Prior Knowledge: A solid working knowledge of chords and part-writing.
Content of Lesson: This lesson should help you get to grips with what a suspension is and where to use one in your chorales.
This lesson will help you understand what a suspension is and where you can use one in your chorales.
What is a Suspension?
A suspension is a non-harmony note that “hangs over” a change in chord, creating a dissonance, and then moves downwards by step to resolve the dissonance.
A suspension must always be prepared, suspended and resolved in the same part in a Bach chorale:
Notice the Alto preparing the F as a harmony note (belonging to the chord) before it suspends, creating a dissonance with the Soprano, before it moves down to an E to resolve. In this case it is a 4-3 suspension, which is discussed below.
Suspensions can be prepared and/or resolved in quavers as well as crotchets. You will see examples of both throughout this guide.
Types of Suspension
Suspensions in Bach Chorales should be one of three types:
4-3 Suspensions
The most effective suspension is created using a 4th above the bass, resolving downwards to a 3rd. It is so effective because the note of resolution is not already sounding in another part.
Notice here how the alto part is, at the point of suspension (S), a 4th above the bass (we ignore octave displacement). At this point the note is dissonant, as it does not belong to the underlying harmony of C major.
It then resolves (R) to a 3rd above the bass, resting back on a harmony note.
As said above, the note of resolution (E in this case) is not sounded anywhere else in the chord, creating the most effective type of suspension.
Where to use this Suspension?
To find where to place a 4-3 suspension, look for two chords where the roots are a 4th apart. In the example above, F followed by C. These positions will always allow a suspension to take place. The example below is another 4-3 suspension, this time using quaver motion to resolve the suspension:
As before, notice the 4th leap in the bass (this time down not up). It is prepared, suspended and resolved in the same voice.
7-6 Suspensions
This is where your 7th Chords come into their own in your Bach Chorale. There are other ways you can integrate them, but suspensions effectively tick two examiner boxes at once.
A 7-6 suspension is produced by preparing and then suspending a note a 7th above the bass, before resolving it downwards by step to a 6th above the bass:
Notice in this example, we have created a suspension in the alto part which moves from a 7th to a 6th above the bass.
Where to use this Suspension?
As in the example above, and the example below, you can find a bassline that moves up by step. You have to take care with a 7-6 suspension however, as it almost always makes use of inverted chords, as both of these examples have.
Here the suspension is placed in the Tenor line. You can clearly see the 7-6 movement of the Tenor over the Bass.
9-8 Suspensions
A 9-8 suspension involves the movement of a 9th (or compound 2nd) to an 8ve. It is a strong dissonance, as the suspension is clashing with and resolving onto the root of the chord. It can also be labelled a 2-1 suspension, as the octaves are usually not taken into consideration when labelling suspensions.
In these examples, the first has the suspension in the alto and the second has it in the tenor. In both examples, the 9-8 movement can clearly be seen resolving onto the 8ve above the bass.
Where can I use this Suspension?
You may use this suspension anywhere with a gap of a 5th between the bass notes. See the above example for how this can work. However, be careful of creating parallels!
What about Suspensions in the Bass?
These can be used sparingly, and always form 2-3 suspensions. Notice the larger number is second, as when the bass drops the interval increases rather than decreasing as with other suspensions.
Notice with this example, the bass falls by a step. This allows us to place a suspension in the bass, delaying the stepwise fall in the bassline. The bass’s E clashes with the alto’s F as a compound 2nd, before resolving to an interval of a compound 3rd.
Where can I use this Suspension?
Where the bass falls by step, as long as it can produce a clash of a 2nd resolving to a 3rd (2-3).
Chaining Suspensions
Bach was fond of chaining suspensions, using the resolution of a suspension to prepare another. Look at the example below:
Here, a chain of suspensions is produced in the Tenor voice by preparing suspensions one after another with a quaver note.
Overlapping suspensions in different parts can also be used, but are more difficult to manage.
Summary
You should now be able to:
- Identify a suspension in a piece of music.
- Understand the constituent parts of a suspension (prepare, suspend, resolve).
- Be able to create suspensions to develop your harmony.
When you are done here, click here to return to the Bach Chorale lesson menu.
0 Comments