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Table of Contents Rhythm
Section 2: Section 3: Set theory Section 4: Basic Assumptions Section 5: Basic assumptions Section 6: Bibliography
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Contents Journal Index First Aid Instructional Papers Forum
mediants Basic Concepts: 1. Classical harmony relied on the stability of the relationship between tonic and dominant and the established strength of the perfect fifth. Think of the circle of fifths and typical root motion in classical chord progressions. 2. The interval of the third has proven to be a stable sonority as well, and many composers have explored the properties of this interval. 3. The subject of the mediant in harmony covers the relationship of triads in the mediant relationship to the tonic. This means that in C major, the chords that relate to C as mediants include the major and minor triads built on A flat, A, E flat, and E. It is surprising to discover that the use of an E major triad in the key of C major does not sound particularly foreign or dissonant. 4. Mediants are labeled with Roman numerals according to their position in the key and their quality. Therefore, an A major triad in the key of F major would be labeled III. Notice that this is not a borrowed chord. 5. Be careful when analyzing that the mediant is not employed as a secondary dominant. An A major triad in the key of F major that leads to a D major triad should be labeld V/VI. 6. Two great examples of modulation to the mediant are Mahler's "Das Lied Von Der Erde" movement III, and Brahms' third symphony, movement I.
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