# Baroque 5th Progressions?



## Zerobuu (Feb 4, 2013)

Hi, I would like to know, what is the formula for making Baroque fifth progressions. I haven't studied music academically, so can you explain this in as simple as possible. And also can you an example of one? What I mean by that is the repeating melody commonly heard in Baroque music, where the same melody is played but at a pitch higher.

Some like these would be good


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## Novelette (Dec 12, 2012)

Melodies that are subject to fifth progressions are inherently chordal in nature, by which I mean, the melody will be in runs [beginning either on the tonic, third degree, or fifth degree; usually the former two], or will heavily emphasize the notes that make up the underlying chord.

I have written out a very simple set of measures to illustrate.

Shifting a tone down a fifth is tonally equivalent to shifting it up a fourth [down a fifth + up an octave = up a fourth]









This is the essence of the progression: moving the root of the chord down a fifth, or, equivalently, moving it up a fourth. As you can see on the lower staff, the first chord is a C Major chord; the chord whose root is a fifth lower is an F Major chord; the next chord down a fifth is a B natural diminished.

Because instruments have limited range, and also to keep the voices within a reasonable range, we transpose the third and fourth measures up an octave. Remember that down a fifth + up and octave is equivalent to up a fourth. Thus the red whole note on the bottom staff, which represents the root of the chord, shifts up a fourth between measures 2 and 3.

This procedure is what underlies the fifth progression, and is what gives it its name. It is a chordal movement, which means that all of the voices in the ensemble will be affected and altered to follow that chordal movement.

The melodies that you hear in the works on the YouTube link are completely dictated by the chordal movements, and so are only ultimately melodic embellishments of the harmonic shift itself. Typically such melodies are imitated in movements that are also characterized by the downward fifth or upward fourth. Observe:









The melody on the upper staff follows the fifth progression in the same way that other melodies do in this harmonic idiom. The melody is simply a run, the beginning of which always begins on the second degree of the underlying chords [which are shown in the second staff]. Since the melodic lines always begin on the second degree of the underlying chords [which are moving down a fifth or, equivalently, up a fourth], and the melodic lines in each measure is an exact imitation of the others, you can see that each note in one measure is exactly a fifth below [or, equivalently, a fourth above] the note in the same corresponding position in the previous measure.

This is exactly how the fifth progression works. Chords moving in this manner and melodic lines following that are usually exact copies of one another, only in different transpositions.

[Note: Down a fifth + down a fifth is equivalent to down a second. So you see that measures 3 and 4 resemble measure 1 and 2, except that measures 3 and 4 are just one step below the corresponding notes in measure 1 and 2.]

Thus you have the fifth progression.

That was as basic as I could think to make it. The examples that I can think of are in scores that are a bit challenging to read, if you're a beginner; most of the time it is used in organ works [three staffs] and orchestral works [many staffs]. Those that are in piano or harpsichord works are extended sequences and the tonal relationships might not be very clear if you're not experienced at determining the root of a harmonic progression from runs or sequences.


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## Novelette (Dec 12, 2012)

This explains it more succinctly:

http://www.tonalityguide.com/xxx5.php


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