So let's do some very quick three-part voice leading exercises to make sure we can handle dissonances in this context. When you're writing three or four parts, most importantly, all voices are still independent. Consecutive fifths and octaves are if anything more disruptive at this point as there is now more of a texture to disrupt. But, this is the most important. Each voice still probably ought to have its own melodic life, the demands of the vertical and the demands of the horizontal still apply. Since it's harder to have too much freedom on the vertical as we've already seen, the melodies might seem somewhat restricted, but they should still at least try to be treated as melodies. Not only does that make them more pleasing to sing, but the culturally studios that we have will actually hear the difference. As for style, well there's just a larger palette of textures now available. All the voices can move with the same rhythm in the same direction something called homophony or they can even move more on their own something closer to what we call polyphony. Now, there are degrees of all these textures, and there is often a good deal of flux between them. Cadences and very polyphonic music often contend towards the homophonic and that serves to articulate or to mark larger sections of music, more on that later. But right now, let's try one or two exercises, writing above a given voice. Here it's just a different different fixed voice now I just made it up, and let's test ourselves against this one. Let's write one note for each note in the bass just to get a feel for things. Now, one thing about writing like this is that it is possible to write a very nice beautiful counter melody that then completely restricts the choices for filling in the third voice. In other words, it's generally considered to be dangerous to completely finish one line, and then go back and try to fill in the other. Aren't that many interesting possibilities left over? Often better way, is to actually write both lines at once. It seems to better honor the simultaneity of the horizontal melodic values and the vertical consonants dissonance values. Let me show you what I mean by negative example first. In other words, I'm going to fill out the top line with something that has a little bit of arc to it. Here we go, up and then expressive leap I don't care what the middle voice is going to do. I want to leap and I want a cadential formula. I love this cadential formula. There intensely useful and it's the beginning of functional harmony as we'll discover in just a little bit. Anyway, here we are with just our two voices the bass and the prima donna outer voice. Now, that the top voice is enjoying herself, what shall we do with the middle voice? Well first of all, notice what I was saying before, the actual choices we can make are suddenly hemmed in. There are two other things out there to avoid parallel with not just one voice. We have to avoid parallels both with the top and the bottom voice. So, in other words, if we start on an F here, then we can't go to a G because it would be parallel octaves with the base. If we started on a D we couldn't go up to an E I mean despite the tri-tone we can go to an E flat because that would be parallel fifths with the top voice. We could go up to the B-flat if we felt strongly about it but, the only other places just going down to the D that's it. So, we really only have those three choices the D, the F or G. Now, tripling the B-flat having three voices all on a B flat. That's very possible. But here it sounds a little bit strong for me and that backs us even further into a limited corner of choices. If we do go to that B flat tripling it, then we can't go up by step because that would be parallel and we can't go down by step because that would be parallel, talk about claustrophobia. So if this goes to the F I guess it sounds good, but then that limits our next move. We can't go down to the E because that would be consecutive fifths with the base, jeez. By the way, let's go on a little bit to look at this. By the time we get to the high G in the melody, we have to be careful. Because, that G is a fifth above the lower voice. Now, technically an A would seem to work above the base two as it's a 6. Sixth are consonant remember, fifths are consonant. Can't we just get along? Apparently not. That whole step would be dissonant with each other. So, it's just not quite right. Fourths between the upper voice can be consonant because remember, fourths were and they were just squishally dissonance in the first place, but seconds between upper voices never can be made to sound consonant. Now, here's a fun thing. By the way when we start to talk about chord inversions, in other words triads that don't have the root in the base. This is known as wait for it, a 6 5 chord. It's a sixth above the base, and a fifth above the bass. Now, 6 5 chords are dissonant, and they require resolution in the common practice world. Which of course by the time you get out of the common practice world and into Debussy, 6 5 codes they are just another day in zed two daily. But hey, now at least we have a language to describe the difference between Mozart's Lin's taught to which needs resolution here's a 6-5 chord, and Debussy's eClaire that just floats away like a little piece of puff pastry. Trust me that is actually an exact metaphor. No seriously. Anyway, you get the general idea, the last voice we add just has so many more constraints on it. So, if you plan out both of the other voices too far in advance, the melodic line leftover just can't be as interesting. Now, before we get all righteous about that, let's remember that developing a language to talk about music should be useful either for your emotional enjoyment or for your intellectual stimulation or your musical performance or your composition. So, let's not say you shouldn't write out the top line and advance just that if you do the outer voices first, you're saying, that those are your values the top voice and the bottom voice. You don't actually want an interesting middle voice. This in fact happens all the time. I mean ask a viola player or ask the alto and a large chorus. Go ahead. Ask them when was the last time you had an interesting melody? Here's what's going to happen. Their eyes are going to mist over and they'll say, I remember it was 1992. The violins were gray or blue. Is that unfair? Yes yes. Yes. It is. But is there also just a grain of truth, like all viola jokes they are legion. There is a bit of truth to it, and the origins of that truth, like the origins of most truths in life are contrapuntal. But before we move on to the beginnings of harmony, let's look at just one more example of three part writing. Let's write out the top part again, this time using two notes for every note in the bass. Here we go remember it's consonant, we can have passing motion if we want. I'm still going to write in the intervals just so you know we stay awake, and maybe we can go up a scale. Can we go up a scale here? Why yes we can that D is going to be passing and here is another cadential formula, way. Now, let's look again at how restricted the middle voice is. More so now, because the upper line is even more interesting, check it out. If we start on an F, the next note can't go to G. That's octaves with a base, and it can't go to an E, that would be a tritone with the top voice and even parallel fifths a B flat and that's not going to sound great but it's possible. We're really pretty limited to just go into a D again, and now we are even more boxed in, can't go to the E, can't go to an F. We have to stay on a D or I don't maybe go down to a B-flat, but that unison is lame to me. I don't know, let's start over again, erase this, erase this. Let's see if we can make two melodies that we actually like both of them. In order to do so, we're going to have to write them at the same time. Here's what I mean. Let's do both voices at once. We're going to edge forward just a little bit in one voice and then quickly check back with our companion. Are you okay? How's your melody? How's it going? Great. How is yours doing? How's your melody? I'm fine. Thank you very much. It seems like a completely different method of writing, and now, both voices get to be tuneful. Look we can have these parallel sixth between the upper voices. Here the top voice moves expressively, and let's see here. The second voice seems to get a little moment of expressivity because we're waiting and seeing what's going to fit instead of completely boxing ourselves in. As we go, here we are, can we still have the same cadential formula? Yes we can, and hey that middle voice is going to sound rather nice. Let's just play this whole thing. Notice that, you can actually sing the middle voice and not have a completely awful time. Let's see. Here we go. How expressive that the voice is. That's actually pretty. Again, this is just a choice. What results, is a richer texture but richer textures like this, are often thicker and one of the skills every great composer has is, controlling their textures, with two singing independent beautiful voices. The sauce thickens up a little bit, with just one singing voice plus a filler. It's a leaner gravy. There is a time and a place and a meal for both.
