@@nathanielholzgrafe5274 The first half of the pattern Rachmaninov uses here (I - V/vi - vi with a tonic pedal creating an enharmonic augmented 5th on the second chord) is found in Dichterliebe VII. "Ich grolle nicht", bar 4 in the same exact key, as well as the slow central section of his Piano Concerto mvt. 1 (7 bars before Allegro, rehearsal mark C) going from DbM to Bbm. I'm sure there's other examples. As another commenter pointed out, though, the augmented chords here are mostly flavour - the modulations are fairly simple (CM/Am/DM/Bm/EM) and would work just as well with simple dominant 7ths. Using an augmented 5th on a dominant function is quite frequent in 19th century music (aside from Schumann, Chopin and Brahms in particular do it quite often).
Though these are technically augmented triads, they all serve functionally as dominant V chords that lead into the new key. I think these examples feel less like "Augmented chords modulating through random keys" and moreso, "changing one semitone of the V chord to make it an augmented chord". C+ to Amin is the same as a secondary dominant with the leading tone, the only difference is the raised 5th of the E chord.
Agreed and he uses two ways of approaching the new keys: 1. Stepwise down the scale creating those wild C+/B and D+/C#, walking down C - B - Am and D - C# - Bm 2. Taking the vi chord of the current key, making it augmented, then going up a half-step to the new major. C#m (key of E major) - C#+ (inversion of augmented dominant chord A+) - D and Bm (key of D) - B+ (inversion of augmented dominant chord B) - E These are awesome movements. The walk down creates the semitone dissonance and the walk up pedals the root and let's the chord lift up dramatically before resolving to the new key.
I wanted to learn about Rach-Modulations, not get an emotional breakdown because of this beauty of a section. Guess I got both
I guess he learned a few tricks from Schumann.
Please, where is Schumann using this trick or augmented modulations?
@@nathanielholzgrafe5274 The first half of the pattern Rachmaninov uses here (I - V/vi - vi with a tonic pedal creating an enharmonic augmented 5th on the second chord) is found in Dichterliebe VII. "Ich grolle nicht", bar 4 in the same exact key, as well as the slow central section of his Piano Concerto mvt. 1 (7 bars before Allegro, rehearsal mark C) going from DbM to Bbm. I'm sure there's other examples.
As another commenter pointed out, though, the augmented chords here are mostly flavour - the modulations are fairly simple (CM/Am/DM/Bm/EM) and would work just as well with simple dominant 7ths. Using an augmented 5th on a dominant function is quite frequent in 19th century music (aside from Schumann, Chopin and Brahms in particular do it quite often).
@@Franky_M thank you. The modulations are standard but the semitone rub of I+/vi underneath the augmented sound is interesting color indeed.
would be easier if demonstrated on piano where the precise augmented chord lies
Sounds like a good idea - I'll see what I can do
Edit: Piano version available here
th-cam.com/video/6d6y8_9lkho/w-d-xo.htmlsi=AuHSkPOUXUlQyIXH
Though these are technically augmented triads, they all serve functionally as dominant V chords that lead into the new key. I think these examples feel less like "Augmented chords modulating through random keys" and moreso, "changing one semitone of the V chord to make it an augmented chord". C+ to Amin is the same as a secondary dominant with the leading tone, the only difference is the raised 5th of the E chord.
Agreed and he uses two ways of approaching the new keys:
1. Stepwise down the scale creating those wild C+/B and D+/C#, walking down C - B - Am and D - C# - Bm
2. Taking the vi chord of the current key, making it augmented, then going up a half-step to the new major. C#m (key of E major) - C#+ (inversion of augmented dominant chord A+) - D and Bm (key of D) - B+ (inversion of augmented dominant chord B) - E
These are awesome movements. The walk down creates the semitone dissonance and the walk up pedals the root and let's the chord lift up dramatically before resolving to the new key.
Is this the Philadelphia/Ormandy recording?
No, it's the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Eivind Gullberg Jensen
Is this from the Isle of the Dead?
it's from the third movement of the second symphony, about halfway in