Half-diminished seventh chord

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with Diminished seventh chord.
See also: Dominant seventh flat five chord
half-diminished seventh chord
Component intervals from
written
as Bm7(♭5), or Bø7, has pitches B-D-F-A:

{ \omit Score.TimeSignature \relative c' { <b d f a>1 } }

It can be represented by the integer notation {0, 3, 6, 10}.

The half-diminished seventh chord exists in root position and in three inversions. The first inversion is enharmonic to a minor sixth chord:

Half-diminished chord inversions
Half-diminished chord inversions

In

natural minor scale (e.g., Dø7 in C minor). It has been described as a "considerable instability".[4]

Expressive potential

The half-diminished seventh chord is frequently used in passages that convey heightened emotion. For example, the "mournful

J. S. Bach's St Matthew Passion
(1727) features the chord on the seventh beat of its first measure:

Bach, St Matthew Passion, opening
Bach, St Matthew Passion, opening

Similarly in the Et carnatus est section from Michael Haydn's Missa Sancti Nicolai Tolentini (1768):

Et incarnatus est on

YouTube
from Michael Haydn's Missa Sancti Nicolai Tolentini, MH 109 performed by Le Choeur de Filles de la Maîtrise de Bordeaux

Et incarnatus est from Michael Haydn's Missa Sancti Nicolai Tolentini (1768)

In contrast, however, one of the most striking and best known examples of a half diminished seventh can be found in a piece that expresses joyful celebration, namely the chord that follows the fanfare at the start of the

Mendelssohn's incidental music to A Midsummer Night's Dream
(1842).

Mendelssohn, Wedding March
Mendelssohn, Wedding March

An instance of the power latent in this "quintessentially dramatic chord"

Chopin's Scherzo No. 1 (1835):[7]

Chopin, Scherzo No. 1 bars 1–8
Chopin, Scherzo No. 1 bars 1–8

Wagner frequently used the chord for dramatic and expressive effect. (The

diatonic
chords:

Wagner, from Parsifal, act 1
Wagner, from Parsifal, act 1

"As the hero grows in wisdom, so his music develops."

chromatic harmony here conveys "a deeply sad and resigned impression"[10]

Wagner, from Parsifal act 3
Wagner, from Parsifal act 3

In the opening section of his Fantasy-Overture,

Tchaikovsky follows a minor chord with a half-diminished chord to striking effect:

Tchaikovsky Romeo & Juliet bars 28-33
Tchaikovsky Romeo & Juliet bars 28-33


Gustav Mahler saw the opening movement of his Symphony No. 7 " (1905) as a tragic night without stars or moonlight."[11] The low register of the half-diminished chord at the start appropriately conveys a dark, brooding character. A striking phrase on the tenor horn unfolds the chord as an arpeggio in the second bar.

Mahler, Symphony No. 7, opening
Mahler, Symphony No. 7, opening

In his book celebrating popular songs of the first half of the twentieth century, musicologist

Beatles.[15]

Chord symbols and terminology

Half-diminished seventh chords are often symbolized as a circle with a diagonal line through it, as in Cø7 or simply Cø. It also can be represented as (e.g.) Cm7♭5, C-7♭5, Cm7(♭5), etc.

The terms and symbols for this chord break expectations that derive from the usual system of chord nomenclature. Normally a symbol like "Bdim" indicates a diminished triad and "B7" indicates a major triad plus a minor seventh. Thus, one would expect the term "Bdim7" to indicate a diminished triad plus a minor seventh. Instead, it means a diminished triad plus a diminished seventh. To make this distinction clear, the term "half-diminished" and the ø symbol (ø) were invented. Since the term dim7 (as in Bdim7) meant something else, the accurate but unwieldy term "minor seventh flat five" (as in Bø7) came to be used.[16]

Despite the appearance of the word "diminished" in the name of this type of seventh chord, its sound differs considerably from that of a diminished seventh chord. In fact, the only sonic connection between the two chords is the single diminished triad found in the half-diminished seventh chord. As composer-theorist Milton Babbitt has astutely pointed out, the "half-diminished" seventh chord should be called the "one-third" diminished seventh chord.[17]

Jazz musicians typically consider the half-diminished chord (more commonly known as the minor seventh flat five chord, m7♭5) as built from one of the following scales:

Jazz pianist

Mixolydian) scale with an added half-step to keep all the chord tones on the beat. For example, for the chords "Dm7♭5 G7♭9, play down the B♭7 scale from its seventh to B" (B being the added half-step "bebop note" and third of the G7♭9 chord). This works because the notes of the Dm7♭5 chord { D F A♭ C } are also chord tones of B♭9 { B♭ D F A♭ C }. This scale is sometimes called the Phrygian dominant scale
and is the only scale that keeps all the chord tones on the beat across the ii–V sequence.

