Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov · section 55 of 96

False relations

Read and hear this section in the playable edition →

§ 53. — 1) The immediate connection of chords belonging to the different modes — natural and harmonic — results in chromatic motion in one of the parts.

The connection of chords of the natural minor mode with chords of the harmonic minor mode produces ascending chromatic motion:

Example: ascending chromatic motion, G to G♯. — Fig. 216 · See it in the reader

The connection of chords of the natural major mode with chords of the harmonic major mode produces descending chromatic motion:

Example: descending chromatic motion, A to A♭. — Fig. 217 · See it in the reader

2) The chromatic motion must absolutely lie in one and the same part, to avoid what is called a false relation, which is strictly forbidden to the student:

Example: false relation — the chromatic step is split between two parts (G in the bass, G♯ in the treble; A in the treble, A♭ in the bass), shown by connecting — Fig. 218 · See it in the reader

3) Connections of chords belonging to different modes are called polytonic successions. (*)