IV. Diatonic Harmony, Tonicization, and Modulation
IV. Diatonic Harmony, Tonicization, and Modulation
Strengthening Endings with V⁷
John Peterson
Key Takeaways
- This chapter introduces how composers add a seventh to the dominant to strengthen its pull toward the tonic. There are three ways a V7 can resolve to tonic:
- The default resolution: where all active notes resolve according to their tendencies.
- Incomplete V7: where the fifth is omitted from the V7 and the V7‘s root is doubled instead to create a complete tonic.
- Leading-tone drop: where the leading tone in a complete V7 leaps down to sol ([latex]\hat{5}[/latex]) to create a complete tonic.
The phrase in perfect authentic cadence (PAC) similar to those we saw and wrote in the Introduction to Harmony, Cadences, and Endings chapter. Here, however, the V chord contains an extra note, fa ([latex]\hat{4}[/latex]), that transforms it from a major triad into a dominant seventh chord. Since the seventh adds dissonance (and therefore instability) to the chord, it strengthens the pull of the V chord toward I. Compare the sound of the excerpts in
ends with a
The Default Resolution of V7 to I
When the notes of a complete V7 chord resolve according to their typical tendencies, we end up with a tonic triad that has three roots and one third—no fifth (
and ). This is a completely normal, expected, and common resolution of V7 to I. It’s okay to leave out the fifth here since it doesn’t provide essential information about the chord. By contrast, the root and third are essential: the root determines the chord’s name, and the third determines its quality.The resolution in
, where re ([latex]\hat{2}[/latex]) goes up to mi ([latex]\hat{3}[/latex]), is very uncommon, and such an unusual doubling in the tonic chord (two roots, two thirds) usually leads to voice-leading problems. We suggest avoiding this kind of resolution.
To resolve V7 to I using a default resolution:
- Write the entire bass: sol to do ([latex]\hat{5}[/latex]–[latex]\hat{1}[/latex])
- Write the entire soprano by choosing an active note to place in the soprano over V7, then resolving that note according to its tendency.
- If you are writing in minor, remember to use ti ([latex]\uparrow\hat{7}[/latex]), not te ([latex]\downarrow\hat{7}[/latex]) in V7 to make the chord major!
shows the tendencies for active notes in V7.
- Fill in the inner voices by asking “what do I have, what do I need, and what is the tendency of those notes?”
| Note in V7 | Resolution in I (or i) |
|---|---|
| fa ([latex]\hat{4}[/latex]) | mi/me ([latex]\hat{3}[/latex]) |
| re ([latex]\hat{2}[/latex]) | do ([latex]\hat{1}[/latex]) |
| ti ([latex]\hat{7}[/latex]) | do ([latex]\hat{1}[/latex]) |
Alternative Resolutions of V7 to I
Sometimes a composer may want the tonic chord to be complete rather than the incomplete chord that occurs in the default resolution. Two alternative resolutions of V7 make it possible to create a complete I. Note that the steps for writing remain the same as for the default resolution: write the ent