How to Harmonize Bach Chorale Cadences

1
How to Harmonize Bach Chorale Cadences
2
What you will have to do in the AS Exam.

• You will be supplied with a Bach Chorale.
• It will be complete, except at the cadences,
  where the Alto, Tenor and Bass parts will drop
  out.
• You will be required to supply the missing Alto,
  Tenor and Bass parts.
• In most cases this will involve supplying the two
  cadence chords, their approach chord and one or
  two other chord preceding this.

3
Make sure you know the following before going any
further

• Rules on consecutives
• Guidance on note doubling
• Vocal Ranges for SATB
• The Roman Numeral system for labelling chords
• General characteristics of Bachs chorales

4
Analysis of the cadences of the 371 chorales

• From Bach Chorale Harmonization and
  Instrumental Counterpoint by Malcolm Boyd (1999)

5
What does this tell us?

• Perfect cadences in root position are most
  frequently used, followed by Imperfects, either
  in root position or inverted. They represent the
  two ways of finishing a phrase, with an answer
  or with a question.
• Imperfect cadences can be re-defined as any
  chord leading to chord V.
• Plagal and Interrupted cadences are very rare
  and are only used to accommodate unusual soprano
  patterns.
• It is often better to modulate, and use a
  Perfect or Imperfect Cadence in a new key, rather
  than use Plagal or Interrupted Cadences.

6
Which one? Perfect or Imperfect?

• Just look at the soprano
• If it finishes the phrase on the 1st (Tonic) or
  3rd (Mediant) scale degrees use a Perfect.
• If it finishes on a note of Chord V, the 2nd
  (Supertonic), 5th (Dominant) or 7th (Leading
  Note) then use an Imperfect.
• Note, the one note that is shared by both the
  Chords I and V, the 5th scale degree is almost
  always harmonized by Chord V at the end of a
  phrase. This note signifies use of an Imperfect
  Cadence or modulation to the Dominant.

7
General Points about Bachs Perfect and Imperfect
Cadences

• The Pause Chord
• Should be in root position for maximum strength
  serving as a pillar in the harmonic framework of
  the piece.
• If inversion is used at an Imperfect Cadence, it
  will be the chord preceding the pause chord that
  is inverted.
• Should be full, ie. include the 5th ,root, and
  3rd
• An exception to this will only occur if you need
  to avoid consecutives.
• Should not contain any movement, passing notes
  or suspensions.
• Remember, the Pause Chord marks the end of a
  line of sung text.

8
General Points about Bachs Perfect and Imperfect
Cadences

• The Chord before the Pause Chord
• is often two beats long. Even so it should be
  harmonized with two crotchet chords, even if they
  are the same eg. V-V-I.
• The final Pause Chord of the whole chorale
• should always be major. In a minor key this will
  mean adding a tierce de Picardy or Picardy
  third, with the correct accidental in the
  appropriate part.

9
General Points about Bachs Perfect and
Imperfect Cadences

• 3 Cadence Chords rather than 2
• Bach uses an approach chord before the two
  cadence chords, particularly in Perfect Cadences,
  and reproducing this is essential to capturing
  the style.
• The approach chord is either a chord of dominant
  preparation, such as IV, IVb,ii, iib or ii7b, or
  a chord belonging to the tonic family, I, Ib, vi
  or vib.
• This enables us to identify different types of
  Perfect or Imperfect Cadences by referring to
  them by the approach chord and the two cadence
  chords, eg. ii7b-V-I, or I-Ib-V.
• For the AS Exam you will be required to supply
  these three chords plus one or two preceding
  chords.

10
Perfect Cadences

• They make a phrase sound complete and rounded
  off rather like a full stop in a sentence.
• They completely reinforce the idea of being in a
  key and are essential to modulation.
• They provide the maximum degree of harmonic
  stability.
• In order to achieve this, root position chords
  should be used for the two cadence chords. The
  approach chord may be inverted.
• For some frequently occurring melodic patterns,
  Bach devised stylistic formulae, or standard
  patterns that should be memorised.
• For all other situations, common sense should be
  applied in terms of choice of approach chord and
  voice leading.

11
Imperfect Cadences

• Make a phrase sound as if it is momentarily
  taking a break before moving on, rather like a
  comma rather than a full stop in grammar.
• Any chord leading to Chord V will work as an
  Imperfect Cadence in chorale style.
• If inversion is used it will usually be the
  chord preceding Chord V.
• In a minor key remember that the 3rd of Chord V
  will always need an accidental as it is the
  Leading Note.

12
The Video Tutorials

• The Video Tutorials demonstrate how to harmonize
  the main types of cadence found in the chorales.
• Working with pencil and paper you should copy
  the steps as they occur on the screen, to learn
  how to build the cadences and to make decisions
  based on the given situation.