# Old Hundredth: keys, harmony, cadences and form An overview for teaching and rehearsal of the four-part setting in your file (*Old Hundredth*, tune from the Genevan Psalter, 1551). It covers SATB choir, 4/4, one sharp in the key signature, and 8 bars. **How the references work.** "Bar 6" means the printed bar number. "6.3" means bar 6, beat 3. Every bar has four beats and every voice sings a quarter note on each beat, so 6.3 always points to one four-part chord. The companion score (`analysis-score.pdf`) prints every bar number, the Roman numeral for every beat under the bass, and the line and cadence labels above the soprano. --- ## 1. At a glance | | | |---|---| | Key | **G major throughout.** There is no modulation and no tonicization. | | Chromatic notes | **None.** Every note belongs to G major. The only sharp, F♯, is the key's leading tone. | | Chords used | Only five diatonic triads: **I, ii, IV, V, vi.** There are no seventh chords, no iii and no vii°. | | Harmonic rhythm | A chord on every beat: 32 chords and 28 changes of chord (3½ per bar). | | Texture | Four voices, chordal (homophonic). All parts move together in quarter notes with no rests or ties. | | Form | One stanza of a **Long Metre (8.8.8.8)** hymn tune: four lines of eight notes, each two bars long. | | Cadences | Bar 2 **IAC** · bar 4 **HC** · bar 6 **PAC** · bar 8 **PAC** | | Melody's last notes per line | Scale degrees **3 · 2 · 1 · 1** (B, A, G, G) | | Not in the file | Words, tempo, dynamics, breath marks, fermatas | --- ## 2. Key The whole hymn is in **G major**. Four separate key-finding methods agreed, and so did each two-bar line taken on its own: | Span | Reading (all four methods) | Runner-up keys | |---|---|---| | Bars 1–2 (line 1) | G major | E minor, C major | | Bars 3–4 (line 2) | G major | D major, C major | | Bars 5–6 (line 3) | G major | D major | | Bars 7–8 (line 4) | G major | D major | In line 4 the runner-up, D major, comes closest, because the line dwells on D (the top D and two dominant chords). Even so, every method still ranks G major first, and the line ends with a perfect cadence in G. The setting contains no accidental foreign to G major. As a result, nothing points toward a new key, not even a passing secondary dominant: the dominant (D major) in bars 3–4 is never preceded by its own dominant. For teaching, it is a clean example of a piece that stays entirely within one diatonic key. --- ## 3. Harmony, beat by beat The column marked "Function" gives the standard tonic / predominant / dominant label. The last column adds a reading of what each chord does in context, where that is more informative than the label. ### Line 1: bars 1–2 | Beat | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |---|---|---|---|---| | **Bar 1** | I | vi | V | IV | | **Bar 2** | I6 | vi | V | I | - **1.1–2.1: a descending bass.** From 1.2 the bass steps down E–D–C–B, while the soprano falls G–F♯–E–D a tenth above it. The outer voices move in parallel tenths. The V (1.3) and IV (1.4) are best heard as **passing chords** on this falling line, which links vi (1.2) to I6 (2.1), rather than as a real dominant-to-subdominant progression. (A V moving to IV, as at 1.3–1.4, is a "backwards" move in functional terms. Here the stepwise bass explains it.) - **2.1–2.4:** I6 – vi – V – I, closing the line. → **Cadence 1, see section 4.** ### Line 2: bars 3–4 | Beat | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |---|---|---|---|---| | **Bar 3** | I | vi | I6/4 | V | | **Bar 4** | I | IV | I6/4 | V | - **3.3–3.4 and 4.3–4.4: cadential six-fours.** In each, the bass holds D for two beats. The chord on beat 3 (G–B over D, labelled I6/4) is the **cadential six-four**: it acts as part of the dominant and resolves into V on beat 4. (This analysis uses the label "I6/4–V". Some textbooks write the same thing as "V6/4–5/3"; the meaning is identical.) In both bars the soprano's B falls to A (6 to 5 over the bass). The tenor's G leaps up to D instead of falling to F♯, and the alto supplies the F♯. - **3.3–4.1** (I6/4 – V – I) is a full cadential progression *inside* the line. The line continues, so it is not a line ending. - **4.1–4.4:** I – IV – I6/4 – V. The line stops on the dominant. → **Cadence 2.