Understanding Suspensions

First, let's learn about the musical term kakeiryuuon. This is a type of non-harmonic tone. It is a technique where a single note from a previous measure or chord is sustained and included in the subsequent chord. In English, this is called a suspension. The term "kakeiryuuon" might sound a bit complex, so we will use "suspension" here. This Minuet contains many suspensions. Since these suspensions are non-harmonic tones, they must always resolve to a harmonic tone. This act of resolving is called resolution.

Let's look at an example. In measure 9, beat 3, there is a G-B-C# chord. The C# in this chord is sustained into the chord of the next measure (measure 10) and becomes an embellishment. Although measure 10 is originally a D-F-A chord, C# is present. This is a suspension.

As a performance tip:

• Give a slight accent to this C#.
• Reduce the volume of the D compared to the C#.
• Play it so that it fades away, barely audible.
• Absolutely ensure that the D is never accented.

Such passages appear frequently throughout the piece. Please play them in the same manner.

In measure 16, upon analysis, one might consider the first beat as C-E-G and the second beat as G-B-D. While this interpretation is not incorrect, if you assume the entire measure 16 to be a G-B-D chord and consider the E in the treble clef and the C in the bass clef as suspensions, you will realize that the second beat should be played softer than the first beat. Please examine the score with this perspective.