CHAPTER 3 (PART 4)
NON-FUNCTIONAL CHORDS
Appoggiatura Chords
An appoggiatura is a note, not normally part of a chord, which displaces a normal note of a chord. The appoggiatura resolves onto the displaced note whilst the chord is still sounding. An appoggiatura, usually (but not always) creates a dissonance with the normal notes of the chord. More than one appoggiatura may be deployed in a chord concurrently. The following example contains two appoggiaturas indicated at *1:
The two appoggiaturas form discords with the normal notes of the chord and then resolve onto consonant notes of the chord. The C appoggiatura is dissonant against the B-flat of the chord and resolves onto the B-flat. The E-flat appoggiatura is dissonant against the F of the chord and resolves onto the D. The appoggiaturas are indicated in the harmonic outline by small quaver notes.
The appoggiatura chord is named by analogy with the appoggiatura note. An appoggiatura note does not create a sense of a change in harmony. However, an appoggiatura chord is an extension of the appoggiatura such that the duration of the appoggiatura(s) and/or the way the notes sound in conjunction with the other notes of the chord create a sense of a change in harmony. Appoggiatura chords are non-functional and the chord onto which they resolve are functional. This is because the appoggiatura chords merely elaborate the main functional harmony. Their purpose is to prolong the functional chord. Appoggiatura chords are used most commonly to decorate and extend the perfect cadence.
At *2 (in the above example) the two appoggiaturas: B-flat and D take over completely from the normal notes of the chord (A and C) and form a tonic chord in second inversion. This is the familiar cadential 6 4 chord. This is the most common type of appoggiatura chord. You might expect that the appoggiatura chord would be represented in the harmonic outline by black note heads, as are passing and auxiliary chords. However, as cadential 6 4 chords are frequently elaborated by further non-functional harmonies, I will represent them with white note heads linked by slur signs. Note: in the example above, the appoggiatura chord is of shorter duration than the appoggiatura notes. Duration is not the only or main consideration.
There are three main types of the Appoggiatura chord as indicated in the following harmonic outlines:
The chord marked as *2 in example 3.14. is an example of Figure 3.7 a).
Cadential 6 4 chords, with or without further elaboration are very common
and the reader will find examples very easily. In the following example,
the duration of the appoggiatura chord is longer than the duration of
its resolution. This is often the case:
Examples of the appoggiatura chord in figure 3.7. b) are nothing like
as common as the cadential 6 4. However, they are can be used to decorate
any dominant seventh chord at the cadence or in a chord progression. In
the following strong chord progression the A-flat decorates the dominant
7th chord at bar 112 to form a diminished 7th appoggiatura chord:
This same chord progression can also be seen in Beethoven: Pathetique
Sonata: Grave, bars 7 to 9.
It is important at this stage to emphasis the difference between a passing chord and an appoggiatura chord. A passing chord is made up of passing notes plus notes from the preceding chord. An appoggiatura chord is made up of appoggiaturas plus notes from the following chord. In the last example, the A-flat is an appoggiatura and the remaining notes are notes from the following (G7) chord.
The following is an example of Figure 3.7 c) in which the appoggiatura chord decorates the cadential chord I. Note that the appoggiatura chord appears in root position (if we take the lowest note of of the arpeggiated bass line) suggesting its status as an independent chord. It is, nevertheless made up of two appoggiaturas plus notes from the following tonic chord and is consequently a non-functional chord: The downward movement of one of the appoggiaturas is further elaborated by a chromatic passing note as indicated in the harmonic outline.
This progression is of particular interest to readers studying harmony in popular music as it forms the basis of the standard cadential pattern for the 12 bar blues progression. This normally has the 7th added to each of the chords as follows but the chord progresison syntax is the same:
V 7 - IV 7 - I 7
For more information on this then please refer to Appendix A: The Blues Progression
Puccini's aria Nessun Dorma ends with the same cadential pattern.
In the full book there will also follow a section showing how appoggiatura
chords can be further elaborated by passing chords. Examples are given.
Ver 2.4.