The phrase in Example 1 ends with a perfect authentic cadence (PAC) similar to those we saw and wrote in the Introduction to Harmony, Cadences, and Endings chapter. Here, however, the V chord contains an extra note, fa ([latex]\hat{4}[/latex]), that transforms it from a major triad into a dominant seventh chord. Since the seventh adds dissonance (and therefore instability) to the chord, it strengthens the pull of the V chord toward I. Compare the sound of the excerpts in Example 2.

Example 1. A PAC involving V⁷ in Margaret Casson’s The Cuckoo

Example 2. A PAC involving: (a) only triads and (b) a V⁷ chord.

The Default Resolution of V⁷ to I

When the notes of a complete V⁷ chord resolve according to their typical tendencies, we end up with a tonic triad that has three roots and one third—no fifth (Examples 3a and 3b). This is a completely normal, expected, and common resolution of V⁷ to I. It’s okay to leave out the fifth here since it doesn’t provide essential information about the chord. By contrast, the root and third are essential: the root determines the chord’s name, and the third determines its quality.

The resolution in Example 3c, where re ([latex]\hat{2}[/latex]) goes up to mi ([latex]\hat{3}[/latex]), is very uncommon, and such an unusual doubling in the tonic chord (two roots, two thirds) usually leads to voice-leading problems. We suggest avoiding this kind of resolution.

Example 3. Default resolution of V⁷.

To resolve V⁷ to I using a default resolution:

1. Write the entire bass: sol to do ([latex]\hat{5}[/latex]–[latex]\hat{1}[/latex])
2. Write the entire soprano by choosing an active note to place in the soprano over V⁷, then resolving that note according to its tendency. Example 4 shows the tendencies for active notes in V⁷.
   1. If you are writing in minor, remember to use ti ([latex]\uparrow\hat{7}[/latex]), not te ([latex]\downarrow\hat{7}[/latex]) in V⁷ to make the chord major!
3. Fill in the inner voices by asking “what do I have, what do I need, and what is the tendency of those notes?”

Example 4. Tendencies of active notes in V⁷.

Alternative Resolutions of V⁷ to I

Sometimes a composer may want the tonic chord to be complete rather than the incomplete chord that occurs in the default resolution. Two alternative resolutions of V⁷ make it possible to create a complete I. Note that the steps for writing remain the same as for the default resolution: write the entire bass, write the entire soprano choosing an active note over V⁷, then fill in the inner voices together as a pair by asking “what do I have, what do I need, and where do those notes go?”

Incomplete V⁷

Examples 5a and 5b show a resolution where the fifth has been omitted from the V⁷, allowing that chord to resolve to a complete I. When we omit the fifth, we need to select a note to double in order to retain our four-voice texture. The only note we can double is the root, since doubling ti ([latex]\uparrow\hat{7}[/latex]) or fa ([latex]\hat{4}[/latex]) would create parallel octaves when both voices resolve according to their tendencies (Examples 5c and 5d).

Example 5. Alternative resolution of V⁷ involving an incomplete V⁷. 

Leading-Tone Drop

It’s also possible to create a complete I from a complete V⁷, but in order to do so, we have to allow a tendency tone to move somewhere other than its expected resolution. Example 6 shows how this is possible using a leading-tone drop. ^[1] Here, ti ([latex]\uparrow\hat{7}[/latex]) drops down to sol ([latex]\hat{5}[/latex]) in an inner voice. This works because: (1) ti ([latex]\uparrow\hat{7}[/latex]) is not a dissonant note; (2) ti ([latex]\uparrow\hat{7}[/latex]) is in an inner voice, so it’s not too noticeable; and (3) ti ([latex]\uparrow\hat{7}[/latex]) is the closest note that can move to sol ([latex]\hat{5}[/latex]) in the tonic without causing parallels.

Example 6. Alternative resolution of V⁷ involving a leading-tone drop.

Two things are worth emphasizing here:

1. Use the leading-tone drop only in the alto or tenor voice to hide the fact that it’s not resolving as expected.
2. The leading tone always leaps down to sol ([latex]\hat{5}[/latex]), never to mi ([latex]\hat{3}[/latex]), which is further away than sol ([latex]\hat{5}[/latex]).

Summary

Example 7 summarizes the three possible ways to resolve V⁷–I. You may notice that we have not discussed how V⁷ works in half cadences (HCs). V⁷ is much less common in a HC since the HC is already unstable, and adding a seventh makes it that much more unstable. Since such a cadence more often appears in Romantic music, Janet Schmalfeldt (2011, 202) has termed HCs involving V⁷ the “19^th-century HC.”

Example 7. A summary of possible resolutions of V⁷.

• Schmalfeldt, Janet. 2011. In the Process of Becoming: Analytic and Philosophical Perspectives on Form in Early Nineteenth-Century Music. New York: Oxford University Press.

1. Strengthening Endings with V⁷ (.pdf, .docx, spotify playlist). Asks students to write and resolve V⁷ chords and provide analysis of cadences in select passages.