what are some well known pieces of music where the tonic triad is emphasized in the melody?

Question

preferably looking for pieces in the keys of:

C major, G major, D major, F major, A major, B flat major, E flat major, E major, A flat major.

preferably the whole tonic triad... 1, 3, AND 5. not just intervals of the tonic triad

also, can you provide tips to improving aural skills? thx! :)

Answer 1

The locus classicus of this has to be Beethoven's third symphony: the triad blocked as well as in sculpted intervals to stand at the heart of the first movement, first subject, right from the outset:

http://imslp.ca/images/imslp.ca/4/4a/Beethoven_-_Symphony_No.3,_Mvt.I_(ed._Unger).pdf

As regards all them thar other keys, that's where you start looking, eh..? :-)

Answer 2

Really, tons of pieces from the Classical period have melodies that emphasize the 1,3,5 notes of the major or minor triad. Mozart's "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" and most familiar Sonata in C Major are two more examples.

I've found a crucial part of aural skills, especially for those of us (like me) without perfect pitch, is the ability to know the relationship between notes that you hear. From one note to the next, knowing what the name of the interval is - and thereby being able to hear precisely how far apart the two notes are. And in a larger sense, being able to hear which note of the scale is sounding at any moment.

Take "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" as a good example. The main theme is 1, 5 1, 5 1 5 1 3 5. Try humming just the 1 (a G in this case) and hold it, while playing the other notes on a piano (or even on the recording), and see what it feels like. To really stretch yourself, try humming the 1 while listening to a full minute of the piece - any time that the harmony doesn't have a G in it, it'll feel a bit odd! (Starting with the second phrase: 4, 2 4, 2 4 2 7 2 5)

The reason for this exercise is to train yourself in literally hearing where 1 is. It's quite possible to do in any tonal music which isn't particularly chromatic.

A really good sightsinging exercise is to try and get the major scale so firmly in your head that you could jump between even a random succession of notes and know what sounds right. For instance, nearly anyone can sing an ascending scale: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 - it just sounds right. Can you also sing: 1 2 3 5 3? Or: 1 3 5 6 5? Or: 1 4 6 2 7 3 5? In working with students and choirs, I've found that making up small sequences (nothing as awkward as that last one) - tell them the names of the numbers and have them try to sing it - is fantastic practice. And it has immediate application in sightreading music.

Good luck!

Answer 3

The opening of the Dies Irae from Britten's War Requiem-- a G major ascending triad in the trombone (followed by a B-flat descending triad in the trumpet). In fact, this is the piece I use to sing-- and tune the timpani to-- major triads.

Answer 4

A random list:

- Beethoven, 9th symphony, first movement, opening -- D minor
- Anton Bruckner, 7th symphony, first movement, opening -- long arpeggio in E major
- Mozart, Piano Concerto #21 in C, first movement. Also the second movement in F (so-called Elvira Madigan piece, from the movie of that name)
- Mozart, Violin Concerto K219 in A, first movement, main theme
- Mozart, "Haffner" Symphony #35, K385, in D major
- Wagner, Das Rheingold opera -- the opening is nothing but E flat major arpeggios for about 5 minutes
- Dvorak, "New World" Symphony, opening, in E minor

And don't forget: Star Spangled Banner, not to mention O Canada

Answer 5

"The Blue Danube" waltz by Johann Strauss Jr. The first note sequence is the major tonic triad.