Product Code Database
Voice leading (or part writing) is the linear progression of individual melodic lines (voices or parts) and their interaction with one another to create Harmony, typically in accordance with the principles of common-practice harmony and counterpoint. These principles include voices sounding smooth and independent, generally minimising movement to common tones as well as steps to the closest chord tone possible, therefore minimising leaps where possible. As a result, different voicings and inversions of chords may provide smoother voice leading.
Rigorous concern for voice leading is of greatest importance in common-practice music, although jazz and pop music also demonstrate attention to voice leading to varying degrees.
The style of voice leading will depend on the performing medium; for example, singing a large leap may be harder than playing it on piano.
<<
\new PianoStaff <<
\new Staff <<
\set PianoStaff.instrumentName = #"a"
\clef treble \key c \major \time 4/4
\new Voice \relative c'' {
\voiceOne r8^\markup { "Original score" } g16 c e g, c e r8 g,16 c e g, c e
r8 a,16 d f a, d f r8 a,16 d f a, d f
r8 g,16 d' f g, d' f r8 g,16 d' f g, d' f
r8 g,16 c e g, c e r8 g,16 c e g, c e
}
\new Voice \relative c' {
\voiceTwo r16 e8._~ e4 r16 e8._~ e4
r16 d8._~ d4 r16 d8._~ d4
r16 d8._~ d4 r16 d8._~ d4
r16 e8._~ e4 r16 e8._~ e4
}
>>
\new Staff <<
\clef bass \key c \major \time 4/4
\new Voice \relative c' {
c2 c c c b b c c
}
>> >>
\new PianoStaff <<
\override PianoStaff.SystemStartBrace.collapse-height = #4
\override Score.SystemStartBar.collapse-height = #4
\new Staff <<
\set Staff.instrumentName = #"b"
\relative c' {
\clef treble \key c \major \time 4/4
1^\markup { "Harmony (block chords)" }
}
\addlyrics { I II V I }
>> >>
\new PianoStaff <<
\new Staff <<
\set PianoStaff.instrumentName = #"c"
\clef treble \key c \major \time 4/4
\new Voice \relative c'' {
\voiceThree e2^\markup { "Implied voice leading" } s f( s f) s e s
}
\new Voice \relative c'' {
\voiceFour c2 s d( s d) s c s
}
\new Voice \relative c'' {
\voiceTwo g2 s a s g( s g) s
}
>>
\new Staff <<
\clef bass \key c \major \time 4/4
\new Voice \relative c' {
\voiceThree e2 s d( s d) s e s
}
\new Voice \relative c' {
\voiceFour c2( s c) s b s c s
}
>> >>
>> }
In (b), the same measures are presented as four (with two Inverted chord): I – II – V – I.
In (c), the four measures are presented as five horizontal voices identified by the direction of the stems, which are added even though the notes are actually , making them look like . Notice that each voice consists of just three played notes due to the ties: from top to bottom, (1) E F — E; (2) C D — C; (3) G A G —; (4) E D — E; (5) C — B C. The four chords result from the fact that the voices do not move at the same time.
He continued:
Schenker indeed did not present the rules of voice leading merely as contrapuntal rules, but showed how they are inseparable from the rules of harmony and how they form one of the most essential aspects of musical composition.Jonas (ed.) in : "Schenker's theory of Auskomponierung 'Elaboration' shows voice-leading as the means by which the chord, as a harmonic concept, is made to unfold and extend in time. This, indeed, is the essence of music".Jonas (ed.) in : "Heinrich Schenker has shown the correct relationship between the horizontal counterpoint and the vertical harmony. His theory is drawn from a profound understanding of the masterpieces of music .... Thus he indicates to us the way: to satisfy the demands of harmony while mastering the task of voice-leading,"
Common-practice conventions dictate that melodic lines should be smooth and independent. To be smooth, they should be primarily conjunct (stepwise), avoid leaps that are difficult to sing, approach and follow leaps with movement in the opposite direction, and correctly handle tendency tones (primarily, the leading-tone, but also the , which often moves down to ). To be independent, they should avoid parallel fifths and octaves.
Counterpoint conventions likewise consider permitted or forbidden melodic intervals in individual parts, intervals between parts, the direction of the movement of the voices with respect to each other, etc. Whether dealing with counterpoint or harmony, these conventions emerge not only from a desire to create easy-to-sing parts but also from the constraints of tonal materials: "Western music involves the simultaneous satisfaction of two independent constraints — a vertical constraint that requires chords to be structurally similar, and a horizontal constraint that dictates that they be connected by efficient voice leadings. Clearly, to satisfy these constraints, a composer must be able to find the efficient voice leadings between arbitrary chords." and from the objectives behind writing certain textures.
These conventions are discussed in more detail below.
A Schenkerian analysis perspective on these roles shifts the discussion somewhat from "outer and inner voices" to "upper and bass voices". Although the outer voices still play the dominant, form-defining role in this view, the leading soprano voice is often seen as a composite line that draws on the voice leadings in each of the upper voices of the imaginary basso continuo. (2025). 9780199732470, Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199732470 Approaching harmony from a non-Schenkerian perspective, Dmitri Tymoczko nonetheless also demonstrates such "3+1" voice leading, where "three voices articulate a strongly crossing-free voice leading between complete triads ..., while a fourth voice adds doublings," as a feature of tonal writing.
Neo-Riemannian theory examines another facet of this principle. That theory decomposes movements from one chord to another into one or several "parsimonious movements" between instead of actual pitches (i.e., neglecting octave shifts). Such analysis shows the deeper continuity underneath surface disjunctions, as in the Bach example from BWV 941 hereby.
|
|
