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Note that in the Mozart example above the passing tones are dissonant and unable to be embellished; however, in the Urlinie example to the right the passing tone is supported harmonically, allowing for embellishment. Also note the Schenkerian notation indicating relative hierarchical depth, surface or structural importance, where structural notes are indicated through stems and beams and surface notes are indicated through note heads only which are then slurred to stemmed and beamed notes. Thus in the bottom right example the third progression from D is a decoration of the deeper third progression from E.
In music
Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...
, particularly Schenkerian analysis
Schenkerian analysis is a method of musical analysis, analyzing tonal music based on the theories of Heinrich Schenker (1868–1935). The goal is to demonstrate the organic coherence of the work by showing how the "foreground" (all notes in the sco ...
, a linear progression (''Auskomponierungszug'' or ''Zug
Zug (Standard German: , Alemannic German: ; ; ; ; )Named in the 16th century. is the largest List of cities in Switzerland, town and capital of the Swiss canton of Zug. Zug is renowned as a hub for some of the wealthiest individuals in the wor ...
'', abbreviated: ''Zg.'') is a passing note
A nonchord tone (NCT), nonharmonic tone, or embellishing tone is a note in a piece of music or song that is not part of the implied or expressed chord set out by the harmonic framework. In contrast, a chord tone is a note that is a part of the ...
elaboration involving stepwise melodic
A melody (), also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combination of pitch and rhythm, while more figuratively, the term c ...
motion in one direction between two harmonic
In physics, acoustics, and telecommunications, a harmonic is a sinusoidal wave with a frequency that is a positive integer multiple of the ''fundamental frequency'' of a periodic signal. The fundamental frequency is also called the ''1st har ...
tones. "The compositional unfolding of a specific interval, one of the intervals of the chord of nature
In music, ''klang'', or clang, is a term sometimes used to translate the German ''Klang'', a highly polysemic word. Technically, the term denotes any periodic sound, especially as opposed to simple periodic sounds (sine tones). In the German lay ...
."Jonas, Oswald (1982). ''Introduction to the Theory of Heinrich Schenker'', p.62. (1934: ''Das Wesen des musikalischen Kunstwerks: Eine Einführung in Die Lehre Heinrich Schenkers''). Trans. John Rothgeb. . The mention of the "chord of nature" in this context reflects Jonas' own opinion, which Schenker would not have shared, if only because the minor chord cannot be a "chord of nature". See Klang (music)
In music, ''klang'', or clang, is a term sometimes used to translate the German ''Klang'', a highly polysemic word. Technically, the term denotes any periodic sound, especially as opposed to simple periodic sounds (sine tones). In the German lay ...
. For example: -- over the tonic. According to Schenker: "A linear progression always presupposes a passing note
A nonchord tone (NCT), nonharmonic tone, or embellishing tone is a note in a piece of music or song that is not part of the implied or expressed chord set out by the harmonic framework. In contrast, a chord tone is a note that is a part of the ...
; there can be no linear progression without a passing note, no passing note without a linear progression." In German ''Zug'' may be combined with prefixes to create related words such as ''Untergreifzug'', a linear progression rising from a lower voice, ''Uebergreifzug'' ("reaching over
Schenkerian analysis is a method of analyzing tonal music based on the theories of Heinrich Schenker (1868–1935). The goal is to demonstrate the organic coherence of the work by showing how the "foreground" (all notes in the score) relates to an ...
"), a linear progression overlapping another, or ''Terzzug'', linear progression through a third
Third or 3rd may refer to:
Numbers
* 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3
* , a fraction of one third
* 1⁄60 of a ''second'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system
Places
* 3rd Street (di ...
. The term ''Zug'' may best be translated as "a direct, unimpeded motion from one place to another."Snarrenberg, Robert (1997). ''Schenker's Interpretive Practice'', p.19. .
Linear progressions prolong harmonies through elaboration, or filling-in with dissonant notes, of a leap between two consonant notes from different voices
Voices or The Voices may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Voices'' (1920 film), by Chester M. De Vonde, with Diana Allen
* ''Voices'' (1973 film), a British horror film
* ''Voices'' (1979 film), a film by Robert Markowitz
* ''Voices'' (1 ...
in a chord.Pankhurst (2008), p.28. In English they may be abbreviated "prg." such as 3-prg. for 'third progression' (rather than "Zg.").
Note that in the Mozart example above the passing tones are dissonant and unable to be embellished; however, in the Urlinie example to the right the passing tone is supported harmonically, allowing for embellishment. Also note the Schenkerian notation indicating relative hierarchical depth, surface or structural importance, where structural notes are indicated through stems and beams and surface notes are indicated through note heads only which are then slurred to stemmed and beamed notes. Thus in the bottom right example the third progression from D is a decoration of the deeper third progression from E.
See also
*Chord progression
In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural, or simply changes) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from ...
*Klang (music)
In music, ''klang'', or clang, is a term sometimes used to translate the German ''Klang'', a highly polysemic word. Technically, the term denotes any periodic sound, especially as opposed to simple periodic sounds (sine tones). In the German lay ...
Sources
{{Schenkerian analysis Schenkerian analysis