Sonata G minor opus 65
Violin, cello and piano
Piano trio G minor opus 8
Voice and piano
Polish Songs (19) opus posth 74
CHROMATICISM
Chromaticism refers to the use of pitches, chords and keys not associated with diatonic
collections. The etymology of the word ‘chromatic’, which refers to colour, gives us a
clue as to its function in nineteenth century music as it provides inflections to diatonic
harmonies.
A chromatic pitch is any note not contained within a given diatonic collection. For
example, in C major, C sharp, D flat, D sharp, E flat, F sharp, G flat, G sharp, A flat, A
sharp and B flat all represent chromatic pitches. For a chromatic pitch to function
chromatically, however, it must resolve in a logical way to a diatonic pitch, otherwise the
overload of colour undermines the integrity of the key and begins to suggest a modulation
to a different key or a non-diatonic modality. As a general rule, chromatically raised
tones resolve upwards while chromatically lowered ones resolve downwards. Hence
chromatically introduced A sharp usually goes to B while E flat would have to go to D.
In nineteenth century music there can be no pitches without chords, which more fully
suggest harmony. In C major, chromatic chords include all those outside the diatonic
framework, including C minor, C sharp major and minor, D major, E flat major and
minor, E major, F minor, F sharp major and minor, G minor, A flat major and minor, A
major, B flat major and minor, and B major and minor. The way these chords are used in
nineteenth century music is not arbitrary and each chord has its own specific quality and
compositional implications. Most obviously the level of diatonicism, or its displacement
around the cycle of fifths, of a chromatic chord makes it sound more or less nearly related
to the tonic.
Finally, keys which may provide large scale harmonic structure in nineteenth century
music may also be chromatic. Given that the gamut of keys for most music of the
eighteenth century is diatonic – most often creating a tension between tonic and dominant
- the use of chromatic keys opens up a vista of new tonal possibilities. Composers such
as Beethoven, and to an even greater extent Schubert, are some of the first composers to
explore this.
Historically, the prolongation of chromatic pitches, chords and keys inceasingly
undermining a clear diatonic harmonic basis, led it in many directions. Wagner and
Strauss pushed to the extreme the tension of prolonging chromatic pitches, whereas other