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Western Classical Harmony
Year 1 / ASYear 2 / A-LevelEdexcel, OCR, WJEC/Eduqas
A* revision of Western Classical Harmony for Edexcel 9MU0 (also OCR H543 and Eduqas): chorale-style voice leading, figured bass, cadences, secondary dominants, modulation and harmonising a melody, with exam questions and mark schemes.
🎯 Learning Objectives
Realise four-part SATB harmony in chorale style with secure voice leading: correct spacing, doubling, no parallel fifths or octaves, leading notes resolved and dissonances prepared (Edexcel 9MU0 Component 2, Bach chorale technique brief) (AO1/AO2).
Identify and use the four cadence types plus the cadential 6/4, and deploy secondary chords (ii, iii, IV, vi), dominant 7ths with inversions and secondary dominants such as V/V and V/vi (AO3/AO4).
Read and realise figured bass including 6, 6/4, 7, 6/5, 4/3 and 4/2, and explain suspensions as preparation-suspension-resolution (AO3).
Analyse modulations to closely related keys aurally and on skeleton scores using pivot-chord logic, as tested in Edexcel 9MU0/03 Section A (AO4).
Harmonise a given melody using an appropriate harmonic vocabulary, as demanded by the Edexcel chorale and arrangement briefs (AO2).
📋 Key Definitions and Core Concepts
Chorale: A hymn of the Lutheran church; harmonising chorale melodies in the style of J.S. Bach is the Edexcel technique brief 1 task (9MU0/02), set as a soprano line of 12-18 bars to complete with alto, tenor and bass.
Voice leading: The way individual parts move between chords: smooth stepwise motion, correct spacing (no more than an octave between adjacent upper parts), complete triads, and avoidance of parallel fifths and octaves.
Figured bass: Numerals under a bass note showing the intervals to build above it: 5/3 = root position, 6 = first inversion, 6/4 = second inversion, 7/6/5/4/3/2 with figures for seventh-chord inversions (6/5, 4/3, 4/2).
Perfect cadence: V-I, the strongest close; usually with both chords in root position and the leading note rising to the tonic, often preceded by Ic (the cadential 6/4).
Interrupted cadence: V-vi: the expected tonic is replaced by the submediant, deceiving the ear and extending the phrase; a favourite device for codas and phrase extensions.
Secondary dominant: The dominant (V) of a chord other than the tonic, temporarily tonicising that chord: in C major, V/V is D major moving to G, V/vi is E major moving to A minor; the chromatic alteration (e.g. F#) marks the new pull.
Suspension: A dissonance in three stages: a consonant note is prepared, held over as the harmony changes to become dissonant (e.g. a 4th above the bass), then resolved down by step (4-3, 7-6, 9-8).
Pivot chord: A chord shared by two keys that is reinterpreted to begin a modulation: e.g. in a move from C major to G major, the chord of C major becomes IV in the new key.
Chorale style, voice leading and figured bass
Chorale style is the yardstick of A-level part writing: four parts (SATB) around a given melody, each with its own melodic shape. The Edexcel Bach chorale brief (9MU0/02, technique brief 1) gives a soprano of 12-18 bars - modal chorales and chorales in 3/4 are never set - and asks for alto, tenor and bass in the manner of Bach. The mark scheme rewards a creative, fluent response in which lines are elegant and well shaped (Level 5); mechanical chord-by-chord filling caps you at Level 3.
Voice-leading rules examiners check first:
Keep each part in a comfortable range and let inner parts move by step; leap only where the harmony demands it, then recover stepwise in the opposite direction.
Spacing: adjacent upper parts within an octave; tenor and bass may be further apart.
Complete triads; double the root normally. Never double the leading note or the third of a V chord.
No parallel or direct (hidden) fifths or octaves between outer parts; leading note rises to tonic in V-I, especially soprano-bass.
All dissonances prepared and resolved: 7ths fall by step, suspensions resolve down.
Figured bass shorthand is assumed knowledge for analysis and set-work scores, though Edexcel states the two-part counterpoint brief will not require working to a figured bass. Symbols apply to the intervals above the bass note:
Figure
Chord
Example in C
5/3 (or none)
Root-position triad
G-B-D over G
6
First inversion
E-G-C over E
6/4
Second inversion
G-C-E over G (passing or cadential)
7
Root-position 7th
G-B-D-F over G
6/5
First-inversion 7th
B-D-F-G over B
4/3
Second-inversion 7th
D-F-G-B over D
4/2 (or 2)
Third-inversion 7th
F-G-B-D over F (7th resolves down, bass moves to 6)
The tonic 6/4 appears only in contexts Bach would sanction: passing, cadential and pedal 6/4s. In Ein feste Burg movement 8 the closing chorale harmonisation is your model: root-position strength at cadences, stepwise bass, suspensions adding expressive dissonance before cadential arrival.
