how to harmonise a melody like a romantic composer

knowing how to add chromaticism in harmony is a tool every composer should be aware of. in this video we'll be exploring a few different methods of doing so by harmonising a simple melodic extract.
melody fragment taken from 300 texts et réalisations - RAYNAUD Jean-Claude.

[@anled.composition]

Amazing how a few chromaticisms move the melody somewhere else !

[@skylarlimex]

often, just by changing the harmony we open new paths to the melody we hadn't seen before!

[@BORN753]

Agree, adding chromatic notes made the biggest difference for me. Especially the first one, that got removed in the final version.

[@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji]

That's how the likes of Scriabin (in his early and middle periods) and Feinberg composed.

[@ethangrieshop9405]

It almost feels like you started in the early romantic period like with Beethoven and moved into a later romantic style with this line, ultimately sounding more Schumann-esque

[@joebloggs396]

Many would say Beethoven is a classicist.

[@vincent-ataramaniko]

​@@joebloggs396nobody would say that

[@johannesyri]

​@@vincent-ataramanikohe is often thought of as the bridge between classicism and romanticism as he took inspiration from haydn and mozart but also later from 1812 started moving to a more expressive form. Saying he is a thought of as a classicist is therefore not wrong per se, but just reductive

[@vincent-ataramaniko]

@@johannesyri haydn and mozart were romantic in many of their last works. The early Beethoven sonatas were already romantic as well, Beethoven kept many classical aspects but was a romantic first and foremost

[@papapowley560]

@@vincent-ataramaniko wrong

[@TheAsianTree]

Am I the only one who loves the first one? Tbf, I love the classical styles of Mozart, Haydn, and Paganini to death, and that cadential 6/4 felt very homey and nostalgic.

[@laurant4282]

It could be used as a very good storytelling device. The firsy one being at the beginning of the story, set in the home of the protagonist. The final one is returning to home after a long journey, or even after people living in the home have passed away, or the home having been destroyed/lost...

[@artiemixx9319]

The first one excels in its simple elegance. Oftentimes in music, less is best. The final product is also melodic and evokes a different feeling.

[@adam.r2153]

This video is incredible! The style is straightforward and clear. More please???

[@sova45654]

This is crazy useful! I definitely struggle with harmonising from a given melody, especially in a romantic style, but this is super clear. Thanks for all the help :)

[@uufruity]

Beginner pianist here! This was so impressive to watch as you build up a simple romantic melody to something even more beautiful and interesting! It truly makes me fall in love with classical (romantic-era) music all over again :)

[@starkeeper]

You're a great source for quick, easy-to-digest music content. As a fellow composer, stuff like this is incredibly useful when it comes to opening into deeper study and utilising techniques like this in my own writing! Like man, I could've adapted some of these ideas when I was working on my symphony!

[@skylarlimex]

the fact that you've written a symphony is by large a great feat already in and of itself!

[@andrewcass9177]

A lot of this went over my head, but I really enjoyed just listening to the changes and hearing you explain them. Thanks for broadening my musical palate!

[@jackaguirre8576]

I actually enjoyed the example at 1:14 the most, with the suspension and appoggiatura in the Violin II. That first suspension is beautiful.

[@leonardo.labrada]

I loved it! It feels like you switched on/off the Brahms plugin

[@artieghatavi416]

Great video. After you added the interrupted cadence I was screaming at the screen "that doesn't sound resolved anymore!! AGH" which I suppose is the point :) . Interesting food for thought in my own improvisation.

[@dan_936]

lol ikr same

[@Jat_Bodybuilders_of_Iran]

Sometimes, simple things sound more beautiful.

[@carlosmendez6729]

Thank you for playing the examples several times it really helped me understand what you were doing. ❤

[@dantrizz]

I've started learning to compose properly recently and this is like the perfect thing for me to find. Thank you

[@thinkOfMeAsAClassicalMusician]

3:02 we should show this to anyone who says they can’t tell the difference between schubert and schumann

[@filipsakowski4492]

is Schumann supposed to be the second one?

[@thinkOfMeAsAClassicalMusician]

@@filipsakowski4492 yes! At least to my ear

[@johnaue821]

Thank you for providing such well-laid out and clear examples of harmonic possibilities. I liked the point made about not necessarily using everything!

[@rogernichols1124]

The additions to the original harmonisation move the music into more adventurous areas and that's fine, but the true talent of any composer in any age Western European music is to understand the value of simplicity and to sense when that's the appropriate choice. Some of the profoundest and most memorable passages of music, from Palestrina through Bach, Haydn, Brahms, Sibelius, Stravinsky, Copeland to Britten, Shostakovich, Ligeti, Glass and others "hit the mark" through simplicity, directness and transparency.

[@skylarlimex]

complexity concealed within simplicity is the hardest thing to achieve

[@user-nv2wt4hi8t]

Love it. Examples of music theory in motion like this light that fire in me while I build up my piano technique before continuing with my composition work. Subbed.

[@je4a301]

love this video. had the feeling of a painting tutorial. please do more videos in this style, taking concepts from classical music and explaining them clearly by applying them in a composition

[@nicolasrioscardona]

Short, concise, practical and well explained. Perfect.

