Getting Started
Having learned to identify basic nonharmonic tones that occur between chords, such as passing and neighbor tones, we now turn to embellishments that create dissonance on the beat. Suspensions and retardations are powerful tools for creating expressive tension by delaying the arrival of an expected chord tone, making its eventual appearance all the more satisfying.
What You Should Be Able to Do
Identify suspensions and retardations in a notated musical score.
Label the three distinct parts of a suspension: preparation, suspension, and resolution.
Notate a suspension correctly in a four-part texture when given a Roman numeral progression.
Interpret figured bass symbols (e.g., 4–3, 7–6) that specifically indicate a suspension.
Distinguish between a suspension and a retardation based on the direction of the resolution.
Key Concepts & Analysis
The proper handling of suspensions and retardations is a matter of voice-leading. These nonharmonic tones are defined by a strict, three-part melodic pattern that controls the introduction and resolution of dissonance.
The Three-Part Structure of Suspensions
A nonharmonic tone is a pitch that is not a member of the chord with which it sounds, creating a momentary dissonance. A suspension is a specific type of metrically accented nonharmonic tone defined by a three-step process.
Preparation (P): A chord tone that is part of a consonant harmony. This note is established smoothly before it becomes dissonant.
Suspension (S): The prepared note is held over (or rearticulated) as other voices move to a new chord. This sustained pitch is now dissonant with the new harmony. This event occurs on a strong beat.
Resolution (R): The dissonant suspended note moves down by step to a consonant chord tone within the new harmony. This occurs on a weaker beat.
Consider a C major chord (C-E-G) moving to a G major chord (G-B-D). If the C in an upper voice is held over the G major chord before resolving down to B, that C is a suspension.
Preparation: The C is a consonant part of the initial C major chord.
Suspension: The C is held as the harmony changes to G major, creating dissonance with the new chord.
Resolution: The C resolves down by step to B, a consonant member of the G major chord.
Common Types of Suspensions
Suspensions are classified by the numerical intervals formed between the suspended note and the bass note at the moment of dissonance and at the moment of resolution.
| Type | Figured Bass | Description | Common Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4–3 | 4–3 | The suspended note is a perfect fourth above the bass, which resolves down to a third. | Very common in an upper voice over a root-position chord (e.g., over V or I). |
| 7–6 | 7–6 | The suspended note is a seventh above the bass, which resolves down to a sixth. | Very common in an upper voice over a first-inversion chord (e.g., I6 or V6). |
| 9–8 | 9–8 | The suspended note is a ninth above the bass, which resolves down to an octave. | Occurs in an upper voice over a root-position chord. |
| 2–3 | 2–3 | The suspended note is in the bass voice, creating a second with an upper voice before resolving up to a third. This is often called a bass suspension. | The bass voice resolves up, but the dissonance resolves down relative to the upper voice. |
Variations on the Suspension
While the three-part pattern is constant, two common variations add further interest.
Rearticulated Suspension: Instead of being tied or held over from its preparation, the suspended note is struck again on the strong beat along with the new chord. The melodic pattern of preparation-dissonance-resolution remains identical, but the rhythmic articulation is different.
Chain of Suspensions: A sequence in which the resolution of one suspension serves as the preparation for the next. This often creates a descending stepwise pattern in one or more voices, frequently using a series of 7–6 suspensions over a descending bass line.
The Retardation
A retardation is a nonharmonic tone that is nearly identical to a suspension in its structure but with one crucial difference.
Preparation: Approached by the same note (consonant).
Dissonance: Held over a chord change on a strong beat (dissonant).
Resolution: Resolves upward by step to a consonant chord tone.
The most common retardation is the 7–8 retardation, where the leading tone (^7) is held over a tonic chord before resolving up to the tonic (^8). For analytical purposes, you are only required to identify retardations, not to write them. The key diagnostic is the upward resolution.
Data & Organization Tools
Suspensions and retardations embellish chords within a functional progression. Understanding the function of the underlying chords is essential context for analyzing these nonharmonic tones.
Diatonic Triads and Functions in C Major / c minor
| Scale Degree | Major Key Triad | Minor Key Triad | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| ^1 | I (Major) | i (minor) | Tonic (T) |
| ^2 | ii (minor) | ii° (diminished) | Predominant (PD) |
| ^3 | iii (minor) | III (Major) | Tonic (T) |
| ^4 | IV (Major) | iv (minor) | Predominant (PD) |
| ^5 | V (Major) | V (Major) | Dominant (D) |
| ^6 | vi (minor) | VI (Major) | Tonic (T) |
| ^7 | vii° (diminished) | vii° (diminished) | Dominant (D) |
Evidence Bank
Suspension: A nonharmonic tone prepared by common tone, sounded on a strong beat, and resolved down by step.
Retardation: A nonharmonic tone prepared by common tone, sounded on a strong beat, and resolved up by step.
Preparation-Suspension-Resolution: The mandatory three-stage melodic process for a valid suspension.
4–3 Suspension: A suspended note a fourth above the bass resolves to a third. It is the most frequent type, often used to embellish V–I or I–IV progressions.
7–6 Suspension: A suspended note a seventh above the bass resolves to a sixth, commonly found over chords in first inversion.
9–8 Suspension: A suspended note a ninth above the bass resolves to an octave.
Bass Suspension (2–3): The bass voice contains the dissonant note, which resolves up by step to form a consonant third with an upper voice.
Rearticulated Suspension: The dissonant note is restruck on the beat instead of being tied from its preparation.
Chain of Suspensions: A sequence of suspensions where the resolution of one prepares the next, creating a flowing, connected line.
Figured Bass for Suspensions: Arabic numerals like
4–3or7–6are a direct instruction in a figured bass line to write a suspension.
Skill Snapshots
Voice-Leading Rule: The suspended note must resolve down by step.
- Effect: This creates a predictable and smooth release of melodic and harmonic tension.
Voice-Leading Rule: The note of resolution should not be present in another voice while the suspension is sounding.
- Effect: This preserves the full impact of the dissonance; sounding the resolution early would "spoil" the effect.
Voice-Leading Rule: The preparation note must be a consonance within its chord.
- Effect: This ensures the dissonance feels like a deliberate delay of an expected tone, not an arbitrary or incorrect note.
Common Misconceptions & Clarifications
Suspension vs. Appoggiatura: An appoggiatura is approached by leap and resolves by step. A suspension is approached by common tone. The preparation is the defining difference.
The Numbers Refer to the Root: The figures (4–3, 7–6, etc.) describe intervals calculated from the bass note, regardless of whether that note is the root of the chord.
All Strong-Beat Dissonance is a Suspension: Not true. An accented passing tone or an appoggiatura can also create dissonance on a strong beat. A suspension is uniquely defined by its preparation by common tone.
Retardations are "Upward Suspensions": While they function similarly, the term "suspension" is reserved exclusively for downward resolutions. The correct term for an upward-resolving suspension-like figure is "retardation."
Summary
Suspensions and retardations are metrically accented nonharmonic tones that heighten musical expression by delaying the arrival of a stable chord tone. The defining characteristic of a suspension is its three-part voice-leading pattern: a consonant preparation, a dissonant suspension held over a chord change on a strong beat, and a downward stepwise resolution. Suspensions are classified by the intervals they form with the bass, such as the common 4–3, 7–6, and 9–8 types. Retardations follow the same pattern of preparation and dissonance but resolve upward by step. Mastery of these devices involves not only identifying them in a score but also correctly notating them according to the strict rules of voice-leading they demand.