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Tapioca Tundra" (I – I+ – vi, and V+ after bridge).
[3] Though rare, the augmented chord occurs in rock music "almost always as a linear embellishment linking an opening tonic chord with the next chord", for example John Lennon 's "(Just Like) Starting Over " and The Beatles' "All My Loving ".[6] [6] Oasis 's 2005 single "Let There Be Love " (I – I+ – vi – IV)
In classical music The augmented triad differs from the other kinds of triad (the
melodic minor scale, it virtually never occurs in this way due to the harsh
dissonance of the chord.
Striking examples of its use may be found in
Mozart’s keyboard minuet K355. It first occurs as a
passing chord on the third beat of bar 1 (D
♯ –G–B). However it comes into more striking prominence in the 6-bar
sequential passage starting on the first beat of bar 5 (D-F
♯ –A
♯ ):
Mozart, Minuet, K355 Mozart, Minuet, K355 According to Aubyn Raymar, in this minuet “flowing counterpoints woven among closely crowded chromaticisms and richly variegated harmony, sequential progressions in either direction coupled with unexpected dissonance… - such resources used with a mastery of concentration intensify the emotion which stirs within the brooding phrases of a perfectly balanced poem.” [7]
Its rarity makes the augmented triad a special chord that touches on the
atonal. Its uses to 'suspend' tonality are famous; for example, in
Arnold Schoenberg 's "Walzer" (
Fünf Klavierstücke Op. 23 No. 5). An earlier example may be found at the opening of
Franz Liszt 's
Faust Symphony , where a sequence of augmented triads unfolds as
arpeggios :
Liszt 'Faust' Symphony, opening Liszt 'Faust' Symphony, opening
However, the augmented triad occurs in tonal music, with a perfectly tonal meaning, since at least
Tragic Overture
also features the chord prominently (A–C
♯ –E
♯ ), in alternation with the regular dominant (A–C
♯ –E). In this example one can also see other aspect of the appeal of the chord to composers: it is a 'conflation' of the fifth degree and the third degree, the usual contrasting keys of a piece in the minor mode.
The "whirl of the final bars" of
penultimate bar, before the final chord of C major:
Mahler Symphony No. 7 concluding bars Mahler Symphony No. 7 concluding bars
With the lead of Franz Schubert (in his Wanderer Fantasy Romantic composers started organizing many pieces by descending major thirds, which can be seen as a large-scale application of the augmented triad (although it probably arose from other lines of development not necessarily connected to the augmented triad). This kind of organization is common; in addition to Schubert, it is found in music of Franz Liszt, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov , Louis Vierne and Richard Wagner, among others.
Expressive and dramatic potential
The striking sound of the augmented triad lends itself to effective
Purcell’s opera
Dido and Aeneas , on the other hand, the malign Sorceress planning Dido’s downfall sings the word “hate”
[11] to the accompaniment of an augmented chord (F–A–D
♭ ) :
Dido & Aeneas from Act II, scene 1 Dido & Aeneas from Act II, scene 1
In J.S.
Bach’s
Magnificat , the composer sets the words “dispersit superbos mente cordis sui” (He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts) with a powerful chord sequence starting with an augmented triad (F
♯ –A
♯ -D) on the word “mente.” The passage is made all the more effective by being inititated by a sudden tempo change and a beat’s silence. This gives the chord considerable dramatic clout:
Bach Magnificat, BWV 243, Fecit Potentiam, bars 20-32 Bach Magnificat, BWV 243, Fecit Potentiam, bars 20-32
In the opening scene of
Gotterdammerung, one of the three
Norns conveys her dread and uncertainty about what is going to pass. “Sing, sister, wind the rope of fate.” The underlying orchestral accompaniment contains ominous augmented chords of “ambiguous tonality.”:
[12] Wagner from Gotterdamerung - Norn's fateful prediction Wagner from Gotterdamerung - Norn's fateful prediction
Tuning miracle temperament
, do so also, and in all of these temperaments the augmented triad may be identified with a circle of two major and one septimal major thirds, making up an octave.
Augmented chord table
Chord
Root
Major third
Augmented fifth
C♭
C♭
E♭
G
Caug
C
E
G♯
C♯
C♯
E♯
G
D♭
D♭
F
A
Daug
D
F♯
A♯
D♯
D♯
F
A
E♭
E♭
G
B
Eaug
E
G♯
B♯
E♯
E♯
G
B♯
F♭
F♭
A♭
C
Faug
F
A
C♯
F♯
F♯
A♯
C
G♭
G♭
B♭
D
Gaug
G
B
D♯
G♯
G♯
B♯
D
A♭
A♭
C
E
Aaug
A
C♯
E♯
A♯
A♯
C
E♯
B♭
B♭
D
F♯
Baug
B
D♯
F
B♯
B♯
D
F♯ ♯
See also Notes
^ a b Palmer, H. R. (1876). Palmer's Theory of Music 91 –92. augmented chord. . ^ .
. ^ "Shine On, Harvest Moon" (1931 recording), Etting, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxoNi8mJ2Yk
^ .
^ Raymar, A. (1931, p.3) introduction to Mozart: Miscellaneous Pieces for Pianoforte. London, Associated Board of the Royal schools of Music.
^ Whittaker, W.G. (1924, p.34), Bach's Cantatas , Oxford University Press
^ For further discussion, see Ellis, Mark (2010). "A Chord in Time: The Evolution of the Augmented Sixth from Monteverdi to Mahler". Farnham: Ashgate: 23, 30–31.
^ De La Grange, H. (1999, p.880) Gustav Mahler, Volume 3 Oxford University Press.
^ Adams, M. (1995, p. 279), Henry Purcell, the origins and development of his musical style. Cambridge University Press.
^ Donington, R, (1963, p.218), Wagner’s Ring and its Symbols . London, Faber.
Further reading Kroepel, Bob (1993). Deluxe Encyclopedia of Piano Chords . Mel Bay. p. 12. . Ellis, Mark (2010). A Chord in Time: The Evolution of the Augmented Sixth from Monteverdi to Mahler . Farnham: Ashgate. pp. 23, 30–31.
