# Voice leading question



## Polonaise25

In Scarlatti Sonata in D minor K. 141 the piece starts off with a sus4 chord and then voice leads to an A major triad. Normally a suspended 4th resolves to the third of a tonic chord (in this case the suspended 4th, G, should step down and resolve to the third which is F, a chord tone of the i chord) but in here the voices of the Dsus4 chord literally leap to an A major chord which puzzles me. I have no idea on how to analyze this. Could someone please elaborate? Thanks.

Audio: (sheet music is in the video)





Measures with the voice leading of the two chords:


http://imgur.com/PBdSLq0


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## Vasks

Actually, the G of the Dmsus does resolve to F: The F is in the RH for the remainder of the 2nd measure. It's all about a technique referred to as "octave transference"


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## EdwardBast

The note you should really be worried about is the C# in measure 4.  Seriously though, both that C# and the G on the first beat are not chord tones and are not meant to resolve like them. They are a form of grace note and both are properly resolved upward. The technique involved is _acciaccatura_ and the notes in question are sometimes called "crushed grace notes." They sound simultaneously with their notes of resolution (D and A respectively) but are immediately released.


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## MartinAlexander

He starts with a Dsus4, then turns the next chord by adding an F into the sopran, into a quite multifunctional chord (DFGA), which in this context works as a A7 with a 6/4 suspension resolving to A. 

Yet I wouldn't recommend at all to think music, especially from this time period, strongly vertically. It was very much contrapuntal thinking back then and we human beings also naturally give more attention in music to the horizontal development, than the vertical one.

So observing how every single voice is developing over time will help you way more to understand how the composer did come up with what he did. With naming chords, you're just describing - nothing more. You still won't understand the compositional technique behind it and so won't be able to adapt and modify it into your own personal artistic voice.
Analyzing / describing already totally finished music and the process of actually coming up with original music using compositional techniques to transform imagination and emotions into music, are really totally different things.

So try to also observe the paths of the individual voices and ask yourself how the composer might came up with it - that will also help you with the pitch-combination in measure 4, which, when only considering the vertical development, will leave you quite confused ;-)


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## EdwardBast

MartinAlexander said:


> He starts with a Dsus4, then turns the next chord by adding an F into the sopran, into a quite multifunctional chord (DFGA), which in this context works as a A7 with a 6/4 suspension resolving to A.


No, it's a simple tonic chord with a G grace note. The technique is called _acciaccatura_. Look it up.



MartinAlexander said:


> So try to also observe the paths of the individual voices and ask yourself how the composer might came up with it - that will also help you with the pitch-combination in measure 4, which, when only considering the vertical development, will leave you quite confused ;-)


The C# is a grace note, the others are chord tones. It's a simple triad.


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## Polonaise25

EdwardBast said:


> No, it's a simple tonic chord with a G grace note. The technique is called _acciaccatura_. Look it up.
> 
> The C# is a grace note, the others are chord tones. It's a simple triad.


Thankyou for your help and I see what you mean, but how is there an acciaccatura in that tonic D rolled chord in the first few measures? I don't see the G in the chord notated as a grace note, the chord is just rolled as D G A. Shouldn't there be a grace note to indicate an acciaccatura? Do you have to use common sense to see that it's an acciaccatura even though there isn't a grace note? Could you explain more?


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## EdwardBast

Polonaise25 said:


> Thankyou for your help and I see exactly what you mean, but how is there an acciaccatura in that tonic D rolled chord in the first few measures? I don't see the G in the chord notated as a grace note, the chord is just rolled as D G A. Shouldn't there be a grace note to indicate an acciaccatura? Do you have to use common sense to see that it's an acciaccatura even though there isn't a grace note? Could you explain more?


No, acciaccatura isn't indicated by grace notes. The player just needs to know which notes are to be held after the initial attack (the chord tones, that is) and which are to be immediately released. It is presumed the player knows enough theory to figure this out. One would roll the first chord but one finger would immediately be lifted (the G in m. 1, the C# in m.4) while the chord tones are held.


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## Polonaise25

EdwardBast said:


> No, acciaccatura isn't indicated by grace notes. The player just needs to know which notes are to be held after the initial attack (the chord tones, that is) and which are to be immediately released. It is presumed the player knows enough theory to figure this out. One would roll the first chord but one finger would immediately be lifted (the G in m. 1, the C# in m.4) while the chord tones are held.


Wow, that makes perfect sense. Thanks for the help, sir.


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## MartinAlexander

EdwardBast said:


> No, it's a simple tonic chord with a G grace note. The technique is called _acciaccatura_. Look it up.


I don't see any of this being grace notes. When you look at the individual voices within the context, there is a clear pattern how he decides which notes to hold into the next chord and if it would be that easy, it wouldn't take several decades to master this craft - but I don't have nearly 4000 posts and don't write italian words in cursive typing calling others to look it up - so what can I possibly know about composition.


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## EdwardBast

MartinAlexander said:


> *I don't see any of this being grace notes.* When you look at the individual voices within the context, there is a clear pattern how he decides which notes to hold into the next chord and if it would be that easy, it wouldn't take several decades to master this craft - but I don't have nearly 4000 posts and don't write italian words in cursive typing calling others to look it up - so what can I possibly know about composition.


Right, you don't see it. Nevertheless, it's a well known and thoroughly researched feature of Scarlatti's music. Don't look it up if you don't want to.


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