** - 3.3 to 4.1 and 4.3 to 5.1 are **the same three chords in exactly the same voicing**. Learn them once and the choir sings them twice. ### Line 3: bars 5–6 | Beat | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |---|---|---|---|---| | **Bar 5** | I | V6 | I | V | | **Bar 6** | vi | IV | V | I | - **5.1–5.3:** I – V6 – I keeps the tonic going. The bass G–F♯–G is a lower neighbour figure, with V6 as a neighbour chord. - **5.4–6.1: deceptive motion.** V moves to vi instead of I. It happens in the middle of the line, so it is a deceptive *progression*, not a deceptive cadence. The expected close is postponed and then delivered properly at the end of bar 6. - **6.1–6.4:** vi – IV – V – I. Compare bar 1: the same chord shapes, but here IV comes *before* V, in the normal predominant-to-dominant order that drives a cadence. → **Cadence 3.** ### Line 4: bars 7–8 | Beat | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |---|---|---|---|---| | **Bar 7** | I | I | vi | V | | **Bar 8** | ii | I6/4 | V | I | - **7.1–7.2:** a tonic held for two beats under the soprano's **top D (7.1), the highest note of the tune**. The soprano then outlines the tonic chord downward, D–B–G. - **7.4–8.1:** V to ii is another "backwards" move: the weak-beat dominant falls back to a predominant chord. The real cadential dominant comes in 8.2–8.3. - **8.1–8.4:** ii – I6/4 – V – I, the fullest cadence formula in the piece: predominant, cadential six-four, dominant, tonic. The soprano descends C–B–A–G, scale degrees 4–3–2–1. → **Cadence 4.** - **The six-four in bar 8 is metrically different.** At 3.3 and 4.3 the six-four falls on beat 3, the stronger half of the bar, and resolves to V on the weak beat 4, which is the usual placement. At 8.2 it falls on the weak beat 2 and resolves to V on the stronger beat 3. It still works as a cadential six-four: the bass D is held under 8.2–8.3 while the soprano falls B to A and the tenor G to F♯ over it. The metric stress, though, lands on the V itself rather than on the six-four. ### Chord inventory (all 32 beats) | Chord | How many beats | Where | |---|---|---| | I (root position) | 10 | 1.1, 2.4, 3.1, 4.1, 5.1, 5.3, 6.4, 7.1, 7.2, 8.4 | | I6 | 1 | 2.1 | | I6/4 (cadential) | 3 | 3.3, 4.3, 8.2 | | V (root position) | 8 | 1.3, 2.3, 3.4, 4.4, 5.4, 6.3, 7.4, 8.3 | | V6 | 1 | 5.2 | | vi | 5 | 1.2, 2.2, 3.2, 6.1, 7.3 | | IV | 3 | 1.4, 4.2, 6.2 | | ii | 1 | 8.1 | **Harmonic rhythm:** nearly every beat brings a new chord. The chord stays the same across the barline at 2.4–3.1 and 6.4–7.1 (I to I) and at 7.1–7.2 (I to I, with the bass leaping up an octave). At each cadential six-four (3.3–3.4, 4.3–4.4, 8.2–8.3) the bass D is held, so the *dominant* in effect lasts two beats there. --- ## 4. Cadences | Line | Ends at | Chords | Soprano | Bass | Cadence | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | 1 | **2.4** | (I6 – vi –) V – I | A → B (2 → 3) | D → G | **Imperfect authentic (IAC)**: V–I in root position, but the soprano ends on the 3rd, not the tonic | | 2 | **4.4** | (I –) IV – I6/4 – V | C – B – A (4 – 3 – 2) | C – D – D | **Half cadence (HC)**: the line stops on the dominant | | 3 | **6.4** | (vi –) IV – V – I | F♯ → G (7 → 1) | D → G | **Perfect authentic (PAC)**: V–I in root position, soprano on the tonic | | 4 | **8.4** | ii – I6/4 – V – I | C – B – A – G (4 – 3 – 2 – 1) | A – D – D – G | **Perfect authentic (PAC)**: the final cadence, prepared by ii and the cadential six-four | How firm these readings are: - **Bars 2, 6 and 8** are clear-cut. Each was checked against the notes, and bar 8 was also found independently by an automatic end-of-piece scan. - **Bar 4.