Modulation C -> B

[mr. beaumont]

Rob, that video was excellent. Thank you.

[Rob MacKillop]

Cheers, Jeff. It was an overview, and I would of course tailor it to the individual student during the lesson.

[Christian Miller]

I liked the modulation mikko. I liked the whole thing, lovely stuff. I like the way your arrangement keeps it moving in the different voices

[Rob MacKillop]

Yes, Mikko, it's a very interesting and pleasant arrangement.

[Jonah]

Thank you!

Yeah, those chords before modulation are basically chords of C major with some pre-dominants and they doesn't prepare to key change to B major. But they give a hint that something is going to happen and it works better than straight cut from C to B when I tryed it.

Lähetetty minun SM-A035G laitteesta Tapatalkilla

Mikko, while listnening to your arrangement once again I also thought that maybe that effect of unprepared modulation (to my ears of course) comes from the 3rd in the melody... it goes down scale-wise in original 'g-f-e-d and c# (in your version)'... probably this creates a feeling of a break, a gap to me...

[MikkoKarhula]

Not quite! It modulates to Bb major first (dominant key of Eb)
Modulation starts once Leporello enters, F major in first phrase sounds like secondary dominant yet, but on 'piano, piano...' the Bb is already heard as tonic and on 'l'ho trovata' Fa mjor chord is already a dominant in the key of Bb. And then there is a cadence in Bb.

Modulation from Bb to D major sounds like Bb7 => D6 4 (cadence 6 4 in a new key) and followed by cadence in D major

You are right. I heard Bb as a tonic too. For some reason I thought that Bb part more like bridge to D major part. But yeah, there is no pure half-step modulation in that part.

Lähetetty minun SM-A035G laitteesta Tapatalkilla

[MikkoKarhula]

I liked the modulation mikko. I liked the whole thing, lovely stuff. I like the way your arrangement keeps it moving in the different voices

Thank you very much!

Lähetetty minun SM-A035G laitteesta Tapatalkilla

[MikkoKarhula]

Yes, Mikko, it's a very interesting and pleasant arrangement.

Thank you Rob!

Lähetetty minun SM-A035G laitteesta Tapatalkilla

[Jonah]

You are right. I heard Bb as a tonic too. For some reason I thought that Bb part more like bridge to D major part. But yeah, there is no pure half-step modulation in that part.

Lähetetty minun SM-A035G laitteesta Tapatalkilla

I understand what you mean.
I think how we differentiate things is how we actually hear the language and the context of particular piece.


Here there is a definite cadence in Bb. It is very strong.

There is another example of Mozart (I came aross on the same page where this Don Giovanni fragment was))))

It is said to be a modulation from E flat minor to D minor and in this case it is correct. And though there is also A minor in between and it sits on T (6 4) - D of A minor quite long and then it is resolved to A minor with A in the bass but there is no cadence and then there is also G minor briefly.
But when it comes to D minor 1) it stays in this key very long 2) it is the main key of the whole quartet 2) the theme that was in Eb - minor shows up now in D minor.
All this in my opinion says that it is a modulation from Eb minor to D minor through a few secondary keys ( Ausweichung in German teminology).

In case of Don Govanni - of course Bb is much more related to Eb than D (and modualtion is much more smooth - they communicate within the same space) and when D shows up it is much more noticeable (enters Ottavio!) . But still every key has definite cadence... and besides these key relations reflect the dramatic situation on stage (each key is after particular character here), relations between characters in general and in this scene.

D major is also very important key for this opera

So, you are right. Bb section is really a bridge from Eb to D in the context but it is a bridge that has its strong identity and individuality.

I think it can be very interesting to go through the whole sextet - there are curious and very dramatic things going on.