Musical language · Tons
2 bemoles
Related: If major bemol · Homonymous: Sun major
What is Sun Minor
A tone is the «centre of gravity» of a work: a main note, the tonic, and a scale that is organized around it. In the smaller Sun the tonic is Sol and the scale is smaller, that is, with a third minor (Sol-♭) which gives it a darker color than that of the larger tonalities.
Share armor with If bemol major, its relative tonality: the same notes, but with another center. And he shares tonic with Sun major, its homonymous tonality, which has 1 sustained.
The armor
The armor carries 2 bemoles, which are always written in this order at the beginning of each pentagram:
- Yeah.♭ · My♭
- Trick to remember it: the bemoles advance through ascending quarters (Yes → My → The → Re → Sun → Do → Fa), and in the larger tones the penultimate bemol gives the name of the tonic.
The three smaller scales
Like any minor tone, the minor Sun can be touched in three ways. The difference is in notes 6 and 7:
- Natural: Sol - La - Yes♭ - Do - Re - Mi♭ - Fa-Sol. It's exactly the notes of the armor.
- Harmonic: Sol - La - Yes♭ - Do - Re - Mi♭ - Fa♯ - Sol. The seventh is raised to create the «sensitive», the note that pulls towards the tonic. Between Me♭ and Fa♯ there is a second-increased jump, with a very characteristic taste.
- Melodic: as you go up, Sol - La - Yes♭ - Do - Re - My♮ – Fa♯ - Sun; when it goes down, it returns to the natural scale. This is how you avoid that jump and the melody flows better.
On the score, the Fa♯ (and sometimes the My♮) does not appear in the armor: it is written as an accidental alteration in front of the note. So, if you see the armor of the minor Sun with many Fa♯, most likely the work is in the smaller Sun and not in the larger Bemol.
The main chords
- I · Tónica, Sol menor: Sun - Yes♭ - Re. The point of rest.
- IV · Subdominant, Do minor: Do - Mi♭ - Sol. Get away from the tonic gently.
- V · Dominant, Major Re: Re-Fa♯ - La. Thanks to the Fa♯ of the harmonic scale is a greater chord, with strength to return to the tonic.
- V7 · Seventh dominant: Re-Fa♯ - La-Do. The maximum voltage before solving.
- VI · My biggest bemol: My♭ - Sun - Yes♭. It brings light into the darkness and stars the «broken cadence».
- III · If bemol major: Yeah.♭ - Re-Fa. It is the tonic of the relative major, the usual destination when a minor work wants «open».
Examples of progress
- Perfect chain (I - IV - V7 - I): Solm → Dom → Re7 → Solm. It is the formula that confirms the tonality; you will hear it at the end of almost any work on the minor Sun.
- Broken (V-VI): Re7 → Mi♭. The ear awaits Solm and receives a major unexpected chord: a very romantic surprise resource.
- Low of regret: Sun - Fa - Mi♭ - Re in the bass, down by degrees. It is the classic gesture of duel and sadness, from the Baroque to today.
- Modulation to the relative: Solm → Fa7 → Yes♭. Enough with the dominant of Yes♭ to go into the light in the greatest way without changing armor.
Character
Two bemoles and a restless, passionate and sometimes fatalistic character. Mozart reserved it for some of his most dramatic works, such as symphonies No. 25 and No. 40. Today we know that with the temperate tuning all the tonalities sound equal to «tuned»but these associations continue to be part of the tradition and the way the composers choose them.