** A half cadence is a dominant that closes a formal unit. A "dominant arrival" is a dominant that is reached without closing one, for example in the middle of a phrase. Here the V on 4.4 is the last chord of line 2 and ends that phrase, so **half cadence** is the right label. - **Mid-line cadence-like moments, which are not line endings:** 3.3–4.1 (I6/4–V–I) and 5.4–6.1 (V–vi, deceptive motion). An automatic chord-by-chord scan picks these out as possible phrase ends. With a new chord on every beat, though, chord pairs alone over-divide a hymn. The tune's eight-notes-per-line structure and the four line-end cadences are the stronger evidence. **The overall cadence plan** runs open → more open → closed → closed. Line 1 rests on the 3rd, line 2 stops on the dominant, and lines 3 and 4 both close on the tonic. The strongest, most fully prepared close comes last. --- ## 5. Form ### The stanza: four lines | Line | Bars | Melody, with · at the barline (scale degrees in G) | Ends on | Cadence | |---|---|---|---|---| | 1 | 1–2 | G G F♯ E · D G A B (1 1 7 6 · 5 1 2 3) | B (3) | IAC | | 2 | 3–4 | B B B A · G C B A (3 3 3 2 · 1 4 3 2) | A (2) | HC | | 3 | 5–6 | G A B A · G E F♯ G (1 2 3 2 · 1 6 7 1) | G (1) | PAC | | 4 | 7–8 | D B G A · C B A G (5 3 1 2 · 4 3 2 1) | G (1) | PAC | - **Long Metre (8.8.8.8):** eight notes per line, one syllable per note, four lines. The file has no words; any Long Metre text fits one syllable per note. - **All four lines are different** (melodic plan A B C D). No line is repeated. - **Melodic links:** - Line 4 ends with **C–B–A–G**, which completes line 2's ending, **C–B–A** (4.2–4.4 → 8.1–8.4). The open "…2" of bar 4 is answered by "…2–1" in bar 8. - Line 2 opens by reciting on B and stepping down (B B B A G). Line 3 circles round the same B (G A B A G). - Line 1 dips to the tune's lowest note (D, 2.1). Line 4 begins on its highest (D, 7.1). The melody spans exactly that octave, D to D, with the home note G between them. - **The climax** is the top D at 7.1, the first note of the last line, over a tonic chord with the bass on low G. ### Two ways to group the lines (both supported) 1. **Four equal phrases.** This is the hymn's own design, and the reading to use for text, breathing and phrasing. Each line ends with a cadence: IAC, HC, PAC, PAC. 2. **Two halves of four bars.** Bars 1–4 end open, on the dominant (HC at bar 4). Bars 5–8 end closed, on the tonic (PAC at bar 8). This is a question-and-answer (antecedent–consequent) shape. It is a loose fit for a textbook period: the second half does not begin like the first (bar 5 is not a restatement of bar 1), and line 3 already closes on the tonic at bar 6. If you use the term, call it a *contrasting* pair of halves rather than a parallel period. An automatic form scan of the file did not settle on a single large-scale reading, which is why both groupings are given here. --- ## 6. Voice parts and ranges | Voice | Range | Lowest | Highest | Notes for rehearsal | |---|---|---|---|---| | Soprano | D4–D5 (one octave) | 2.1 | 7.1 | Leaps: 2.1–2.2 up a 4th, 4.1–4.2 up a 4th to C, 6.4–7.1 up a 5th to the top D. | | Alto | B3–G4 | 2.1 | 7.1–7.2 | Sings **D4 on 15 of the 32 beats**, almost a held note. | | Tenor | F♯3–D4 | 8.3 | several | Repeated upward leaps of a 5th, G3 to D4 (3.3–3.4, 4.3–4.4, 5.3–5.4); final-cadence leap **F♯3 up to B3 (8.3–8.4)**. | | Bass | F♯2–G3 | 5.2 | 3.1, 7.2 | Octave leaps G2–G3 at 2.4–3.1 and 7.1–7.2; many falling 5ths D to G at the cadences. | All four parts sit inside standard SATB ranges, which an automatic choral range check confirmed. Every line is diatonic and in quarter notes: an easy setting to read. **The home chord** has the same voicing (bass G2, tenor B3, alto D4, soprano G4) at 1.1, 4.1, 5.1, 6.4 and 8.4, so it is a good chord to tune first. --- ## 7. Voice-leading notes (for theory classes; facts about this setting) Checked against strict four-part (chorale-style) part-writing rules, this setting contains many consecutive perfect intervals. Almost all of them come from the alto or tenor **doubling the bass** an octave or a fifth higher while it moves. They are listed here because they are useful to teach from and because they affect tuning. They have **not** been altered, since your source is preserved exactly. **Consecutive octaves** - Bass and alto: 1.2→1.3, 1.3→1.4, 1.4→2.1, 2.1→2.2, 3.2→3.3, 6.1→6.2, 6.2→6.3, 7.2→7.3 - Bass and tenor: 2.3→2.4, 5.3→5.4, 7.4→8.1 - Bass and soprano (the outer voices): 