32.3: Quartal, Quintal, and Secundal Harmony
32.3 Quartal, Quintal, and Secundal Harmony
Quartal harmony refers to chords stacked entirely (or mostly) in fourths. Quintal harmony refers to chords stacked entirely (or mostly) in fifths. Secundal harmony refers to chords stacked entirely (or mostly) in seconds. Contrast these concepts with the tertian (stacked in thirds) harmony we’ve encountered in the majority of this text. Alternative methods of stacking chords became more common after 1900 as composers sought ways to innovate and break with the past.
The next three examples demonstrate quartal harmony.
The following is an extended example of quintal harmony.