V. Chromaticism
Mediants
Mark Gotham
Key Takeaways
- The mediant relationship describes chords whose roots are separated by third (major or minor).
- Mediants can be grouped into three categories:
- Diatonic (Grade 1): two common tones; chord quality changes (major→minor or vice-versa). Both chords fit into a diatonic key.
- Chromatic (Grade 2): one common tone; chord quality remains the same (both are major or both are minor). Both chords do not fit in a diatonic key.
- Doubly-chromatic or disjunct (Grade 3): no common tones; chord quality changes (major→minor or vice-versa).
One main focus in the previous chapter on Neo-Riemannian Triadic Progressions is the connection between triads with roots a third apart. For instance, L connects C with Emi. Another way of looking at these third-related chords is in terms of mediants. Recall from the Major Scales chapter that [latex]\hat3[/latex] and the triad built upon it (iii/III) is sometimes called the “mediant,” and [latex]\hat6[/latex] and its triad (vi/VI) is the “submediant.” But “mediant” has another, more general meaning: any two chords whose roots are related by third. In this sense, both the iii and the vi chord (or III and VI in minor) are mediants.
But these mediant relationships do not have to be diatonic. The combined collection of possible mediants can be divided into three categories:[1]
- Diatonic (Grade 1): two common tones; chord quality changes (major→minor or vice-versa). Both chords fit into a diatonic key.
- Chromatic (Grade 2): one common tone; chord quality remains the same (both are major or both are minor). Both chords do not fit in a diatonic key.
- Doubly-chromatic or disjunct (Grade 3): no common tones; chord quality changes (major→minor or vice-versa).
These categories are demonstrated in
and discussed in the sections below.
Diatonic Mediants (Grade 1)
Diatonic mediants share two common tones and involve a change of triad quality (between major and minor), such as C and Ami or C and Emi. Diatonic mediants can be understood in neo-Riemannian terms as forming L or R relationships.[2]
Chromatic Mediants (Grade 2)
Chromatic mediants are a step more remote: the pair of chords now has one common tone, and the triad quality is kept the same in both chords. For instance, in relation to the C triad, the chromatic mediants would be the major triads of E, E♭, A, and A♭. These triads would be related with two neo-Riemannian transformations: the various combinations of L/R and P.
Some English-language sources give extra labels of “upper flat,” “upper sharp,” “lower flat,” and “lower sharp” to these four mediant types. Upper/lower refers to whether the root of the mediant is above or below the original chord, and flat/sharp clarifies the scale degree upon which the chromatic mediant chord is built. German-speaking theory accounts for these with function-transformational terms like Tonikavariantparallel: i.e., change the mode of the tonic chord (from major to minor or vice versa) and then take the (German) parallel transformation from there.
Doubly-Chromatic Mediants (Grade 3)
In the third and last type, the mediant chords do not share any common tones, and the triad quality also changes. From C major, the doubly-chromatic mediants are E♭mi and A♭mi. These chords sound especially remote from one another.
Summary
In total, mediant relationships can be said to cover four possible chord roots, each with a major or minor triad built above; this yields eight possible mediants (4 roots × 2 qualities = 8 mediant chords). The following table summarizes those eight cases for the example of C major:
| Root / Quality | Major | Minor |
|---|---|---|
| E | Chromatic mediant (Grade 2) | Diatonic mediant (Grade 1) |
| E♭ | Chromatic mediant (Grade 2) | Doubly-chromatic mediant (Grade 3) |
| A | Chromatic mediant (Grade 2) | Diatonic mediant (Grade 1) |
| A♭ | Chromatic mediant (Grade 2) | Doubly-chromatic mediant (Grade 3) |
Function and Transformations
As mentioned above, we need a bit of caution in regards to functions, terms and labels here, as there are some different conventions running in parallel (pun intended!). The main headache is the use of that term “parallel” which in English-speaking traditions connects two modes on the same root (C and Cmi, for instance), while the German tradition uses it for what English-speaking theory calls “relative” (such as C and Ami). Confusing, right? Watch out, especially if you’re working with historical and/or multi-lingual sources. The following table is an overview of both functional labels (in German, taking the example of a tonic starting point) and combined neo-Riemannian transformations as discussed in the previous chapter (English). On the German side, “n/a” indicates that there is no commonly used term or abbreviation.
| Chord symbol | Mediant type | Modern German (Funktionstheorie) term when used as tonic function | Neo-Riemannian transformation(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cmi | n/a | Varianttonart (t) | P |
| Ami | Diatonic | P. Paralleltonart (Tp) | R |
| Emi | Diatonic | G. Gegenklang or Gegenparallel (Tg, also sometimes Tl) | L |
| E | Chromatic | Tonikagegenparallel-Variante | LP |
| E♭ | Chromatic | Tonikavariant-Parallele (tP) | PR |
| A | Chromatic | Tonikaparallel-Variante | RP |
| A♭ | Chromatic | Tonikavariant-Gegenparallele (tG) | PL |
| E♭mi | Doubly-chromatic | n/a | PRP |
| A♭mi | Doubly-chromatic | n/a | PLP |
An Example
Enough theory! Let’s close with a wonderful example of mediant relations in a song by Augusta Mary Anne Holmès.
- Kopp, David. 2002. Chromatic Transformations in Nineteenth-Century Music (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).
- Harmonic analysis: analyse the first 10 measures of the Holmès example above using whichever you prefer of Roman numeral and Functional labels.
- Identify the type (name or grade) of mediant that Holmès keeps using.
- Do this step 1 analysis using the other terminological system (Roman numeral or Functional labels, which you disprefer and didn’t use before).
- The notion of "grades" (1, 2, 3) is more common in German-speaking music theory; the other terms (diatonic/chromatic/doubly-chromatic mediants) are more common in English-speaking music theory. Both are useful. ↵
- Despite the German roots of these neo-Riemannian terms, contemporary German music theory would typically discuss these relations with the terms Gegenklang (G) and Parallel (P). This gets confusing, so please see the section on "Function and Transformations" at the end of this chapter. For now, the LPR terms are used here in the neo-Riemannian sense established in the previous chapter. ↵
This term has multiple meanings, given here from most to least specific:
1. The third scale degree (mi, 3̂) and/or the triad built upon it (iii/III).
2. The chords a third above or below the root (iii and vi in major keys; III and VI in minor keys).
3. The relationship between two chords whose roots are related by third.
The lowest note of a triad or seventh chord when the chord is stacked in thirds.
A tone that is present in more than one chord.
A term that summarizes the quality of the third, fifth, and seventh (if applicable) above the root of the chord. Common chord qualities are major, minor, diminished, half-diminished, dominant, and augmented.
A Neo-Riemannian transformation that preserves the minor third in the triad, and moves the remaining note by semitone (e.g., relating C major and E minor).
A Neo-Riemannian transformation that preserves the major third in the triad and moves the remaining note by whole tone (e.g., relating C major and A minor).