Copyright 104 Revieed edition, copyright 1948, by W. W. Norton & Go. Inc First published by Victor Gollance Ld, 1950 Musical Illustrations drawn by MARIO CARMOSINO INTRODUCTION J 1. SCALES AND INTERVALS fi, TRIADS \3- HARMONIC PROGRESSION J TONALITY AND MODALITY Tee torosae neers (J. HARMONIZATION OF A GIVEN PART <8. MopuLaTion 9. CHORDS OF THE SIXTH—THE FIGURED BASS 10. NONHARMONIC TONES 11. THE SIX-FOUR CHORD 12. CADENCES 13. THE DOMINANT SEVENTH CHORD 1. SECONDARY DOMINANTS 15. IRREGULAR RESOLUTIONS 16, THE DIMINISHED SEVENTH CHORD 17. THE INCOMPLETE MAJOR NINTH 18, THE COMPLETE DOMINANT NINTH 19, THE SEQUENCE 20. NONDOMINANT HARMONY 21, NINTH, ELEVENTH, AND THIRTEENTH CHORDS 22, THE RAISED SUPERTONIC AND SUBMEDIANT 212 225 239 255BY THE SAME AUTHOR: COUNTERPOINT A, most admirable book" —Eric Blom (Observer) # study of music in which every example comes from a fine score ana’ senses the reader to it. No wonder it has been hailed by those who wish that such a book had been avai May it be widely cead’”—The Music Teacher ‘ble in our young days. ORCHESTRATION 7 can say without the slightest doubt that the main part of the book is very fine indeed and far and away better than anything T have seen before” —Sir Adrian Boult «First rate—all it says has such practical value and it isn’t cluttered up with a lot of archaic information. I particularly like the wide range of illustrations!” —Earic Cundell “A valuable addition to the library of works on this subject. The ‘author rightly insists that scoring is an art of ereative imaginay ‘Tad that his examples are not intended for imitation but arto encourage the student to develop what originality he has Talis own way, when once he has taken a firm grasp of fundamental principles "—Dr. Gordon Jacob “My only regret is that this brilliant and stimulating book was not ‘own student days, for it would have saved wading Fee the size and not nearly so illuminating, ‘a rare gift for clear exposition ‘Tyro or vediuctor, arranger or student, should all find Jover with sufficient lity to read the examples would also find it a fascinating study With rich results to offer in enlarging his musical horizon” — Liverpool Post “A wonderful and tuly workmanlike job . . . a book which is so Valuable as to be indispensable to every student of the subject "The presentation has the directness and the clarity of the true teacher” —The Music Teacher ‘ts practical value to the st igh. Professor Piston’s book is the first real expos ff twentieth-century orchestral technique. A most valuable book”"—Humphrey Searle (B.B.C. Music Maga: HARMONY by WALTER PISTON LONDON VICTOR GOLLANCZ LTD 1959vi CONTENTS 23. THE NEAPOLITAN SIXTH 24. AUGMENTED SIXTH CHORDS 25. OTHER CHROMATIC CHORDS CONCLUSION SUPPLEMENTARY EXERCISES INDEX INTRODUCTION ue first important step in the study of harmony is that of clarifying the purpose of such study. Much confusion ex- ists today as to why we study musical theory and what ‘we should expect to learn from it. In the present writer’s teaching experience this confusion of outlook furnishes the commonest and ‘most serious obstacle to progress in all branches of’ musical theory. ‘There are those who consider that studies in harmony, counter- point, and fugue are the exclusive province of the intended com- poser. But if we reflect that theory must follow practice, rarely preceding it except by chance, we must realize that musical theory is not a set of directions for composing music. It is rather the col- ected and systematized deductions gathered by observing the prac tice of composers over a long time, and it attempts to set forth what is or has been their common practice. It tells not how music will be ‘written in the future, but how music has been written in the past. The results of such a definition of the true nature of musical the- ory are many and important. First of all, it is clear chat this knowl- edge is indispensable to musicians in all fields of the art, whether they be composers, performers, conductors, critics, teachers, or musicologists. Indeed, a secure grounding in theory is even more necessity to the musical scholar than to the composer, since it forms the basis for any intelligent appraisal of individual styles of the past or present. On the other hand, the person gifted for creative musical com- Position is taking a serious risk in assuming that his genius is great enough to get along without a deep knowledge of the common