The Building Blocks of Tonal Harmony
These patterns — cadences, rules of the octave, sequences — are the vocabulary of tonal composition. Every great composer from Bach to Brahms internalized them through years of keyboard study and thoroughbass realization. Gradus teaches them the same way: by drilling them until they are reflexive.
Source: Derek Remes, A Compendium of Thoroughbass Patterns (scholarly edition) — integrated into Gradus Stage II
Simple Cadence — Major
13o2o711oANT–PEN–ULT cadence with discant and tenor clausulae in C major.
Simple Cadence — Minor
13o#72o11oANT–PEN–ULT cadence with discant and tenor clausulae in A minor.
Compound Cadence — Octave Position
3o2o1o321Compound cadence in C major, resolving to octave and third positions.
Syncopated Cadence — Discant Clausula
3o12o71o131o27o11oCadence with "syncopated" discant clausula creating 7–6 suspension.
Double Cadence — 5–4–3 (Major)
1o3o5o5431o5431o3o5o54#1o54#Double cadence with 5–4–3 suspension pattern in octave and third positions.
Rule of the Octave — C Major (Basic)
1o52o63o654o65o56o67o61o51o57oBasic Rule of the Octave ascending and descending in C major with modulation to G, 2 voices.
Rule of the Octave — A Minor (Basic)
1o52o´3o654o65o5#661o51o566Basic Rule of the Octave ascending and descending in A minor, 2 voices.
Rule of the Octave — C Major (4–3 Suspensions)
1o52o6433o64o655o56o67o651o5Rule of the Octave with 4–3 suspensions on strong beats, C major.
Why These Patterns Matter
The Rule of the Octave is not a scale exercise — it is the harmonic vocabulary of the entire Baroque and Classical era. Knowing which chord harmonizes each scale degree is what allows a composer to write a bass line and hear the harmony above it in real time.
Cadence patterns are the punctuation of tonal music. Syncopated cadences (suspensions resolving 4–3, 7–6, 9–8) are the most expressive harmonic events in the language. Drill these until they are reflexes, and you will hear them everywhere.
Gradus includes the full Remes Compendium — cadences, double cadences, syncopated cadences, rules of the octave in major and minor, sequences, bass patterns, and schemata — rendered in live VexFlow notation with figured bass annotations and keyboard realization practice.
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