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27.1: Voice Leading Seventh Chords

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    27.1 Voice Leading Seventh Chords

    There is one general rule for voice leading any seventh chord: resolve the 7th of the chord down by step. All other voices should move smoothly to the nearest chord tone in a voicing containing the appropriate doubling.

    Principle 27.1.1. 7th chords.

    Resolve the 7th of a 7th chord down by step.

    voiceleading-7ths-pathetique-A.svg

    voiceleading-7ths-pathetique-B.svg

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    Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\): Beethoven, Pathétique Sonata, Op. 13, II.

    voiceleading-7ths-fruhlingstraum-A.svg

    voiceleading-7ths-fruhlingstraum-B.svg

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    Figure \(\PageIndex{3}\): Schubert, Winterreise, D. 911, “Frühlingstraum” (1823)

    The one exception to this is in the progression II–VV34–II6, which closes the theme of the first movement of Mozart’s Piano Sonata K. 331.

    voiceleading-7ths-K331-A.svg

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    Figure \(\PageIndex{4}\): Mozart, Piano Sonata K. 331, I

    In the example below, one can see that the 7th resolves up by step.

    voiceleading-7ths-K331-B.svg

    /
    Figure \(\PageIndex{5}\): The II–VV34–II6 progression with acceptable parallel fifths

    Notice that parallel fifths occur in this progression because of the upward resolution of the 7th. These parallel fifths may have been deemed less objectionable because they consist of unequal fifths (where one of the fifths is in a case of parallel fifths is diminished).

    This page titled 27.1: Voice Leading Seventh Chords is shared under a GNU Free Documentation License 1.3 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Robert Hutchinson via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request.