Alfred Day's Treatise on Harmony

Alfred Day's controversial work, presenting the case for strict and free harmony, in its second edition of 1885.

Alfred Day (Author), G. A. Macfarren (Edited by)

9781108038607, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 19 January 2012

246 pages
24.4 x 17 x 1.3 cm, 0.4 kg

Alfred Day (1810–49) first published this controversial work in 1845 to substantial negative criticism. He was encouraged in his enterprise by the composer George Alexander Macfarren (1813–87) who remained a staunch supporter of Day's theories. The work begins with an introduction to Day's new approach to the figured bass and then moves on to set out his concept of diatonic (or strict) harmony and chromatic (or free) harmony. Each is discussed in depth, with sections devoted to common chords and their inversions, discords, pedals and modulation together with a large number of musical examples. This second edition of 1885 by Macfarren includes an additional preface discussing the genesis of the work and supporting its basic premise, together with an extensive appendix presenting his additions and differences of view, developed during the intervening period. Despite its complexity, Day's thinking had considerable influence on later writers on harmony.

Author's preface
Editor's preface
General introduction: of thorough bass
Part I. Diatonic Harmony, or Harmony in the Strict Style: 1. Of intervals
2. Scales and keys
3. Of the progression of parts in the diatonic or strict style
4. Of common chords and their inversions
5. Of sequence
6. Of discords
7. The first species of diatonic discords
8. The second species of discords
9. The third species of discords
10. The fourth species of discords
11. Of pedals in the strict or diatonic style
12. Of modulation in the strict or diatonic style
Part II. Chromatic Harmony, or Harmony in the Free Style: Introduction
13. Of chromatic or fundamental harmony, the intervals used therein, and chromatic scales
14. Of the progression of parts in chromatic harmony
15. Of false relation as regards fundamental harmony
16. Of common chords and their first inversions
17. Of the second inversions of concords
18. Of the fundamental sevenths of the dominant, supertonic, and tonic
19. Of the fundamental minor and major ninths of the dominant, supertonic, and tonic
20. Of the chord of the fundamental eleventh of the dominant
21. Of the fundamental chords of the thirteenth of dominant, supertonic, and tonic
22. Of the chords of the augmented sixth
23. Of the suspension of fundamental chords
24. Of mixture of the diatonic and chromatic styles
25. Of diatonic and chromatic passing notes in the free style, and arpeggios
26. Of pedals in the free style
27. Of modulation in the free style
Appendix
Postscript.

Subject Areas: Music reviews & criticism [AVC]