music theory Music theory is the study of theoretical frameworks for understanding the practices and possibilities of music. ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' describes three interrelated uses of the term "music theory": The first is the "Elements of music, ...

, harmonic rhythm, also known as harmonic tempo, is the rate at which the chords change (or

progress Progress is movement towards a perceived refined, improved, or otherwise desired state. It is central to the philosophy of progressivism, which interprets progress as the set of advancements in technology, science, and social organization effic ...

) in a musical composition, in relation to the rate of notes. Thus a passage in common time with a stream of

sixteenth note Figure 1. A 16th note with stem facing up, a 16th note with stem facing down, and a 16th rest. Figure 2. Four 16th notes beamed together. In music, a 1/16, sixteenth note ( American) or semiquaver (British) is a note played for half the d ...

s and chord changes every measure has a slow harmonic rhythm and a fast surface or "musical" rhythm (16 notes per chord change), while a piece with a trickle of

half note In music, a half note (American) or minim (British) is a Musical note, note played for half the duration of a whole note (or semibreve) and twice the duration of a quarter note (or crotchet). It was given its Latin name (''minima'', meaning "le ...

s and chord changes twice a measure has a fast harmonic rhythm and a slow surface rhythm (1 note per chord change). Harmonic rhythm may be described as strong or weak. According to William Russo harmonic rhythm is, "the duration of each different chord...in a succession of chords." According to Joseph Swain (2002 p. 4) harmonic rhythm, "is simply that perception of

rhythm Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular r ...

that depends on changes in aspects of

harmony In music, harmony is the concept of combining different sounds in order to create new, distinct musical ideas. Theories of harmony seek to describe or explain the effects created by distinct pitches or tones coinciding with one another; harm ...

." According to Walter Piston (1944), "the rhythmic life contributed to music by means of the underlying changes of harmony. The pattern of the harmonic rhythm of a given piece of music, derived by noting the

root In vascular plants, the roots are the plant organ, organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often bel ...

changes as they occur, reveals important and distinctive features affecting the

style Style, or styles may refer to: Film and television * ''Style'' (2001 film), a Hindi film starring Sharman Joshi, Riya Sen, Sahil Khan and Shilpi Mudgal * ''Style'' (2002 film), a Tamil drama film * ''Style'' (2004 film), a Burmese film * '' ...

and

texture Texture may refer to: Science and technology * Image texture, the spatial arrangement of color or intensities in an image * Surface texture, the smoothness, roughness, or bumpiness of the surface of an object * Texture (roads), road surface c ...

." Strong harmonic rhythm is characterized by strong root progressions and emphasis of root positions, weak

contrapuntal In music theory, counterpoint is the relationship of two or more simultaneous Part (music), musical lines (also called voices) that are harmonically dependent on each other, yet independent in rhythm and Pitch contour, melodic contour. The term ...

bass motion, strong rhythmic placement in the measure (especially downbeat), and relatively longer duration. "The 'fastness' or 'slowness' of harmonic rhythm is not absolute, but relative,"Trogan, Roland (2013). ''The Circle and the Diamond'', p.8. Xlibris. . and thus analysts compare the overall pace of harmonic rhythm from one piece to another, or the amount of variation of harmonic rhythm within a piece. For example, a key stylistic difference between

Baroque music Baroque music ( or ) refers to the period or dominant style of Classical music, Western classical music composed from about 1600 to 1750. The Baroque style followed the Renaissance music, Renaissance period, and was followed in turn by the Class ...

and Classical-period music is that the latter exhibits much more variety of harmonic rhythm, even though the harmony itself is less complex. For example, the first prelude (BWV 846) from J. S. Bach's ''The Well-Tempered Clavier'', illustrates a steady harmonic rhythm of one chord change per measure, although the ''melodic'' rhythm is much faster.

Sources

External links

Harmonic Rhythm
, ''Bach-Cantatas.com''. Examples of different harmonic rhythms from Bach given. Accessed June 2013. {{Rhythm and meter Harmony Rhythm and meter