Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov · section 92 of 96

Application of Polytony to Sudden Modulation

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§ 91. — 1) Modulation by means of polytony needs no particular explanation; polytony is used for transitions to closely related keys as well as for transitions to distant keys:

Three sudden modulations from C major, four-part, whole notes: to E major (C – G – B7 – E); to D♭ major (C – F – A♭7 – D♭); to C♯ minor (C – C7 over B♭ – A7 – C — Fig. 384 · See it in the reader

2) However, sudden modulation, though musically quite complete, does not call for transition beyond the keys of the second class; only gradual modulation connects distant keys in a satisfactory way.

3) Sudden modulation, used as a passing modulation of short duration to keys of the second class, imposes, as it were, the following rule: after modulating suddenly to one of the keys of the second class, one goes immediately to the key of the first class that the sudden modulation cut out, and then returns to the principal key:

C – D♭ – f – C
C – B – e – C
C – E – a – C
C – b – G – C
(capital letters: major keys; small letters: minor keys)

EXAMPLE OF PASSING MODULATIONS. Four-part whole-note chords in C major (Do) passing through A major (La), D minor (ré), back to C (Do), then by enharmony (C–E–G — Fig. 385 · See it in the reader

4) One may also sometimes return suddenly and directly to the original key:

Example: from C major (Do) suddenly to D♭ major (Ré♭) through its dominant seventh, and directly back to C major (Do) through the augmented-sixth chord D♭–F–A♭– — Fig. 386 · See it in the reader