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This is Tchaikovsky's The Doll's Funeral, which is in C minor. The chord I am confused about is the second chord in measure 30. I should mention this is my first time analyzing. I thought this was some sort of borrowed chord, but the only chords that responded to the notes Ab D F# were a Db5 and a Ab7b5sus. Am I missing some sort of knowledge here? enter image description here

t_t
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2 Answers2

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The second chord of Bar 30 is best explained as a passing chord, as it is sandwiched between two differently voiced German Augmented 6th chords and uses D instead of their C and E flat.

Alternately, you could explain it as an incompletely voiced French Augmented 6th chord. In C minor, a French Augmented 6th chord uses the notes A flat, C, D, and F sharp.

Dekkadeci
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It looks like an Italian Sixth. In the keys of C major and minor, it's built on the minor sixth above the tonic (not why it's called the Augmented Sixth) with a minor third and an augmented sixth interval above the bass (that's why it's called the Augmented Sixth; it can also appear on other notes, often on a flat second step). The augmented sixth resolves outward by half-step to the octave on scale step 5 (if based on step 6); sometimes through a I64 and sometimes directly to a V chord.

Notice that it's written with an F# to distinguish it from an Ab7 chord. The chord appears with the fifth above its bass (German Sixth) and sometimes with a diminished fifth above its bass (French Sixth). Though enharmonic to some seventh chords, it resolves differently. It's normally used as a pre-dominant.

ttw
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