MUSC2060: Musicianship 2 | Tonal Harmony / Keyboard Skills | Class Notes

Week 11: Modulation

Last week we learned about the process of temporary tonicisation through the application of
secondary dominants. Modulation refers to an expanded form of this process where a temporary
change of key is more strongly established and confirmed by a cadence in that key.

“Real music” seldom remains exclusively in a single key. Consider the following two-part
exercise; start by playing slowly through it.

Consider its tonic (i.e. starting and finishing) key and then determine what keys are suggested at
each of the cadences (numbered 1 to 6).

Ex. 11.1
MUSC2060: Musicianship 2 | Tonal Harmony / Keyboard Skills | Class Notes Week 11

Now, thinking about the tonic key in this piece, how do the tonic triads of each other key
encountered in the piece relate to the triads of the tonic key?

Number cadences 1 to 6 and in fill out the table below (the last is done already, for obvious
reasons):

Cadence Key Tonic chord of local key Local key expressed as a

expressed as triad of the tonic key relation to the tonic key
1
2
3
4
5
6 F major I Tonic key

Relatedness of keys (circle of 5ths)

There are technical and stylistic restrictions to the
number of keys that can be visited in a piece of
music. There is one group of keys that are defined
as closely related to the tonic key of a piece. The
circle of 5ths (right) is crucial to understanding this
concept. Major keys are shown on the outside, their
relative minors on the inside. Perfect 5ths ascend in
clockwise direction and descend in counter-
clockwise direction. The closer to each other on the
circle, the closer related are the keys.

v Closely related keys are those keys no more

than one “notch” either side of the tonic key on
the circle of 5ths. (Considering the chorale
above, do all the keys visited satisfy this
definition?)

The next example shows another way of conceptualising closely related keys. The tonic triads of
all closely related keys can be expressed as diatonic major or minor triads of the tonic key. Thus,
again, the closely related keys are the relative minor (or major), the dominant (and its relative
minor or major) and the subdominant (and its relative minor or major).

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MUSC2060: Musicianship 2 | Tonal Harmony / Keyboard Skills | Class Notes Week 11

Ex. 11.2

The terminology for chords and keys can become confused once modulation is introduced.
Usually, we call new keys according to the triad that is tonicised. So, for example, when we
tonicise the dominant triad, we can also say we have modulated to “the key of the dominant”; or,
more conventionally expressed as “the dominant key.”

v NB! In minor keys, the closely related dominant key is also a minor key, despite the fact that
the dominant triad is usually major (because of the raised leading note). Think about this: if
you are in, say, E minor (with one sharp) what is closer: B minor (two sharps) or B major
(five sharps)?1

Use of accidentals

Modulation requires a change to the scalar basis of a piece, so that the interval series of the major
or minor key to which it has modulated fits accordingly around the new tonic.

Once a piece has modulated, therefore, it is necessary to introduce and maintain appropriate
accidentals to maintain the new scalar basis, for the duration of that key.2

Remember that accidentals affect the remainder of any bar into which they are introduced.
However, for clarity, it is best to indicate a fresh accidental within a bar for the same pitch class
at a different register or in a different voice.

Now we go on to consider ways of modulating.

1
This explains why in minor keys tonicisations of V using the secondary leading-note seventh chord require a fully
diminished, not half-diminished chord: i.e. viiº7/V not viiø7/V.
2
For closely related keys and modulations of relatively short duration, it is not necessary (nor good practice) to
introduce key-signature changes.

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MUSC2060: Musicianship 2 | Tonal Harmony / Keyboard Skills | Class Notes Week 11

Common-chord (or “pivot”) modulation

Because there is generally one note different between the scales of closely related keys, it is
possible to find a number of triads that are shared between each key. The following shows some
of these possibilities in the dominant-tonic-subdominant keys for major and minor.

There are more possibilities when you consider modulations from major to minor keys (e.g. from
G major to a minor, etc.) and when you consider the use of the subtonic (natural 7th degree) for
VII in minor keys (instead of viiº).

Ex. 11.3

NB: In minor keys (either going from or to) any chord that uses the leading note cannot be a
pivot!

In analysing music with common-chord modulations, the common chord is shown with two
Roman numerals aligned vertically—one expressing the chord in the original key, the other
expressing the chord in the new key. For instance, the D-minor triad in 1st inversion, F–A–D, is
vi6 in F major and ii6 in C major; to show this chord used as a pivot between F major and C

major, we write the following: .

The following examples show the technique of common-chord modulation in practice. We will
analyse each one.

Ex. 11.4

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MUSC2060: Musicianship 2 | Tonal Harmony / Keyboard Skills | Class Notes Week 11

Ex. 11.53

In the example, above, we have a “modulating period”: the relationship between the phrases is
still an “antecedent-consequent” relationship, but the consequent phrase modulates to the
dominant key. This is quite common in the “A” sections of classical and Baroque binary forms.

The next example requires a bit of thought as to where the modulation actually takes place—is it
bars 1–2 or 3–4? When you have analysed it, provide simple alto and tenor parts.

Ex. 11.6

v NB. Common-chord modulation is a technique used within a phrase – i.e. where the phrase
begins in one key and ends (with a cadence) in another. It does not apply between phrases.

Sectional modulation

In contrast to common-chord modulation, sectional modulation is where a new section begins in a

new key. By “section,” we mean any portion of a piece that is articulated by cadences, i.e., from
the level of the phrase, upward. There is no “technique” here as such, simply a commencement
of the new phrase in the new key.

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Mozart, Sonata in D major, K. 284, 3rd movement, bars 1–8

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MUSC2060: Musicianship 2 | Tonal Harmony / Keyboard Skills | Class Notes Week 11

Ex. 11.7

Modulation by chromatic alteration

Modulation by chromatic alteration occurs, like common-chord modulation, within a phrase, to a

closely related key, but is found where no pivot can be identified. Rather, it is understood to
occur where a scale degree is altered chromatically within a single part to activate the
modulation.

In the example below, n$ (D) becomes s$ (Ds) to create a modulation to the dominant (where s$
in the old key becomes & in the new one).

Ex. 11.8

Alternatively, many of these types of modulation can be explained by a combination of secondary

dominant progression followed by a pivot. Think about how this might apply above.

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MUSC2060: Musicianship 2 | Tonal Harmony / Keyboard Skills | Class Notes Week 11

We have enough information to analyse the following two-part piece in its entirety.

Ex. 11.9

Determining suitable modulations

A given melody can potentially establish different keys at various of its cadences. We will
discuss chorale tune below and consider how we might determine its modulatory possibilities.
Remember, the pause marks indicate cadences.

To do this, keep in mind the following strong tendencies (with only a few exceptions) for the
final soprano note at a cadence:

• Authentic (or deceptive) cadences will require scale degrees ! or # of the key established
at the cadence (very rarely %)
• Half cadences will mostly require scale degrees @ or & (sometimes %) of the key
established at the cadence.

You also have to consider the context around each cadence carefully.

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MUSC2060: Musicianship 2 | Tonal Harmony / Keyboard Skills | Class Notes Week 11

Ex. 11.10

Extension
Complete a bass line for the example above and a harmonic analysis.

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MUSC2060: Musicianship 2 | Tonal Harmony / Keyboard Skills | Class Notes Week 11

Provide a harmonic analysis of the following chorale.

Ex. 11.11