Harmonic innovation
What Harmonic innovation means in Music A-Level, as defined for AQA.
Definitions of Harmonic innovation
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Reference: AQA
Use of complex harmonies, extended and altered chords, chromaticism and parallel harmony, creating tension and release within a big band context.
Use of pedal points, open fifths and modal inflections such as the Lydian augmented fourth to evoke a rustic sound.
The use of complex, jazz-influenced harmonies, extended chords and dissonance in Piazzolla's style.
Topics that use Harmonic innovation
- Area of study 1: Western classical tradition 1650–1910 (compulsory) - Strand C: The piano music of Chopin, Brahms and Grieg (AQA A-Level)
- Area of study 5: Jazz - Named artists (AQA A-Level)
- Area of study 6: Contemporary traditional music - Named artists (AQA A-Level)
Related terms
- Big Band Orchestration
- Cross-cultural fusion
- Edition-specific performance practice
- Electronic and acoustic fusion
- English traditional folk and sea shanties
- Evolution of piano texture
- Expressive chromaticism
- Expressive harmony and chromaticism
Using Harmonic innovation in the exam
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