Given melody

Melody 2 — Melody arc full close (second key)

Diatonic MelodiesF majorharmonize downward

Corpus id melody-2 · cite this id — it is permanent

What it teaches

A given melody is harmonized downward: read its arc, find the cadence it implies — the 2̂–1̂ close asks for V–I beneath it — and build the bass first.

The given melody

4/4	bar 1	bar 2	bar 3	bar 4	bar 5	bar 6	bar 7	bar 8
Soprano	A4	B♭4	C5	D5	C5	A4	G4	F4

The given melody — harmonize it downward (F major, 4/4; ⌒ = tied from the previous note)

Write the bass, the figures and the inner voices beneath it. Sing the line first; sketch the bass alone against it; add the figures your bass implies; fill the inner voices last.

The model harmonization

4/4	bar 1	bar 2	bar 3	bar 4	bar 5	bar 6	bar 7	bar 8
Soprano	A4	B♭4	C5	D5	C5	A4	G4	F4
Alto	F4	F4	F4	B♭4	G4	F4	E4	C4
Tenor	C4	D4	C4	F4	E4	C4	C4	A3
Bass	F3	B♭3	A3	B♭3	C4	F3	C3	F3
Figures			6

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

The melody rises by step to its peak and falls back to the tonic — and the bass answers it: fourths and fifths where the top moves by step, the full close arriving exactly where the line asks for it. The leading tone lands in an inner voice at the last cadence and falls to the fifth, so the final chord is complete.

At the keyboard

The three upper voices of the model realization fit under one hand. Carry it into C major, Bb major.

Voice-leading patterns this exercise drills

Cite this exercise

Gradus Figured-Bass Corpus, melody-2 — Melody arc full close (second key). v1.1. https://gradusmusic.com/figured-bass-corpus/exercise/melody-2

Corpus v1.1 · licensed CC-BY-4.0 · machine-readable at /api/v1/figured-bass/exercises/melody-2

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