Picardy third
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A Picardy third (also known as Tierce de Picardie) is a harmonic device used in European classical music.
It refers to the use of a major chord at the end of a musical section in a minor key. This is achieved by raising the third of the expected minor triad by a semitone (a half step), to create a major triad. The aural effect of this is unexpected, and can add a "bittersweet" feeling to the music.
For example, instead of a cadence ending on an A minor chord containing the notes A, C, and E, a tierce de Picardie ending would consist of an A major chord containing the notes A, C#, and E. Note that the minor third between the A and C of the A minor chord has become a major third in the tierce de Picardie chord.
The Picardy third does not necessarily occur at the end of a section: it can be found at any perfect cadence or plagal cadence where the prevailing key is minor.
The "reverse" Picardy third, where an expected major chord is replaced by its minor equivalent, is almost never used at the end of a work - the only famous example is in Mendelssohn's Characteristic Piece Op. 7 No. 7 in E. A similar effect, often used, is created with a deceptive cadence in the parallel minor key (for example, in C major, replacing the expected tonic chord with A flat major); this effect utilises the flattened third but without affirming the tonic key.
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[edit] Example
Here is an example from Johann Sebastian Bach's cantata Ich habe genug (BWV 82) at a cadence in the right-hand of a realised continuo part.
What makes this cadence a tierce de Picardie is shown by the red natural sign – instead of the expected B♭ (which would make the chord minor) the accidental gives us a B natural, making the chord major.
Other excellent examples include the last chord in the first movement of Bach's Concerto for Two Violins in D minor and the final chord in Gregorio Allegri's Miserere Mei, Deus. The Bach is a good example of the "stable" character of a Picardy third, while the Miserere Mei can easily be interpreted as "bittersweet".
Listen here: Miserere
Concerto for Two Violins
[edit] History
The use of the Picardy third originated in the 16th century and continued throughout the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Examples can be found throughout the works of J.S. Bach and his contemporaries, as well as earlier composers such as Thoinot Arbeau and John Blow.
The idea was mainly rejected by composers in the Classical era for being too "brash", although examples can be found in works by Haydn and Mozart; and in the Romantic era, those of Chopin's nocturnes that are in a minor key almost always end with Picardy thirds. The idea was adopted much later by the neoclassical movement.
[edit] Scientific explanation
It may be possible for the aural effect of the Picardy third to be described scientifically - a major triad can be found in the 4th, 5th, and 6th harmonics of a major chord, while the minor triad can be found relatively higher in the 10th, 12th, and 15th harmonics of its respective chord. (In the language of the harmonic series, this is equivalent to saying the major chord occupies a lower location in the harmonic series relative to the minor chord.) However, psychoacousticians cannot explain why this difference is perceived by the ear as being more or less "stable".
In addition, the harmonics of the minor chord have a dissonance closer to the fundamental harmonic compared to a major chord, which creates more beats. Thus a major chord is more consonant than a minor one, and is therefore interpreted by the human ear as being more "stable".
[edit] Use in church music
Church music (especially for organ) typically uses the Picardy third more than other music. This is probably because the impact of the unexpected major chord is greatly magnified due to the building's natural reverberation. This effect has been described by some as "ethereal"; a famous example is the last chord of the Coventry Carol.
[edit] Interpretation
Performers who subscribe to the ideals of authenticity usually consult an Urtext edition to ensure that an editor has not added or removed any Picardy thirds – where a composer has indicated that a Picardy third should be played, it is not considered correct by current authentic performance practice to remove them.
When a composer has not directly indicated a major or minor chord to be played it is occasionally acceptable to add Picardy thirds to a work in the interests of variety, especially in earlier music. This would usually be a decision made by the continuo players in a chamber work. For example, in performances of the "Rosary" Violin Sonatas by Heinrich Ignaz Biber, many continuo players add variety to the frequent repetitions in movements consisting of variations by adding the occasional Picardy third. However, over-indulgence of this liberty could weaken the work's structure.
A number of characters in Thomas Pynchon's 2006 novel, Against the Day, are deeply moved by Picardy thirds.
