Harmonic Dictations by Gilbert DeBenedetti

HARMONIC DICTATION
AND RELATED REAL MUSIC

Learn about "Teaching listening skills in musical contexts," a presentation given by Gilbert at the joint conference of the Association for Technology in Music Instruction (ATMI) and College Music Society (CMS) in Minneapolis, September 25, 2010.

LISTEN to a chord progression.

HOW WELL can you take down the soprano and bass notes, as well as write Roman and Arabic numerals? Find out! It's easy:

  1. DOWNLOAD the answer sheets (pdf files).
  2. CLICK and PLAY one of the numbers below (mp3 files).
  3. WRITE the soprano, bass, Roman and Arabic numerals on the answer sheet.
  4. DOWNLOAD the solutions (pdf).
  ...and 5. CHECK your answers!!

Answer sheets for CD 1
Solutions for CD 1
Answer sheets for CD's 2 to 4
Solutions for CD's 2 to 4

Audio clips of related real music follow the numbers for a set of dictation exercises. These musical excerpts also appear in the Contextual Listening section of this site--mostly on the Cadences and Harmonic Progression pages.

CD 1
   1. CADENCES
      1 , 2 , 3 , 4

5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10

11 , 12 , 13

14 , 15 , 16

2. DOMINANT EXPANSIONS WITH CADENTIAL 6/4
17 , 18 , 19

Schubert: Introduction to "Erlkonig"	last 3 meas's: 4/4: ii6/5 (V6/5ofV)\| cad6/4 V7 \| i \|\|
Beethoven: Symphony No. 9	4/4: I \| V \| I \| cad6/4 V \|\|
Schubert: Ave Maria	I - cad6/4 - V - vi
Verdi: Aida: Introduction to "La Fatal Pietra"	on the beats, meas's. 2 & 3: 4/4: i6 iv6 cad6/4 V7 \| i - - - \|\|

3. DOMINANT PREPARATIONS, ii AND IV
20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26

J. Strauss: Blue Danube Waltz	ii - V - I
Schubert: Ave Maria	vi - ii6 - V - I
Bizet: Habanera from Carmen	2/4: I \| I \| I \| I \| ii \| ii \| ii \| V - - - \| I V I \|\| (first meas. incomplete)
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1	I - ii - V - I - V
Grieg: Piano Concerto Kjell Baekkelund, piano	i - iv6 - V6
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 17, K. 453, III	4/4: I \| V I \| ii6 V7 \| I \|\|
Mozart: Flute Concerto No. 2, K. 314, II	3/4: I \| IV \| Cad.6/4 V7 \| I (with appogiatura) \|\|
Bach: Prelude 1 from Well Tempered Clavier Edwin Fischer, piano	I ii4/2 V6 I

CD 2
1. EXPANSIONS OF THE INITIAL TONIC
1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13

Beethoven: Sonata Op. 27, No. 2, "Moonlight"	i - V6/5 - i
Handel: "Hallelujah" from Messiah	I - IV I, I - IV I, I IV I, I IV I, I V - I
Attr. to C. Pezold: Minuet 1 from The Notebook of A M Bach	3/4: I - - \| I6 - - \| IV - V4/2 \| I6 - - \|\|
Handel: Andante from Water Music	i to i6 with bass passing tone
Bach Family: Chorale from The Notebook of A M Bach	passing vii^o6
Bach Family: Minuet 2 from The Notebook of A M Bach	3/4: I - V \| I - - \| I - V \| I - - \| IV - - \| I6 - - \| . . .

2. OTHER DOMINANT EXPANSIONS, AND EXPANSIONS OF ii AND IV
14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ,

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4: III Leon Fleisher, piano	2/4: IV - \| IV - \| IV - \| IV - \| ii - \| V - \| V - \| I - \| ii V \| I - :\|\|
Vivaldi: Summer, II from The Four Seasons	i - - - \| vii^o6 - V - \| i - - - -\|\|

3. vi LEADING TO DOMINANT PREPARATIONS
18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25

Schubert: Ave Maria

vi - ii6 - V - I

CD 3

ROOT POSITION DOMINANT SEVENTHS
1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18

CD 4
1. INVERSIONS OF V7
1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ,

Beethoven: Sonata Op. 27, No. 2, "Moonlight"

   2. LEADING TONE SEVENTHS
      11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ,

   3. THE SECONDARY DOMINANT, V/V
      19 , 20

WHEN YOU FINISH
try the ones at AP Central (you must first log in).
Click on "Theory Audio Prompts" for a particular year.
Then click on "Music, Question 3" or "Music, Question 4."

I have put these dictations on CD's for my students, so that is why I have organized them that way here.

Play these between 2 and 4 times depending on the length of the phrase. Use your judgement.

I have boosted the volume for the soprano and bass. If you still can't hear them, feed your audio out to some external speakers. Dinky computer speakers could be the problem. If you still have trouble hearing the soprano and bass, maybe you really really need to listen carefully ;-) Be patient. With practice you will be able to hear them better and better.

Hope these are helpful!

~ Gil

HARMONIC DICTATION AND RELATED REAL MUSIC

HARMONIC DICTATION
AND RELATED REAL MUSIC