FUNDAMENTAL HARMONYDr. Declan Plummer

Lesson 10: Chromatic Chords Part 1 (Borrowed Chords, Altered Chords & Secondary Function Chords)

What are Secondary Dominants? 1. They are the most common type of

altered chord since the chromatic note creates a functional dominant harmony

2. The normal dominant chord (V) acts as the 5th chord of the tonic chord (I). Secondary dominants act as the 5th chord of any other major or minor chord besides the tonic chord:

Major Keys Minor KeysV/ii or V7/ii V/iv or V7/ivV/iii or V7/iii V/V or V7/V

V7/IV V7/VIV/V or V7/V V/VII or V7/VIIV/vi or V7/vi

Progression without secondary dominants

Progression with V/V and V7/IV secondary

dominants

7

3. Secondary dominants often give the effect of a V-I cadence in a key other than the tonic. In other words they act as the dominants of the chords that usually follow them.

4. Secondary dominants are used primarily for colour instead of modulation,so they are followed by chords which continue in the old key, with the foreign note quickly cancelled.

5. Chromatic note in a secondary dominant chord should not be doubled.

(V - I) (V - I)

Kinderscenen (‘Träumerei’) by Schumann

F major: I V /V I V ii6 V/ii ii V I64

97

Prelude No.7 (Op.28) by Chopin

A major I V7/ii ii

0:16

Start

6. Secondary Dominants are usually followed by the chord for which they act as the dominant: so V/ii or V7/ii is usually followed by chord ii, V/V or V7/V is usually followed by chord V

(V - I) in D minor

This creates the authentic cadence relationship between both chords, with the second chord acting as a ‘temporary tonic’. This is known as tonicization.

So in C major, a V7/ii - ii progression is tonicizing chord ii (DFA), by creating an authentic cadence in D minor between both chords.

Notice how the chromatic note acts as a leading note moving upwards and the 7th of V7/ii acts a normal 7th and falls!

7. Secondary Dominants can also be followed by a seventh chord or another secondary dominant chord.

• notice that if a seventh chord follows a secondary dominant the chromatic note no longer rises!

8. V/IV is not a great secondary dominant because it is a normal diatonic chord (the tonic chord). You need a V7 chord to get the chromatic note (B$) and achieve the proper effect. V7/IV is better!

Secondary Dominants in Major Keys9. There are some chords that don’t have secondary dominants, so you

can’t tonicize them:

• In major keys you can’t tonicize viio

• In minor keys you can’t tonicize iio, III+ or viio

• Therefore the following secondary dominant chords don’t exist: V/viio, V/iio and V/III+ - WHY?

• Remember that secondary dominants and the chords that usually follow them create the feeling of an authentic cadence in a new key (tonicization), and keys can only be major or minor!

• For example: V/viio - viio in C major is not possible because viio is a B diminished chord, and it can’t be tonicized because there is no such key as B diminished! viio is too unstable to be used to create a new tonic. This same logic applies to all viio, iio , III+ chords.

Hark the Herald Angels Sing Secondary Dominants in Minor Keys

o

o

Identifying Secondary Dominants1. If you encounter an altered chord in a passage of music, chances are

good that it will be a secondary dominant:

• Is the chord a major triad or major chord with a minor 7th? If not, then it cannot be a secondary dominant. Note that major chords with a minor 7th are almost always dominant seventh chords (V7).

• Find the note a perfect 5th below the root of the altered chord. Would a major or minor triad built on that note belong in this key?If so, the altered chord is a secondary dominant.

2. Context matters! A secondary dominant will usually resolve to its temporary tonic. This may also help you identify the secondary dominant chord. Secondary dominants can also be inverted!

Secondary Leading-Note Chords1. It is important to remember that V and viio are closely related. Both

can both function as dominants and be used at cadences, but V is more powerful that viio, as its root is a P5 above tonic.

Key: C major

V viio

Key: C major

viio6 IV I

2. The relationship between V and viio is even more apparent when we add 7ths to each chord to make V7 and viiø7.

Key: C major

V7 viiø7

Secondary Leading-Note Chords

3. As a result of the similarity between V(7) and viio(7) or viiø(7), any chord that can be tonicized by a secondary dominant can also be tonicized by a secondary leading-note chord as well!

Secondary Leading-Note Chords Major keys

half-diminished sevenths only used for major tonicisation

Secondary Leading-Note Chords Minor keys

Identical to iio

Identical to iiø7

half-diminished sevenths only used for major tonicisation

Identifying Secondary Leading-Note Chords

1. If you encounter an altered chord in a passage of music, and it is not a secondary dominant, there is a good chance it will be a secondary learning-note chord.

• Is the chord a diminished triad, or a diminished seventh chord or a half-diminished seventh chord? If not, then it cannot be a secondary leading-note chord. Note that fully diminished chords are almost always leading-note seventh chords (viio7).

• Find the note a minor 2nd above the root of the altered chord. Would a major or minor triad built on that note belong in this key?If so, the altered chord is a secondary leading-note chord.

2. Context matters! A secondary leading-note chord will usually resolve to its temporary tonic. This may also help you identify the secondary leading-note chord.

Mozart’s Requiem - ‘Lacrimosa’ bars 5-80:31