The course in harmony provides a foundation in harmonic analysis. The focus is on absolute and relative notation systems. Absolute systems include chord symbols and figured bass, because they indicate the chord’s content; relative systems include scale degrees and functions, because they indicate the chord’s context. One goal of harmonic analysis is to be able to “translate” fluidly between the two systems. Musical patterns play an important role in the seminar—they are examined in both classical and popular styles and applied practically on the piano. The principles of voice leading are also covered in the context of the chorale . Finally, strategies for accompanying songs are tested in practice.

• Lecture Notes for Summer Semester 2026: Harmony I

In ear training, the relative ear is developed through melodic, rhythmic, harmonic, and repertoire dictation exercises. In the relative approach, notes are identified as scale degrees 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 . In an absolute approach, by contrast, notes are identified using letters (a, b, c) or solfège syllables (do, re, mi), regardless of the tonal context. Melody and repertoire dictations are divided into short segments that can be memorized. The segments are first sung back using a neutral syllable, then assigned scale degrees, and finally set into the specified key. Harmonic dictations follow the same musical modelscovered in harmony theory, which creates synergies between the two seminars.

The TU Dortmund University data repository, TUDO-Data, contains numerous open-access publications on historical music theory in modern editions and English translations. Among the figures featured there are Handel, Mozart, Telemann, C. P. E. Bach, J. C. Kittel, F. J. Fétis, and Nadia Boulanger. Topics include:

• Choral harmonization
• Thoroughbass
• Compositional models
• Solfeggio and dictation
• Counterpoint