N chord

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Blog #10

Pick a piece with a Neapolitan or Augmented Sixth chord. Write about its affect on the performer and the listener.

Schubert’s Erlkonig has Neapolitan chords and it is tonicized as well too. I don’t understand German so while I’m listening to the vocalist I’m not really listening to what he’s singing, more like the layers of the words and the piano accompaniment. I really like the forward motion in this piece, and the way it has a spinning and rotating motion. In measures 116-123 there is Neapolitan chords and tonicized chord too. The words for that section translates to “I love you, I’m aroused by your beautiful form; and if you’re not willing, I’ll take you by force.” Oh yeah, the background to this text is that there is father and son riding on a horse and the son this Erl King appears but is only visible to the son. The Erl King is trying to convince the boy to come with him and that the Erl King’s daughters will take care of him. And at the end the Erl King takes him by force and the father is carrying away a dead boy. But back to that section, it sounds really out of space. The vocalist gets a little softer in dynamics and the piano accompaniment as well. It sounds kind of outer space-ish and sort of final in a weird way. This section really sounds a lot different than in other places. The vocalist takes his time and the words are held out and connected.