Johann Strauss, sr., Radetzky March

The Radetzky March, op. 228 (1848), is the most well-known composition of Johann Strauss, sr. I am including it here partly for that reason, but partly also to begin making the point that there were repertoires other than the waltz in which the dominant ninth made inroads. Granted, these other repertoires--especially the polka--were directly influenced by the waltz practices of the 1820s and 1830s.

In general, marches were treated more traditionally than dance genres and the dominant ninth is relatively rare in them, but the Radetzky March, especially at the fast tempo it is usually heard today, is loosely aligned in its figures and expression with the galop, and figures from dance or theatrical music play a major role.

Note the parallelism of ^6-^5 over V then over I in the first strain (bars 5-6).

In the trio, we hear two direct resolutions of the ninth: see the arrows in the examples below:

First strain:

Second strain:

Others, circa 1800-1850

Carl Czerny, 100 Progressive Recreations (alternate titles: Erster Clavier-Unterricht in 100 Unterholungen; 100 Recréations) is unusual for Czerny in that it was not assigned an opus number and the date of first publication is uncertain (at least, I can't find one easily). Also, somewhat unusually, the majority of the 100 pieces are simplified versions of familiar melodies or excerpts from larger compositions, as with Bellini's Norma in this case. This example is interesting for the suspension figure that begins with the dramatically emphasized and positioned ^6. The whole figure fits my category 1.3 best, even though the ninth is not attacked again on the strong beat.

Auber, Die Muette de Portici, n24 "Honneur" theme. Also in category 1.3 (arrow, second system third bar), but in 1.2 (arrow, second system sixth bar), the difference being that the latter is sounded on a weak beat.

Donizetti in Czerny, 100 Recreations. Category 1.3 in bar 7 (D6 on the strong beat resolves to C6 within the dominant harmony). In bars 3-4, however, I am wary of the 32nd note C6. If that is a resolution, then category 1.3 holds, but I prefer 2.1, an indirect resolution of ^6 to ^5 over the tonic chord, and therefore bar 3 is a proper dominant ninth chord.

Donizetti, Princess Helena's Polka, as arranged by Allen Dodworth (New York, 1847). The modern notation is by Robert A. Hudson. A clear V9 harmony with the uncommon rising resolution.

Rossini from La Cenerentola, in Czerny 100 Recreations. A simple emphasized upper neighbor/appoggiatura, immediately resolved within the V chord.

William Schubert, arranger, Three Favorite Polkas (Philadelphia, 1845), n1. Indirect resolution of the ninth to the fifth of the tonic chord, category 2.1.

Allen Dodworth, Very Best Polka (New York, 1850). The modern notation is by Robert A. Hudson. As above, indirect resolution (category 2.1). In bars 6-8, ^5 is easily imagined given the earlier figure in bars 2-4.

Henri Appy, Elizabeth Polka. Published in St. Louis in 1853. Direct (or very quick indirect) resolution (boxed). An ascending cadence gesture in bars 7-8.

W. P. Badger, Pascagoula Melodies n1: Union Polka (Boston, 1853). Direct resolution in the boxes.

Ferdinand Beyer, Trois Polkas, op 51, n1: Camellia Polka (Mainz, 1846?).

Mozart

Mozart, always keenly aware of music for dancing, held an appointment during the last three years of his life as a composer of dance music for the Imperial court. Among these works are three sets of German Dances, K600, 605, and 606. In none of them does he write a properly functional dominant ninth harmony (that is one with a direct or indirect resolution of ^6 to ^5 in the following tonic), but his treatment of scale degree ^6 is worth some attention. Two additional examples come from late sets of menuets, K568 & 599.

German Dances, K600n2, trio. We've seen this in earlier posts on Theodor Lachner and Josef Lanner: the clichéd 18th century cadence with ii6 as harmonization of a figure emphasizing ^6. It was the simplified harmonies of the Laendler tradition (without the ii6) that led to a distinct dominant ninth harmony, but we can see here that the melodic figure was already well established in concert music (or formal music for dance), too.

K600n3, trio, first strain. What I would call the "other" way to treat harmony below ^6 before the nineteenth century: as viiø7.

K600n3, trio, second strain. The double positioning of ^6 in parallel figures over tonic and dominant is straight out of the Laendler repertoire.

German Dances, K606n1. Attention to the same ^6-^5 figure but only over I. This is one of the closest imitations of the Laendler style in Mozart's music (there are others!).

Menuets, K568n1. Even in the menuets one can sometimes hear the ascending drive across a strain toward an expressive ^6 (circled), but note that Mozart uses IV in the bass.

Menuets, K599n12, trio. The figures in bars 3, 5, and 6 belong to the menuet repertoire and predate 1790 by several decades. The point of interest is the piccolo in bar 7: once again a gradual, persistent rise across the strain toward an expressive ^6 but this time it is firmly over V and on the beat. The sound of bar 7, then, is certainly that of the dominant ninth chord, even if we cannot really apply the label to the harmony.

Johann Strauss, sr.

Johann Strauss, sr.—also called Johann Strauss I in the literature—was an excellent violinist who started playing professionally under Michael Pamer, the most important connection between the earlier waltz and Laendler traditions and urban practices after about 1820. Strauss then played under Josef Lanner, but soon formed his own band (in 1825) and enjoyed immediate success. The pieces below come from the last two years of his life; he died in 1849.

Strauss, sr. Damen Souvenir Polka, op236, second strain. An indirect—actually very nearly direct—resolution, thus either category 2.1 or 2.4 depending on how you hear it.

Strauss, sr., Die Sorgenbrecher Walzer, op230n2. Here Strauss puts such emphasis on E6, as the ninth, that it is not hard to imagine we hear a D6 over the subsequent tonic.

The remaining examples are also direct resolutions to the tonic (my category 2.3).

Strauss, sr., Wiener Kreuze Polka, op220

Strauss, sr., op236, first strain

Strauss, sr., Exeter Polka, op249 2trio

Strauss, sr., Die Adepten Walzer, op216n5

Josef Lanner

Josef Lanner is the one contemporary about whom we can be confident that he influenced Schubert's own waltz improvisation and composition. We know that Schubert heard Lanner’s orchestra in live performance, probably on multiple occasions and while Johann Strauss, sr., was still a member of the band.

Lanner, Trennungs-Walzer (1828), op19_n5, first strain. A curiously reversed resolution in bars 9-10. The circles throughout the strain show the overwhelming dissonance-resolution motive. In bars 9-10, however, the third of the underlying chord (D#5/D#6) is resolved to the ninth C#5/C#6!

Lanner, Flora-Walzer, op33_n4, first strain. Scale degree ^6 is a melodic element in each instance.

Lanner, Redout-Carneval-Tänze (second set; 1830), op42_n5, first strain. Similar to op19n5 in its motive, but now there is no "mistake" about the resolution of ^6.

Lanner, op19_n2. As in the previous example.

Lanner, op33_n4, second strain. Similar to one of the examples from Schubert in its sustained drive upwards culminating on the highly expressive ^6 as the ninth of the dominant.

Lanner, op42_n6. Three different treatments of the ninth, at (a), (b), and (c).

The remaining examples are all direct resolutions, that is, the ninth resolves not within the dominant but in the following tonic.

Lanner, op33_n5.

Lanner, op42_n5, second strain

Lanner, Alpen-Rosen Walzer (1842), op162 n3

Lanner, op162 n4

Lanner, Die Romantiker (1842), op167 n4