The "

spelled
.

Function

Most common functions

The half-diminished seventh chord has three

predominant (also called "subdominant"), diminished,[further explanation needed] and dominant
function.

The vast majority of its occurrences are on the II chord in the

minor mode,[citation needed] where it takes a predominant function, leading naturally to the dominant V chord. Not including the root motion, there is only a one-note difference between a half-diminished seventh chord and a V7 chord with a flat ninth. Since it is built on the diatonic II chord of the minor scale, most of the time the II-V pattern resolves to a minor tonic
(such as in the progression Dø7 – G7♭9 – Cm), but there are also instances where there is a major tonic resolution.

\new Staff << \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"violin" \key d \minor \time 3/4 \partial 2 \relative c'' { a4. a8 e'4 e4. e8 f4 } \\ { } \\ \relative c'' { s2 bes4 a2 a4 } \\ { } \\ \relative c'' { f,2 g4 g2 f4 } \\ \relative c' { d2_\markup { \concat { "i" \hspace #7 "ii" \raise #1 \small "ø" \combine \raise #1 \small 4 \lower #1 \small 2 \hspace #1.5 "V" \combine \raise #1 \small 6 \lower #1 \small 5 \hspace #5.5 "i" } } d4 cis2 d4} >>

For example, over the first three bars of the

J.S. Bach's Violin Partita No. 2 in D minor, the tonic in the first measure progresses to the iiø7 chord (in third inversion) for the first beat of the second measure, then to the dominant (a V7 in first inversion
), and then back to the tonic in the third measure.

Diminished chord function is rarer but still exists. Half-diminished chords can function in the same way as fully diminished chords, such as in the chord progression CM7 – C♯dim7 – Dm7, or Em7 – E♭dim7 – Dm7, where the diminished chord serves as a chromatic passing chord preceding a chord with a diatonic root. A typical example of this is when ♯IVø7 progresses to IVm7, such as in the Cole Porter song "Night and Day", where there is the progression F♯ø7 – Fm7 – Em7 – E♭dim7 – Dm7 – G7 – CM7. If analyzed in its predominant function, it wouldn't sufficiently explain how it functions preceding the Fm7 chord.

In dominant function, the VII half diminished chord, like its fully diminished counterpart, can take the place of the dominant V chord at a point of

Roman numeral notation viiø7, the root of which is the leading-tone to the tonic.[3]
In the key of C, this is chord is Bø7, as shown below.

\new PianoStaff << \new Staff << \new Voice \relative c' { \stemUp f1 e } \new Voice \relative c' { \stemDown d1 c } >> \new Staff << \new Voice \relative c' { \stemUp \clef F a1 g } \new Voice \relative c { \stemDown b1_\markup { \concat { "vii" \raise #1 \small "ø7" \hspace #4.5 "I" } } c \bar "||" } >> >>

This generally occurs in a

major ninth
) with its root omitted.

{ #(set-global-staff-size 16) \new PianoStaff << \new Staff << \new Voice \relative c' { \stemUp \time 6/8 <f g>4.^~ <f g>4^~ <e g>8 d'4^( c8 e4 c8) b^( c d) <f, g>4^~ <e g>8 } \new Voice \relative c' { \stemDown \override DynamicText.X-offset = #-4 \override DynamicLineSpanner.staff-padding = #4 b8_(\p c d g,4 c8) <f aes>4.\< <e a>4.\> <f g>4\! f8 e,4_( c'8) } >> \new Staff << \new Voice \relative c, { \clef F \time 6/8 \stemUp g8^( g' b d c e) \stemNeutral f,,( f' aes fis fis' a) \stemUp g,,8^( g' b d c e) } \new Voice \relative c { \stemDown s4._\markup { \concat { "V" \raise #1 \small "7" \hspace #16 "ii" \raise #1 \small "o" \combine \raise #1 \small 6 \lower #1 \small 5 \hspace #6 "vii" \raise #1 \small "ø7" "/V" \hspace #4 "V" \raise #1 \small "7" } } g s2. s4. g } >> >> }
Secondary leading-tone half-diminished chord in Brahms's Intermezzo, Op. 119, no. 3 (1893)[18]

The dominant function of the half-diminished seventh chord may also occur in a

secondary dominant context, i.e., as part of a progression where the chord performs the dominant function with respect to the overall key's dominant chord. In this scenario, the half-diminished seventh chord is built on the tritone
of the overall key and is equivalent to a secondary dominant seventh chord with added ninth and omitted root. If written with respect to the overall key, this chord is styled "♯ivø7," but in terms of its function in the progression, the styling "viiø7/V" is more descriptive.

