In figured bass, what does the symbol '7' above a bass note indicate?
- A seventh chord in root position (Correct answer)
- A chord in second inversion
- A suspended seventh
- A diminished triad
Correct answer: A seventh chord in root position
The figure '7' indicates a seventh chord in root position, meaning a seventh is added above the bass (root).
Question 3: Which scale degree is doubled most often when voicing a second-inversion (cadential 6/4) chord?
- The third
- The root of the key (bass note) (Correct answer)
- The fifth
- The seventh
Correct answer: The root of the key (bass note)
In a cadential 6/4, the bass note (the fifth of the chord, which is the root of the key) is typically doubled.
Question 4: What is the difference between a passing 6/4 chord and a cadential 6/4 chord?
- Passing 6/4 occurs at cadences; cadential does not
- Passing 6/4 has a bass that moves stepwise between two chords; cadential 6/4 precedes V (Correct answer)
- They are identical in function
- Cadential 6/4 uses the subdominant; passing 6/4 uses the tonic
Correct answer: Passing 6/4 has a bass that moves stepwise between two chords; cadential 6/4 precedes V
A passing 6/4 connects two chords with stepwise bass motion, while a cadential 6/4 appears before V at cadences.
Question 5: When transcribing a French augmented sixth chord, which notes are present in C minor?
- Ab, C, D, F# (Correct answer)
- Ab, C, Eb, F#
- Ab, B, D, F#
- Ab, C, D, Eb
Correct answer: Ab, C, D, F#
The French augmented sixth (Fr+6) in C minor contains Ab, C, D, and F#, featuring both the augmented sixth and an augmented fourth above the bass.
Question 6: In harmonic analysis, a modulation confirmed by a cadence in the new key is called what type of modulation?
- Transient modulation
- Pivot chord modulation (Correct answer)
- Direct modulation
- Common-tone modulation
Correct answer: Pivot chord modulation
A pivot chord modulation uses a chord that functions in both the old and new key to smoothly transition between them.
Question 7: Which of the following best describes a 'tonicization' in harmonic analysis?
- A permanent change of key
- A brief emphasis on a non-tonic chord using its secondary dominant (Correct answer)
- A return to the original tonic
- The use of a pedal tone
Correct answer: A brief emphasis on a non-tonic chord using its secondary dominant
Tonicization temporarily treats a non-tonic chord as a local tonic, typically through a secondary dominant, without fully modulating.
Music Transcription Harmonic Dictation and Analysis 4
When dictating a chromatic mediant relationship, what makes two chords chromatically mediant to each other?