Re: Levine and dominant resolutions

David McGillicuddy ( davidm@scruznet.com )
Thu, 10 Jul 1997 19:09:59 +0100

>1) 7alt descend a perfect 5th = 7(#11) decend a half step
>2) 7alt descend a major 3rd = 7(#11) up a whole step
>3) 7alt up a half step = 7(#11) descend a perfect 4th
>
>The first resolution is the usual urge of the dominant V 7th chord to go
>down a 5th, or conversely its subV7 to go down a half step.
>The second I don't see it explained by Levine,(maybe I overlooked), but in
>the light of plagal cadences discussions (another thing to thank Reed for),
>this can only be explained by the IVm6 -> I move, here using the backdoor
>dominant (using Bert Ligon's term) bVII7(9) instead. The major 3rd descent
>of 7alt is then the result of tritone sub.

>
>Anyone care to coment on this?

I always heard the resolution #2 (example E7#9 to Cmaj7 ) as V/vi that
resolves to I. If it is Bb13#11 I seem to hear it as a half cadence
followed by a direct modulation. It seems to happen at the end of phrases
(Stella, Just Friends) where you would expect that kind of modulation.

I think it would be difficult to explain how early- to mid- twentieth
century composers were using melodic minor theory ( by this I mean calling
E7#9 or Bb13#11 a member of the iv group) before the post bop players began
exploiting this sound.

On a related note, I also thought is was strange to analyze the bridge of
What is this thing... by calling the Ab7 a tritone sub for D7. Was the
original change D7 and the be-boppers put in Ab7? Even in the Sinatra
arrangement I have heard they are playing Ab7, which leads me to believe
that that was the original change. Was Cole Porter using the tritone sub
almost fifteen years before the be-boppers? I tend to agree with Roger
McDuffie that it is Aug6 resolution.

>The third resolution I'm not really sure, but seems the 7alt up a half-step
>is the source, because VII is largely used as a diatonic sub to V, retaining
>the dominant function, thus resolving nicely to I.

I think vii is largely used as ii/vi in jazz, giving it a subdominant
function. You could hear the up a half step resolution as V/iii resolving
to I as a sub ( I think that is being discussed in the But Beautiful
thread). I read the editied discussion of I Remember You and I think Reed
has a good explaination of why this resolution works in some tunes.

In the edited discussion of Stella, reed says

>In fact despite all this, the Emi7b7 to A7 still functions as a
>Dbdim7 chord which naturally can move to Cmi7, which is the next
>chord.

Actually, Cm7 is one of four chords I would expect to not come after
Dbdim7, since it is neither a viidim7 of C nor an irregular resolution
(Cdim to Cm). It works in Someday My Prince as a passing chord, but in
Stella it must be doing something else.

David