Harmonic Functions : Harmonic Analysis
Now, we will apply the concepts we have discussed to analyze a short piece by the Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893) called French Song.
The first step is to determine the piece's key. First, we should look at the key signature. In this case, since the key signature has two flats, the piece is either in B-flat major or G minor. By examining the first and last measures, we see that the piece starts and ends with a G minor chord. Therefore, we can conclude that the piece is in the G minor key.
Once we know the key of a piece, we can identify its chords, inversions, degrees, and harmonic functions. Now, let's take a look at the chords in the key of G minor. Uppercase Roman numerals are used for major chords. Lowercase Roman numerals are used for minor chords. The o is used to identify a diminished chord:
In minor keys, the V and VII degrees are commonly altered. Consequently, there can be more than seven chords. In this case, we only used the raised seventh degree in the V and VII degree chords.
Now, let us do a complete analysis (click the arrow at the bottom right of the image to write the analysis):
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The piece begins with a tonic G minor chord (i), notes in red are chord notes.
Notes in blue are nonharmonic tones, passing tones in this case. See Nonharmonic Tones for more information. |
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Listen to the complete piece:
Chris Breemer, piano. Courtesy of Piano Society and Chris Breemer.
