The Tone of Sun Sustained Minor

What is Sun Sustained 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 Sun held less the tonic is Sun♯ and the scale is smaller, that is, with a third minor (Sun♯-) that gives it a darker color than that of the larger tonalities.

Share armor with If greater, its relative tonality: the same notes, but with another center. And he shares tonic with Major sustained sun, its homonymous tonality, which carries 8 supports (counting a double sustained), so it is a theoretical tonality that is almost not used. Its enharmonic equivalent, The minor bemol, has seven bemoles, so it is much more common to write it as a minor sustained Sun.

The armor

The armor has 5 supports, which are always written in this order at the beginning of each pentagram:

• Fa♯ · Do♯ · Sun♯ · Re♯ · The♯
• Trick to remember it: the supports advance by ascending fifths (Fa → Do → Sol → Re → The → Mi → Yes), and the last sustained is always half tone below the larger tone.

The three smaller scales

Like all minor tonality, minor sustained Sun can be touched in three ways. The difference is in notes 6 and 7:

• Natural: Sun♯ - The♯ - Yes - Do♯ - Re♯ - My - Fa♯ - Sun♯. It's exactly the notes of the armor.
• Harmonic: Sun♯ - The♯ - Yes - Do♯ - Re♯ - My... Fa - Sun♯. The seventh is raised to create the «sensitive», the note that pulls towards the tonic. Between Mi and Fa, there is an increased second jump, with a very characteristic taste.
• Melodic: As you go up, Sun♯ - The♯ - Yes - Do♯ - Re♯ - My♯ – Fa - Sun♯; when you go down, you return to the natural scale. This is how you avoid that jump and the melody flows better.

On the score, the Fa (and sometimes the Me)♯) does not appear in the armor: it is written as an accidental alteration in front of the note. Therefore, if you see the minor sustained Sun armor with many Fa-hes, it is most likely that the work is in the minor sustained Sun and not in the greater One. The "sign" is a double hold: Fa "sounds just like Sun.

The main chords

• I · Tonic, minor sustained sun: Sun♯ - Yes - Re♯. The point of rest.
• IV · Subdominant, minor sustained Do: Do♯ - My - Sun♯. Get away from the tonic gently.
• V · Dominant, major sustained 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 eldest: My - Sun♯ - Yeah. It brings light into the darkness and stars the «broken cadence».
• III · If greater: Yes - 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): Sun♯m → Do♯m → Re♯7 → Sun♯m. It is the formula that confirms the tonality; you will hear it at the end of almost any minor sustained Sun work.
• Broken (V-VI): Re♯7 → Mi. The ear awaits Sun♯m and receives a major unexpected chord: a very romantic surprise resource.
• Low of regret: Sun♯ - Fa♯ - My - Re♯ down, down by degrees. It is the classic gesture of duel and sadness, from the Baroque to today.
• Modulation to the relative: Sun♯m → Fa♯7 → Yes. It is enough with the dominant of Yes to go into the light in the greater way without changing the armor.

Character

Five braces and a sharp, bright and restless sound. It is a rare tone, very linked to the virtuous piano of Romanticism. 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.

Works to listen to her

• Bach: Prelude and escape No. 18, BWV 863, of The well-tempered key, book I (1722).
• Chopin: Preludio op. 28 ° 12 (1838-1839).
• Liszt: «The bell»of the Large studies of Paganini (1851).
• Scriabin: Sonata for piano # 2, «Sonata--fantasy», op. 19 (1897).
• Rachmaninoff: Preludio op. 32 ° 12 (1910).