In music theory, a Viennese trichord (also known as Viennese fourth chord and tritone-fourth chord[2]), named for the Second Viennese School, is a pitch set with prime form (0,1,6). Its Forte number is 3-5. The sets C–D–G and C–F–G are both examples of Viennese trichords, though they may be voiced in many ways.

Viennese trichord
Component intervals from root
tritone
minor second
root
Tuning
8:12:17[1]
Forte no. / Complement
3-5 / 9-5
Interval vector
<1,0,0,0,1,1>
Viennese trichord
Viennese trichord as dominant
Quartal Viennese trichord.[2]
Viennese trichord as a part of 6-z17, embellishing the first chord, from Bill Evans's opening to "What Is This Thing Called Love?"[3]

According to Henry Martin, "[c]omposers such as Webern ... are partial to 016 trichords, given their 'more dissonant' inclusion of ics 1 and 6."[4]

In jazz and popular music, the chord formed by the inversion of the set usually has a dominant function, being the third, seventh, and added fourth/eleventh of a dominant chord with elided root[3] (and fifth, see jazz chord). For example, the Viennese trichord of C-F#-G could be considered a D11/C: D (elided) - F# - A (elided) - C - G.

3-5
Prime Inverse
0,1,6 0,6,e
1,2,7 1,7,0
2,3,8 2,8,1
3,4,9 3,9,2
4,5,t 4,t,3
5,6,e 5,e,4
6,7,0 6,0,5
7,8,1 7,1,6
8,9,2 8,2,7
9,t,3 9,3,8
t,e,4 t,4,9
e,0,5 e,5,t

References

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  1. ^ Paddison, Max and Deliège, Irène (2010). Contemporary Music: Theoretical and Philosophical Perspectives, p. 62. ISBN 9781409404163.
  2. ^ a b DeLone, Richard, et al (1975). Aspects of 20th Century Music, p. 348. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall ISBN 0-13-049346-5, 9780130493460.
  3. ^ a b Forte, Allen (2000). "Harmonic Relations: American Popular Harmonies (1925–1950) and Their European Kin", pp. 5–36, Traditions, Institutions, and American Popular Music (Contemporary Music Review, vol. 19, part 1), p. 7. Routledge. Covach, John and Everett, Walter; eds. ISBN 90-5755-120-9.
  4. ^ Martin, Henry (Winter, 2000). "Seven Steps to Heaven: A Species Approach to Twentieth-Century Analysis and Composition", p. 149, Perspectives of New Music, vol. 38, no. 1, pp. 129–168.
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