4.1→4.2 (G to C in both) **Consecutive fifths** - Bass and tenor: 1.2→1.3, 1.3→1.4, 6.1→6.2, 6.2→6.3, 7.2→7.3 - Tenor and alto: 8.1→8.2 (A–E to G–D) **Leading tone (F♯) not rising to G in its own voice** - Alto F♯ → E at 5.4→6.1 (into the deceptive vi) and at 7.4→8.1 (into ii) - Tenor F♯ → B at 8.3→8.4, in the final cadence. The soprano supplies the G. - Also flagged, but normally accepted in this style: the soprano's F♯ at 1.3 continues down a falling scale line, and the alto's inner-voice F♯ falls to D at 2.3→2.4, 3.4→4.1 and 4.4→5.1. **Other** - Voice overlap at 2.1→2.2: the alto's E4 is higher than the soprano's previous note, D4. - Seven "hidden" (direct) fifths involving an inner voice, which this style normally tolerates: 2.1→2.2, 2.3→2.4 (two), 3.4→4.1, 4.4→5.1, 6.4→7.1, 7.1→7.2. **What to make of it in class:** the *outer-voice frame* is largely sound, with **one exception**. At 4.1→4.2 the soprano and bass move in parallel octaves (G2/G4 to C3/C5, both rising a fourth), the only consecutive between the outer voices. For a clean outer-voice model, use bar 1: from 1.2 to 2.1 the bass and soprano move in parallel tenths. All four cadences are correctly formed. **Every other consecutive involves the alto or the tenor**, usually because that voice shadows the bass at the octave or fifth. Bars 1 and 6 make a good exercise: ask students to re-voice the alto and tenor so the same chords move without consecutive octaves and fifths. Bar 4 makes a second exercise, on the outer voices. --- ## 8. Rehearsal suggestions These are suggestions, not markings in the score. 1. **Cadences first.** Sing just the last two to four chords of each line: 2.3–2.4, 4.2–4.4, 6.2–6.4 and 8.1–8.4. Name each one (IAC, HC, PAC, PAC) so singers hear the open–open–closed–closed plan. 2. **Tune the bare spots.** Where the alto or tenor double the bass (1.2–2.2, 6.1–6.3, 7.2–7.3), the sound is hollow. At 1.2–1.4, 6.1–6.3 and 7.2–7.3 only the soprano sings the chord's 3rd; the other voices sing octaves and fifths. Tune those intervals pure, and ask the doubling voice to sing slightly lighter than the bass. 3. **The cadential six-fours** (3.3–3.4, 4.3–4.4, 8.2–8.3): the bass holds D, so lean a little on the six-four and resolve into the V. In bars 3 and 4 that means leaning on beat 3 and resolving into beat 4. In bar 8 the six-four is on the weak beat 2, so let it lead into the stronger beat 3 instead. Sopranos sing B to A each time; in bar 8, tenors sing G to F♯. 4. **Tenors, bar 8:** the F♯3 at 8.3 leaps up to B3 at 8.4. Practise the 4th, and keep the F♯ high so it doesn't sag. 5. **Altos:** with D4 on almost half the beats, they are the choir's tuning anchor. Keep it steady. 6. **Breathing and line ends.** The file has no rests and no held notes: each line's last note is a single quarter on beat 4, and the next line starts straight away. Many hymnals print this tune with longer first and last notes in each line, so singers who know it may expect those holds. Decide as a choir whether to take time at the ends of bars 2, 4 and 6 (for example, a short lift on beat 4) and mark it in the singers' copies. 7. **Shape.** Lines 1–2 lead to the open half cadence at bar 4. Line 4 starts at the top D (7.1), the high point, and descends to the close. Give that line its full breadth. --- ## Sources for each claim - **Keys:** four standard key-profile methods, on the whole hymn and line by line. - **Chords and functions:** a beat-by-beat Roman-numeral reading in G major. Every one of the 32 beats was decided, with no ambiguous beats, and the reading was checked by hand against the notes. - **Cadences:** each line ending was checked against the notes (chords, bass and soprano degree), and the final cadence was also found by an automatic scan. - **Voice-leading:** a literal scan of all four voices under strict four-part rules. Counts describe the part-writing, not the quality of the music. - **The readings that are interpretations** are named as such in the text: passing chords in bar 1, the two ways to group the lines, the cadential six-four label, and the bar 4 half cadence versus dominant arrival.