Lesson plan

Picardy third

(natural minor) progression A Picardy third, ( ; ) also known as a Picardy cadence or Tierce de Picardie, is a major chord of the tonic at the end of a musical section that is either modal or in a minor key. This is achieved by raising the third of the expected minor triad by a semitone to create a major triad, as a form of resolution. For example, instead of a cadence ending on an A minor chord containing the notes A, C, and E, a Picardy third ending would consist of an A major chord containing the notes A, C , and E. The minor third between the A and C of the A minor chord has become a major third in the Picardy third chord. "Heu mihi, Domine" from Cantiones Sacrae, 1625 Philosopher Peter Kivy writes: According to Deryck Cooke, "Western composers, expressing the 'rightness' of happiness by means of a major third, expressed the 'wrongness' of grief by means of the minor third, and for centuries, pieces in a minor key had to have a 'happy ending' – a final major chord (the 'tierce de Picardie') or a bare fifth." As a harmonic device, the Picardy third originated in Western music in the Renaissance era.

Back to article

Article summary

(natural minor) progression A Picardy third, ( ; ) also known as a Picardy cadence or Tierce de Picardie, is a major chord of the tonic at the end of a musical section that is either modal or in a minor key. This is achieved by raising the third of the expected minor triad by a semitone to create a major triad, as a form of resolution. For example, instead of a cadence ending on an A minor chord containing the notes A, C, and E, a Picardy third ending would consist of an A major chord containing the notes A, C , and E. The minor third between the A and C of the A minor chord has become a major third in the Picardy third chord. "Heu mihi, Domine" from Cantiones Sacrae, 1625 Philosopher Peter Kivy writes: According to Deryck Cooke, "Western composers, expressing the 'rightness' of happiness by means of a major third, expressed the 'wrongness' of grief by means of the minor third, and for centuries, pieces in a minor key had to have a 'happy ending' – a final major chord (the 'tierce de Picardie') or a bare fifth." As a harmonic device, the Picardy third originated in Western music in the Renaissance era.

Key claims

  1. date of establishment: 1612 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. The record states that the date of establishment is "1612". What evidence would count against this claim?
  3. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  4. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

  1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1371397480

Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.