Cadences, secondary chords and harmonic devices
Cadences are the punctuation of tonal harmony and the first thing to label on any skeleton score:
Perfect (V-I): full stop; root position on both chords is strongest.
Imperfect (?-V): comma; reached from I, ii, IV or vi, usually weak in the bar.
Plagal (IV-I): the 'Amen' close, softer than perfect.
Interrupted (V-vi): question mark; delays closure, often launching a repeat or coda.
The cadential 6/4 (Ic-V-I) decorates nearly every classical close: the tonic second inversion creates a double suspension (6-5, 4-3) over the dominant before resolution.
Primary chords (I, IV, V) define the key; secondary chords (ii, iii, IV, vi) colour it. The workhorse progression is the circle of fifths: vi-ii-V-I. Secondary dominants intensify movement by tonicising a non-tonic chord: V/V (D major to G in C) brightens the approach to V; V/vi (E major to A minor) darkens; the chromatic note (F# in V/V) is the aural clue - look for it in skeleton-score questions. Dominant 7ths and their inversions (7, 6/5, 4/3, 4/2) drive progressions because the 7th falls by step and the leading note rises, supplying the two tendency tones at once. Edexcel's musical language for composing (9MU0 Component 2) explicitly names chord inversions, dominant 7ths and extended chords such as secondary 7ths and 9ths.
Harmonic devices that earn analysis marks in Section A and in essays:
Suspensions (4-3, 7-6, 9-8): preparation, suspension, resolution; the dissonance is the emotion, the resolution the release.
Passing notes and appoggiaturas softening harmonic rhythm.
Pedal notes: tonic or dominant pedals under changing harmony build tension - a dominant pedal before a final cadence is a Classical staple.
Sequence: a repeated harmonic-melodic pattern, usually on the circle of fifths.
In Clara Wieck-Schumann's Piano Trio Op. 17 movement 1, chromatic third-related harmony and 7th chords stretch the Classical vocabulary; in Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique movement I, harmony is used programmatically to depict passion and obsession. Name the device, then say what it does - examiners mark effect, not label-spotting.
Audit trail for analysis: in Section A and essay answers, harmony points score in a fixed order - name the chord/cadence, give the moment, state the effect. 'A 4-3 suspension in the approach to the perfect cadence intensifies the arrival on the tonic' is a full-mark sentence; 'there are suspensions' is not. Drill the audit on the set works: Bach's chorale harmonisations for suspensions and modulations to closely related keys; Wieck-Schumann for chromatic 7th chords and third-related shifts; Berlioz for harmony used programmatically. Build a one-page harmony map per set work - cadence points, modulations, named devices - and every harmony question in the paper has an answer waiting on it.
Modulation and harmonising a melody
A modulation is complete only when the new key is confirmed by its own cadence. A-level answers must name the keys, the point of change and the mechanism. Closely related keys are those whose signatures differ by one accidental or none: in C major - G (dominant), F (subdominant), A minor (relative minor), plus E minor and D minor. Remote keys (chromatic thirds) belong to Romantic style, as in Wieck-Schumann and Berlioz.
Pivot-chord method (the standard answer):
Find a chord common to both keys (e.g. C major chord in a move C to G: IV in the new key; C major to A minor: III in the new key).
Reinterpret it, then introduce the new leading note (F# for G major).
Confirm with a perfect cadence in the new key.
Other routes: tonicisation via secondary dominants (V/V ushers in the dominant key), sequential modulation around the circle of fifths, or a long dominant pedal - the usual retransition device before a sonata-form recapitulation. Expect modulation questions in 9MU0/03 Section A on skeleton scores: identify the key first, track the bass, and explain the change by pivot chord or leading-note alteration.
Harmonising a melody (chorale and arrangement briefs) is a planning exercise, not improvisation:
Mark the phrase structure (2- or 4-bar units) and place cadences: imperfect mid-phrase, perfect at the close - in the right inversion and weak-strong position.
Choose a chord for every melody note that is a chord tone on strong beats; passing notes fill gaps.
Plan a bass line with contrary motion to the soprano and a mixture of root positions, first inversions and one or two sanctioned 6/4s.
