Tchaikovsky’s Morning Prayer: A fusion of vocal model ingredients, rhythmic color, and harmonic movement

As I approach the opening tableau of Tchaikovsky's memorable "Morning Prayer," (Op. 39), I draw on the vocal model to shape the very top soprano line that's embedded in a Russian church choir setting. But sculpting the melody is not achieved by intuition alone. It requires an understanding of how rhythmic "color," and harmonic flow…

J.S. Bach Invention No. 8: A Harmonic Analysis opportunity

As I reviewed J.S. Bach's ebullient Two Part Invention in F, BWV 779, I quickly realized that it would be an ideal springboard to teach basic essentials of keyboard harmony, not to mention, fundamentals of two-part "counterpoint." In this endeavor, my video tutorial follows: https://youtu.be/0Yx_kC1UoKU The extraction of ascending broken chords and descending scales (Major…