A miracle happening – the augmented chord
is full of astonishment
The defining characteristic of an augmented chord (see
image below) is that
it contains dissonance
which wants to resolve,
but the resolution it
seeks cannot be readily identified. Applying
the Theory of Musical
Equilibration thus leads
to an equally unclear
outcome:
identifying with processes of
the will is a vague and
unclear procedure. The
listener assumes the
role of a questioner and
identifies with a feeling
of astonishment and
amazement. This also
describes the emotional character of the augmented chord.
In movies, this is an
effective way of calling
attention to miraculous
things happening in the
story. In cartoons in
particular, augmented
chords can frequently
be heard when magic is
performed in the story.
In Winterreise, Franz
Schubert uses the augmented chord at the
very moment the word
‘wunderliches’ is sung
in the ‘Die Krähe’ (‘The
Crow’).
With its combination of consonance and dissonance, the
augmented chord conveys a feeling of surprise because
the three notes of its triad cannot be clearly interpreted.
In film scores this chord can be heard when something
remarkable or magical takes place.
Augmented chord
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