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Emily Clark
9/29/15
MUSI 707

J.S. Bachs Prelude in C minor is a piece that uses neighbor tones and suspensions to create
musical phrases. The first four measures establish the tonic by outlining the tonic and keeping a steady
low C as a pedal tone in the bass. Measures 5-14 is a passage that uses a chain of suspensions between
the soprano and bass to tonicize the relative major key of E flat major. To do this, a repetitive pattern is
used, where the chord is outlined in both hands and then is embellished with lower neighbor tones. The
lower neighbor tones are found on the and of every beat in a melodic pattern that pertains throughout
all of these measures. The lower neighbor tones are circled as an example in measures 4 and 5 given
below.

There is slight variance to this pattern in the bass in measures 10-13. On beats 2 and 4, instead
of having the four sixteenth note pattern leap up by third to the chord tone and then embellished by the
lower neighbor on the and; the four note pattern descends down by step. The lower neighbor is still
used to embellish the harmony on the and of the beat, but the pattern varies. This can be seen in the
example below of measures 10 and 11. The goal of doing this is to keep the audiences interest by
breaking up the old pattern and adding something new without distorting the overall feel of harmony

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and rhythmic pattern.

In the first level of reduction, the lower neighbor tones have been eliminated to reveal the
chords that are being outlined. Some of these chords are harmonic and others are contrapuntal.
Measure 5 as seen above is a VI6 chord in which the third, Ab, is doubled in the bass and tenor voices.
This gives the listener the first diversion from the tonic chord and sets the ear up for a harmonic
progression away from tonic. Measure 6 is a dissonant V4/2 of V chord which is functioning
contrapuntally. There is a dissonance created between the soprano on a D and the bass on a C. This
chord resolves in measure 7 to a harmonic V6 chord. The dissonance in the bass, C, resolves down by
step to a Bb in measure 7. Measure 8 is a V4/2 of IV chord. The dissonance is again created between the
bass, C, and soprano, B flat. There is also a tritone created between the bass B flat, and alto E natural.
This chord resolves to a first inversion IV chord, in which the bass again resolves down by step.

The last five measures of this passage (m.10-14) involve two more dissonant chords that finally
lead to the tonicization of E flat major. Measure 10 is a dissonant V4/2 of III which resolves to a first
inversion III chord. There is a M2 dissonance once again created between the soprano, B flat, and the
bass, A flat. The bass resolves these intervals by moving down by step to a G in measure 11. Measure 12

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is a V6/5 of II chord which creates a M2 dissonance between the soprano, A flat, and the alto G.
However, this dissonance is resolved in a tricky way through voice exchange. The alto G is still resolved
down by step, but the F appears in the tenor instead of the alto. The alto skips down to a B flat to
complete the V6/5 of III chord in measure 13. The dissonance in this chord is created between the
soprano, A flat, and the alto, B falt. This is resolved by the soprano moving down by step to the G in
measure 14. This phrase ends in measure 14 on the III chord and at this point, the key of E flat major has
been successfully tonicized.

This can be simplified by looking at the second level of reduction which eliminates the alto and
tenor voices so that one can see the chain of suspensions happening between the soprano and bass.This
level of reductin shows Bachs use of fourth species counterpoint in which the bass serves as the cantus
firmus since it starts on Do and ends on Do. Measures 5-11 are simply a repeated pattern in which the
bass creates the dissonances. The bass resolutions down by step also serve as the prepartion for the
dissonant suspensions in the soprano.

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In measure 5 the soprano and bass start out consonant on the VI chord, and an interval of a 10th
is created (M3). The bass is then tied over into measure 6 in which it creates a supsension of a 9th
interval with the soprano. The bass resolves this dissonance by moving down by step to a B flat in
measure 7, but the soprano is suspended over into measure 7. The soprano moves down by step to a C
which creates another dissoance with the supsended B flat in the bass. The bass moves down by step to
an Ab in meaure 9 creating another consonant 10th interval. This is then made into a dissoant interval in
the succeeding measure when the soprano moves down to the B flat.
In measure 11 the bass resolves down by step from a suspended A flat to a G. This is the
resolution to the chain of suspensions that has occurred. In the following measures 12-14 the bass
moves up by step so that E flat major is reached from the leading tone in the bass, affirming the new
tonality. The soprano stays on the A flat in measures 12 and 13 and it reaches the Eb major by step from
Re. This is a tonicization of the key of E flat major and not a modulation because of the way it was
approached. The dominant chord in measure 13 is not in root position, it is a V6/5. Therefore the III
chord is weak because there is no Sol to Do motion in the bass. Also if one looks ahead in the music at
measure 14, III is immediately left and there is no cadence in this key.
In conclusion, measures 5-14 is a passage in Bachs C minor prelude, that is used to tonicize the
key of E flat major. This is done through a chain of suspensions between the soprano and bass to move
from a I chord in measure 5 to the destination of the III chord in measure 14.