Exercise

Bass 214 — Deceptive cadence, minor

Cadence formulasD minor

Corpus id bass-214 · cite this id — it is permanent

What it teaches

The deceptive cadence in minor: the bass rises only a half step to the major submediant, and the refusal turns from surprise to shadow.

The given bass

4/4	bar 1		bar 2		bar 3		bar 4		bar 5
Bass	D3		G2	A2	B♭2		G2	A2	D3
Figures				#				#

The given bass and its figures (D minor, 4/4; ⌒ = tied from the previous note)

The model realization

4/4	bar 1	bar 2		bar 3	bar 4		bar 5
Soprano	F4	G4	E4	D4	D4	C♯4	D4
Alto	D4	D4	C♯4	D4	B♭3	A3	A3
Tenor	A3	B♭3	A3	F3	G3	E3	F3
Bass	D3	G2	A2	B♭2	G2	A2	D3
Figures			#			#

The model realization (D minor, 4/4; ⌒ = tied from the previous note)

Both resolving voices land on the same tone: the leading tone rises to the tonic degree, the second degree falls to it, and the doubled third they make is the submediant’s. In minor the bass itself moves by semitone onto ♭6 — the refusal and the mode’s darkest degree in one gesture.

At the keyboard

The three upper voices of the model realization fit under one hand. The bass moves a half step where the major version moved a whole one — the deception arrives closer to home, and darker for it. Carry it into A minor, G minor.

Voice-leading patterns this exercise drills

Cite this exercise

Gradus Figured-Bass Corpus, bass-214 — Deceptive cadence, minor. v1.0. https://gradusmusic.com/figured-bass-corpus/exercise/bass-214

Corpus v1.0 · licensed CC-BY-4.0 · machine-readable at /api/v1/figured-bass/exercises/bass-214

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