The one-paragraph historical narrative, updated:
The dominant major-ninth chord ("V9" or just "dominant ninth") gradually became a significant stylistic element in European and European-influenced music over the course of the nineteenth century. Early on it appeared in dance-based and song genres—notably, Schubert’s—in connection with expressive treatments of scale degree ^6. On the musical stage it remained restricted to pastoral and dance-based numbers. By the 1850s it had reached larger-scale comic and dramatic works, becoming especially associated with operetta and with both climactic and pastoral moments in Wagnerian opera. Thereafter the dominant ninth was firmly established in the two major practices of drama and dance—exemplified by Wagner and Johann Strauss, jr., respectively. By 1890—and through the first half of the 20th century—it could be found in a majority of music, including some concert music, but especially operettas, musicals, salon or recital pieces, and commercial song repertoires. Before the end of the 19th century also, the dominant major-ninth chord had established itself as one of the characteristic sounds of contemporary or Impressionist concert music, in part because of its close relation to the whole-tone scale (four notes out of five). Although that style did persist into the 1930s, already by 1920 the dominant major-ninth sound was considered passé by younger concert composers and was often actively avoided. In the 21st century, traditional harmony textbooks hold to their longstanding early 19th-century repertoire bias and isolate the dominant ninth chord to a brief later chapter, often paired incongruously with the Neapolitan and augmented sixth chords, while contemporary practical theory separates chords into two main categories: (1) triads and seventh chords; (2) extensions (tensions, tall chords), under which the dominant ninth is subsumed. (text edited 2024-09-23; 2025-01-05; 2025-08-14; 2025-10-07; 2025-11-19; 2025-12-15; 2025-12-30)
NB: This narrative covers only the dominant major-ninth; the history of the dominant minor-ninth chord is distinct: it arose in connection with pedal-point figures in the 18th century and continued to be associated with them throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries while also being established as an independent sonority.
PS: With this post, the blog is closed for new content. If health permits, I hope to publish 2 or 3 new essays on the Texas ScholarWorks platform and, if that's achieved, I will put links here.
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Updated index to this blog and essays on Texas ScholarWorks. Here is the link. ---- List of all my essays on Texas ScholarWorks: link, then click on Filters/Author.
