2012 WinterHistory of Theory IIProf. Tim Pack

Joon Park

Summary of Musical Guide (Musicalische Handleitung)by Friedrich Erhard Niedt (1674-1717)

●Written in Hamburg in 1706 (contemporary of J.S. Bach)

● It is heavily quoted by J.S. Bach's Precepts and principles

●(unaltered) Bass is the foundation of harmony.

● Complete departure from Tenor-centered treatises of preceding decades

● Complete separation of bass, harmony, and melody (approaching Galant style)

●One of the earliest treatises on the diminution technique

●Written for “eager learner” and keyboardists

●Teaching how to turn thoroughbass into a composition or a successful improvisation

● Fundamentally different from Fux's way of building up from 2 voice-counterpoint

● Niedt approaches it by elaborating a simple thoroughbass

● He himself looked at thorough-bass as a composition

● “the thorough-bass is a start in composing and can actually be called a compositionmade

by him who performs the thorough-bass...” (bk.1, V, p.32)

● “to develop automatic voice-leading habits from one figuring.” (Lester)

●Clear sense of departure from the ancient tradition

●Baroque-ism “pleasing to the ear” (bk.2, XI, §5, p.157)

●Neidt does not shy away from speaking up his opinion

● Previous writers approached it by topoi (veritas, auctoritas, etc.)

● Colloquial

● “Those ignorant in music consider the word counterpoint a great, musical Wondrous

Creature. I myself have often had to listen to such persons when they, especially when

drunk (and then all fools are clever), wanted to discuss with one another the nature of well-

composed piece...”

Highlights from the reading

Intervals:●Perfect Consonances

● (perfect) fifth and octave● “The fourth is also commonly placed among the perfect consonances, because the fourth added

above the fifth sounds perfect within an octave. However, eager learners and beginners are

only confused by this. Therefore I wish to confined myself here to calling only those

consonances which sound well together with the fundamental voice.”●Imperfect Consonances

● Third and sixth● because they can be altered (between major and minor not each other)

●Perfect Dissonances● (perfect) fourth, falsche Quinta [diminished fifth], and the eleventh

●Imperfect Dissonances● Seconds, sevenths, and eleventh

Harmonic Triad (voicing)

The “keyboard style”

Contrary motion to avoid parallel perfect intervals

Not limited to a written-out composition

Both the harmonization and the bass can be “broken” (bk. 1, VII, pp.34-36)

The archetype

“broken” harmony

“broken” bass

Dissonances should be prepared in general

Exceptions:

Variation (diminution technique)●On both thorough-bass and chords●Ranges from second to ninth●In duple and triple meters

Variation of the leap of an ascending fourth

Variation of the chord

Step towards a full-blown composition

The archetype (bk.2, XI, §5, p.156)

Variation of the chord

“Chaconnized”

“Trio-rized”

“Cadentialized”

Elaborated Entrance