Fill alto and tenor last, checking spacing, doubling and parallels bar by bar.
Layer in suspensions (4-3 at cadences), passing notes and a 7th chord or two - the vocabulary that separates Level 4 from Level 5: lines elegant and well shaped.
For the arrangement brief (technique brief 3), the given melody of 12-24 bars must be harmonised and extended into a coherent piece for up to four specified parts, with an audience and occasion given in the brief - so vary texture and register, not just harmony. Across OCR H543 and Eduqas the same harmonic content is tested under their own composition criteria: secure part writing and stylistic harmony are the common currency of all three boards.
💡 Worked Example
Exam-style: Explain how the harmony at the close of a chorale phrase creates a perfect cadence, and how a suspension adds expressive tension. (5 marks)
Mark-scheme logic: Marks land on five AO3/AO2 points: (1) identify Ic-V-I or V-I with both chords in root position; (2) leading note in V rises to the tonic, 7th of the chord falls by step; (3) soprano-bass contrary motion into the octave gives finality; (4) suspension described in three stages - note prepared as a consonance (4th above bass), held over as the bass changes to V creating dissonance, resolved down by step to the 3rd; (5) effect: the dissonance delays and intensifies the arrival on the tonic, typical of Bach's chorale cadences. Effect-based comments must accompany each label for full marks.
❓ Practice Questions & Mark Schemes
Name the four cadence types with their chord progressions, and state where each is typically used.
Answer: Perfect: V-I, the strongest close, ending phrases and whole pieces (often via Ic-V-I). Imperfect: any chord moving to V (I-V, ii-V, IV-V), used as a mid-phrase 'comma' or before a new idea. Plagal: IV-I, the 'Amen' cadence, softer and often hymn-like or archaic. Interrupted: V-vi, substitutes the submediant for the expected tonic, deceives the listener, extends the phrase and launches codas (Berlioz uses interruptions in Symphonie Fantastique movement I to keep the music driving forward). Name progression + location + effect for full marks.
Explain how to modulate from C major to G major using a pivot chord, giving an example progression.
Answer: Choose a chord common to both keys: C major is I in C major and IV in G major. State the reinterpretation (the C major chord 'becomes' IV of G), then introduce the new leading note F# (absent from C major's signature) within a dominant chord of the new key: C - C - D - G, i.e. I - IV - V - I in G major. Confirm with a perfect cadence in G. Alternative route: tonicise the new key with a secondary dominant, V/V (D major) resolving to G. The modulation is only complete when G major is confirmed by its own cadence.
Distinguish a cadential 6/4 from a passing 6/4.
Answer: Cadential 6/4: a tonic second inversion (Ic) on a strong beat directly before V, functioning as a double suspension (6-5 and 4-3) over the dominant - e.g. Ic-V-I ending a phrase. The bass holds the dominant note while the upper parts resolve. Passing 6/4: a second inversion whose bass moves by step between two root positions, on a weak beat - e.g. I-V6/4-I6, where the bass arpeggiates tonic-dominant-tonic. Function is the key distinction: cadential delays the dominant, passing decorates the bass line.
Explain how a 4-3 suspension is prepared, created and resolved, and why Bach uses it at cadences.
Answer: Preparation: the note a 4th above the bass sounds as a consonance in the previous chord. Suspension: the bass moves to the new chord (V) but the upper part holds its note, creating a dissonant perfect 4th above the bass. Resolution: the suspended note falls by step to form a consonant 3rd. Bach uses 4-3 suspensions at cadences because the dissonance intensifies the pull towards the tonic: tension peaks on the suspension and releases on the resolution, adding emotional weight to a routine V-I - the expressive core of chorale style (Ein feste Burg, movement 8).
Describe your method for harmonising an unfamiliar 8-bar melody in the Bach chorale style.
Answer: 1) Mark phrases and place cadences: imperfect halfway, perfect at the end, correct inversions and weak-strong spacing. 2) Assign a chord to each strong-beat melody note (chord tones), using primary chords at cadences, ii and vi for colour, one dominant 7th (its 7th resolving down) and one secondary dominant such as V/V if the melody allows. 3) Plan the bass: contrary motion to the soprano, stepwise, root position at cadences plus first inversions for line interest. 4) Add alto and tenor, checking ranges, spacing (octave between adjacent upper parts), doubling (root, never the leading note) and no parallel 5ths/8ves. 5) Finally layer passing notes and a 4-3 suspension at a cadence. Mark scheme logic: fluent, creative response with elegant, well-shaped lines = Level 5.
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