tonica fugata part 2

More about four-part composition

Here comes another example of a four-part piece of music. What is new?

This song has a 6/8 time signature, and now the harmonization rhythm becomes important: "Eighth note" sounds somewhat restless. But the option "Quarter note" yields a very strange result as it wrongly sets the emphases in the measure. The correct setting is "dotted quarter note" so that harmonies always change after half of the measure.

Fermata

Sometimes tonica informs you that "No fermata are set!" So what? Why should fermata be important? This has to do with harmonization: It is common to add kind of an "ending" in the harmonies at the end of a section or a phrase. This defined harmony sequence at the end is called "cadence". Being a musician you will hear at once where a section ends and where a cadence should be - however, the software cannot recognize this. You will help create a smooth harmonization when you mark the last note of each section with a fermata.

Strange signs

Maybe you have asked yourself about the meaning of the signs below the notes. The roman numerals V or IV are musical terms applied in harmony theory. If you feel that you do not need them - no problem. tonica offers several kinds of harmonic descriptions, one of them is "Jazz" which you will probably know: Here, the four-note chord d-f sharp-a-c is described as D7. 

To be continued