Prolongation of Seventh Chords in Tonal Music

Offers for the first time a systematic survey of the entire spectrum of contrapuntal-harmonic configurations that enable the prolongation of seventh chords, arranged logically by seventh-chord type and voice-leading procedure. Prolongation of seventh chords is an intriguing phenomenon that theoretically ought not to exist. Schenkerian theory is based on the premise that prolongations apply to consonances alone, and the violation of this principle has far-reaching consequences. Yet, dissonances in general and seventh chords in particular are occasionally prolonged in traditional tonal music. This issue remains among the thorniest in all theoretical discourse on tonal music - and also might have crucial consequences on the application of Schenkerian theory to post-tonal music. This book also includes multiple voice-leading graphs that range from simple abstract configurations to sophisticated analyses of entire pieces. Examples are drawn from a very wide range of tonal repertoire, including many excerpts never analyzed in detailed before. The analyses are presented in the two-volume tradition of "Free Composition" by Heinrich Schenker and "Structural Hearing" by Felix Salzer.