By: Arthur Mendes

Treatise on “The Last: Persona the Theme”

My song The Last: Persona the Theme is a composition rooted in a mixture of non-
functional harmony and functional modality together with a rich use of upper tertian
color extensions.

As can be seen with the example above, a minor ninth chord is utilized. This is at the
beginning of the section “Verse 1”, preceded by “Intro 1” and “Intro 2”.

Next, we find here in the following bars more minor ninth chords. Here, modality and
modal interchange is established through the chords F#m9 and Em9. With F#, a Dorian
modality is established with the G# ninth extension, which represents, within B Dorian,
the major sixth. Next, with Em9, there is a move to B Aeolian through the G note
representing the minor sixth of the key.
 By: Arthur Mendes

In the next bar, we then move to a non-functional framework. The Am9 chord is not in
any key parallel to B Aeolian or Dorian. Rather, in this moment we have modulated to
a neighboring minor key in A, either Dorian or Aeolian, in regards to which this part
leaves ambiguous rather it is one or the other. Afterwards, the song moves to a
Bbmaj9(#11) chord which would represent an adjacent Bb Lydian tonality.

Finally, this entire sub-section is concluded by an Fmaj9(#11) chord, here representing,

once again, a non-functional break with tonality situated within an F Lydian tonality.
Thus, this concludes the inquiry.

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