Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov · section 71 of 96

General Principles

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§ 69. — 1) When a part, in passing from one chord to another, momentarily halts its stepwise motion and prolongs its entry into the second chord, it produces the device called retardation or suspension.

According to the motion of the part, the suspension may be ascending or descending. The suspension must always fall on the strong beat of the bar or on the strong part of a beat; the preparation may be on the weak beat or on the strong beat of the preceding bar, and the resolution on the following weak beat.

In a bar of three beats the resolution falls on the third beat, and also on the second if the third contains a new chord:

Example: a) Prep(aration), Sus(pension, +), Res(olution): soprano C held over from the C major chord into the G chord, resolving C–B (4–3). b) Tenor E held over — Fig. 283 · See it in the reader

Example: d) in triple time, the alto F held over from the F chord and resolving to E on the third beat (4–3). e) The bass F held over in eighth notes (2) and re — Fig. 284 · See it in the reader

2) The suspension must form a dissonant chord or an incidental combination. In his exercises the student will do well to refrain from consonant suspensions.

Example: a suspension forming a dissonant chord (soprano A held over B–D–F); one forming a dissonant incidental combination (alto F held over C, marked +); and — Fig. 285 · See it in the reader

3) The preparation must not be shorter in duration than the suspension.

Do not write: the soprano D prepared as a quarter note and then held as a half-note suspension (D–C) over the C major chord. — Fig. 286 · See it in the reader

4) The suspension does not conceal parallel fifths and octaves.

Example: the suspension A–G in the top part over D–C still yields the same effect as the parallel fifths A/D–G/C (marked "5th"). — Fig. 287 · See it in the reader

Example: the suspension D–C in the top part still yields the same effect as the parallel octaves D/D–C/C (marked "8ve"). — Fig. 288 · See it in the reader