4 Part Harmony Exercise with French Augmented 6th Chords

Im looking for some feedback on this exercise that I composed. I tried to make use of French Augmented 6th Chord. I have started to study the usage of augmented 6th chords and wanted feedback on if I am using them properly here. Thanks!

Nice job!  I think you use the French 6th properly in the various harmonic contexts.  Now try using the Italian 6th and the German 6th too!  (Plus there are other rare varieties with whimsical geographical names such as the Australian 6th and Japanese 6th LoL)  Thanks for sharing.

2 hours ago, PeterthePapercomPoser said:

gNice job!  I think you use the French 6th properly in the various harmonic contexts.  Now try using the Italian 6th and the German 6th too!  (Plus there are other rare varieties with whimsical geographical names such as the Australian 6th and Japanese 6th LoL)  Thanks for sharing.

 

Thanks! I am planning on using those soon! I have started to study these chords and wanted to start to implement them in my writing! I will start to study the Italian and German 6th chords soon!

3 hours ago, Guardian25 said:

Thanks! I am planning on using those soon! I have started to study these chords and wanted to start to implement them in my writing! I will start to study the Italian and German 6th chords soon!

I think Italian 6th is easier than French 6th since there's less eeriness in it without that tritone but with a double 3rd. German 6th on the other hand is one of my favourite chord as it's interchangable with the dominant seventh of the Neapolitan key. Just beware of the parallel fifth when the Ger. 6th is resolved to a V chord will be fine!

Henry

Hey @Guardian25,

I feel like you improve so much than the last time you're here when we were discussing SATB harmony. I particularly like those French 6ths in b.13 and 16 since they are well prepared by suspension. Good job on this!

Henry

44 minutes ago, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

Hey @Guardian25,

I feel like you improve so much than the last time you're here when we were discussing SATB harmony. I particularly like those French 6ths in b.13 and 16 since they are well prepared by suspension. Good job on this!

Henry

 

Thanks! I have been doing a good deal of studying when it comes to Harmony and Counterpoint and have learned a lot since the last time I posted my previous SATB exercise! 

Hi Guardian25,

I think you used the French Sixth properly in this exercise, but I have a few comments:

1. In Bar 6, the movement from E to F-sharp in the bass may sound awkward since both chromatic notes, F-sharp and A-flat, are meant to move up or down a semitone. Therefore, the French Sixth in Bar 6 may not be suitable. Replacing the F-sharp with an F-natural does the job, changing the chord to a diminished supertonic seventh (D, F, A-flat, and C) in C major.
2. Augmented sixth chords are commonly played with the flattened submediant (♭6) as the bass note. From your exercise sheet, only the French Sixth in Bar 13 has ♭6 in the bass, while the rest do not. However, it should not be a big deal if the raised fourth (♯4) moves by semitones, like in Bars 2-3 and 16-17.
3. In Bars 12-13, the C in the alto part moves up an augmented second to the D-sharp of the French Sixth - try to avoid this voicing. Instead, consider changing the C to D to make the voicing stronger. Otherwise, the C may be heard as if moving down to B in the tenor since these notes are a semitone apart.

9 hours ago, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

I think Italian 6th is easier than French 6th since there's less eeriness in it without that tritone but with a double 3rd. German 6th on the other hand is one of my favourite chord as it's interchangable with the dominant seventh of the Neapolitan key. Just beware of the parallel fifth when the Ger. 6th is resolved to a V chord will be fine!

In my opinion, the French Sixth is my favourite among the three augmented sixth chords since it is rich harmonically. I rarely use the Italian Sixth because it has only three notes, while the German Sixth has a perfect fifth interval, which may sound hollow. However, as Henry said, the German Sixth can be an excellent pivot chord since it is closely linked to the dominant seventh chord. Also, care should be taken when using the German Sixth: a 6-4 tonic chord is usually needed to avoid the parallel fifth.

Carl Koh Wei Hao

Interesting.

As @Carl Koh Wei Hao mentioned, I am used to the classic arrangement of augmented sixths where in the bass there is the b6 in the bass that resolves on the 5th in a descending manner and note #4 resolves on the 5th in an ascending manner.
Of course, other inversions are possible, as shown here.
These augmented sixth chords are also useful for modulation. With the French augmented sixth by enharmony you can modulate, for example, at a distance of one tritone (say from Bmin to Fmin).