Other functions

A variant of the supertonic seventh chord (iiø7) is the supertonic half-diminished seventh with the raised supertonic (♯iiø7), which is enharmonically equivalent to the lowered third (in C: D♯ = E♭).

D♯–F♯–A–C♯ = F♯–A–C♯–E♭
D♯ø7 = F♯madd dim7

The sharpened subdominant diminished triad with minor seventh chord is represented with the Roman numeral notation ♯ivø7; the root of this chord is the raised subdominant (sharpened fourth). That root also serves as the leading tone to the dominant when used in the viiø7/V function described above; such a function is the diminished, secondary-dominant equivalent of a backdoor progression. For example, in the key of C major, the chord playing this role is F♯ø7.

The half-diminished seventh chord may also be enharmonically interpreted as an augmented sixth chord. The minor seventh interval (between root and seventh degree, i.e.: { C B♭ } in { C E♭ G♭ B♭ } ) is enharmonically equivalent to an augmented sixth { C E♭ G♭ A♯ }.[19] Transposing this gives { A♭ C♭ D F♯ }, a virtual minor version of the French augmented sixth chord.[20] Like the typical augmented sixth chord, this enharmonic interpretation gives on a resolution irregular for the half-diminished seventh but regular for the augmented sixth chord, where the two voices at the enharmonic major second converge to unison or diverge to octave.[21]

Half-diminished seventh chord table

Chord Root Minor third Diminished fifth Flat seventh
C♭m7♭5 C♭ Edouble flat (D) Gdouble flat (F) Bdouble flat (A)
Cm7♭5 C E♭ G♭ B♭
C♯m7♭5 C♯ E G B
D♭m7♭5 D♭ F♭ (E) Adouble flat (G) C♭ (B)
Dm7♭5 D F A♭ C
D♯m7♭5 D♯ F♯ A C♯
E♭m7♭5 E♭ G♭ Bdouble flat (A) D♭
Em7♭5 E G B♭ D
E♯m7♭5 E♯ G♯ B D♯
F♭m7♭5 F♭ Adouble flat (G) Cdouble flat (B♭) Edouble flat (D)
Fm7♭5 F A♭ C♭ (B) E♭
F♯m7♭5 F♯ A C E
G♭m7♭5 G♭ Bdouble flat (A) Ddouble flat (C) F♭ (E)
Gm7♭5 G B♭ D♭ F
G♯m7♭5 G♯ B D F♯
A♭m7♭5 A♭ C♭ (B) Edouble flat (D) G♭
Am7♭5 A C E♭ G
A♯m7♭5 A♯ C♯ E G♯
B♭m7♭5 B♭ D♭ F♭ (E) A♭
Bm7♭5 B D F A
B♯m7♭5 B♯ D♯ F♯ A♯

See also

References

  1. ISBN 9780945193517
    .
  2. ISBN 9781451015348
    .
  3. ^
    ISBN 978-0-07-294262-0
    .
  4. ISBN 0130811289
    .
  5. ^ Taruskin, R. (2010, p. 378), The Oxford History of Western Music: Music in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. Oxford University Press.
  6. ^ Scruton, R. (2018, p. 138) Music as an Art London, Bloomsbury.
  7. ^ Walker, A. (2018, pp. 187–188), Chopin, a Life and Times. London, Faber.
  8. ^ Taruskin, R. (2020, pp. 540–541) The Oxford History of Western Music: Music in the Nineteenth Century Oxford University Press.
  9. ^ Everett, D. (1996) "Guide to the Thematic Material of Parsifal". Accessed 8 June 2020.
  10. ^ Bauer, H. J. (1978, pp. 45-49), Wagner's Parsifal: Musikverlag Emil Katzbichler.
  11. ^ Schwartz, E. (2018) "Mahler's Seventh Symphony." Programme notes for the Oregon Symphony Orchestra. Accessed 20 July 2020
  12. ISBN 0300083386
    .
  13. ISBN 0300083386
    .
  14. ^ "From this Moment On" (1977, p. 123) in The Best of Cole Porter. London, Chappell.
  15. ^ "Because" (1989, p. 106, bar 3) The Beatles Complete Scores. Hal Leonard.
  16. ISBN 0-89281-560-4
  17. ISBN 0300083386
    .
  18. ^ Benward & Saker (2003), p. 276.
  19. ^ Ouseley, Frederick. A. Gore (1868). A Treatise on Harmony, pg. 137, Oxford, Clarendon Press.
  20. ^ Chadwick, G. W. (1922). Harmony: A Course of Study, pg. 138ff, Boston, B. F. Wood.
  21. ^ Christ, William (1966). Materials and Structure of Music, vol. 2, p. 154. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall. LOC 66-14354.

External links

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