Topmusicanswers
- What is chromatic harmony?
- Why did Mozart use chromaticism?
- How do you use chromatic harmony?
- What does functional harmony mean in music?
What is chromatic harmony?
The simple definition is that a chromatic harmony is chords that build on or include notes that aren't part of the key. Let's start with the secondary dominant chords, as those are the easiest to understand. Secondary dominant chords are chords built on the dominant of the dominant key.
Why did Mozart use chromaticism?
If the key is C, the dominant is G and the secondary dominant is D. ... By using the secondary dominant, he expanded the harmonic range of the composition by introducing chromaticism. In his later works Mozart also came to rely more and more on the dissonant value of suspensions to create harmonic interest.
How do you use chromatic harmony?
Simply put, chromatic harmony occurs when the used chords in a given passage or section contain notes that do not belong to the tonality we are working with. The first way you can immediately apply this to your chord progression writing is to simply alter one of the scale tones you are working with and harmonize it.
What does functional harmony mean in music?
: a theory of tonal music that regards all harmonies as functioning as essentially tonic, dominant, or subdominant harmony In Riemann's interpretation Berlioz sought to destroy the fundamental unit of functional harmony, the cadence, by substituting 'false' functions.—