[@jtbasener8740]

This has been inspirational to my own compositional art. Thank you!

[@MapleSnoople]

That was a really interesting watch! As a fellow Singaporean, I could also recognise your Singaporean accent immediately 😂

[@skylarlimex]

guilty as charged 😅

[@gordonwong7158]

Amazing teacher. Appreciate more videos of this kind. Thank you again

[@kangalio]

I wish the video played the raw melody. I cannot read sheet music without a reference tone, but I can think up chords and tones up very well in my head

[@balladin9200]

underrated channel, great advice

[@skylarlimex]

very kind of you thank you!

[@oscarholmjrgnsen4963]

This video was very understanding and great. i learned a lot from this!

[@MusicAbsum]

Great video, concepts are very nicely explained👏👏

[@mauricioibarra8455]

lol thank u so much for telling us to try it, I tried it and honestly I feel like I nailed it might have to expand, bless you for this

[@wobblyorbee279]

THAT ITALIAN 6TH god it sounds so beautiful

[@fadiessmaeel4909]

Fantastic. Very well done, very clear and to the point. God job!!!

[@marcevanstein]

Very well done explanation/example!

[@janefrancine]

Thank you for this information, YOU GAINED NEW SUB! Keep up the good work man!

[@RyanLeach]

short and sweet, well done

[@GregHarradineComposer]

Eye-opening (or should that be ear-opening) to hear the two versions side by side at the end. Great work!

[@CarlosMartinez-gr1rp]

This is a great exercise for me: please more of these ❤

[@Dognt343]

Thank you. Such a great, short video. Subscribed!!

[@barneystinson2382]

This is awesome, thank you very much for doing this.

[@hashimhussain5780]

A very helpful video. Keep up the great work !!

[@ileoliang]

Very well explained. More please!

[@barneystinson2382]

More about harmonizing please!

[@alecrechtiene558]

This kind of video makes you realize how similar Romantic composers are to Jazz.

[@lewedanz]

EXCELLENT VIDEO !!! PLEASE MORE HARMOMIZING MELODY VIDEOS 👏🙌

[@williamallen6487]

Sounds like some Joe Hisaishi Ghibli magic! Love it!

[@michaelpogudincomposition]

Very informative! Thank you!

[@hdrevolution123]

Really nice video. You really showed a nuanced understanding of harmony here

[@eimeartheirishstitcher]

So much helpful information in such a short video!

[@skylarlimex]

Thanks a lot!

[@fadideeb6984]

Very inspiring and professional. Please upload more of the same concept👌

[@MrGuitarristax]

That was awesome! Please make more videos like that. :)

[@user-ug6hh4qg3n]

Nice, good things to learn

[@timbruer7318]

Good stuff, harmony is so wonderful :)

[@hermeticinstrumentalist6804]

Thank you Sir. It is wonderful to continue learning.

[@danielmasters9679]

Great lesson! Please, keep going😊

[@jkmcs8431]

Okay, you got my attention, I’m all ears and I left you you a sub, it’s nothing much but I hope this will make your day better.

[@julienmichel8013]

I think one of the best impact was adding non harmony notes to bring more movement and spice to the inner lines ; will you be making more videos about that aspect ?

[@batboy5023]

That was so cool!

[@morphicmusic]

beautiful!

[@ccg8803]

An incredible brief video

[@Dizzyfingers2]

Last measure tension / resolution: Violin II - D (first beat) to C (second / third beats) ...

[@skylarlimex]

exactly! the same could be done in vlc or a suspension with the B natural

[@justascaredpussycat1869]

Arhhh, harmony and counterpoint. My arch nemesis.

[@neolyth]

Great video, more from the romantic era please!

[@nitroperformanceguy]

Brilliant!!!

[@caiosobral4725]

That was amazing! Thank you. The only thing I missed was the actual sound of the strings. Anyway, great vid

[@Quim141]

Good video 👍 finally someone who knows what's talking about

[@faridforooghi8293]

Great content… good luck

[@hamza.13]

Plz keep doing vids like this one

[@juanbitacoradelmusico5888]

Hmmm! sounds like Brahms and Reger too! Delicious.

[@mintegral1719]

Holy crap, this was enlightening. Please do more of these!

[@darbl.musica]

Very nice!

[@TheClassicalSauce]

Hello fellow composer! Nice video!

[@Doug20__]

That’s great!! Which romantic harmony book do you suggest for me to study?

[@Stitch87654]

The second violin part is tasteful!!!

[@marije179]

I don't understand anything of this but the first thing already sounded very nice!

[@thiagogomes3226]

the most MOST important thing in music, in my opinion, is narrative and context. There is space for every sound and ambient in music, given the narrative and context. Rationalization of compositional tools and processes, also subjective descriptors, gain more meaning and becomes more useful when associated with narrative and context.

[@skylarlimex]

i completely agree

[@amir.nouroozi.composer]

great video

[@tabor503]

Dope!

[@C0urante]

Is there a wrong note in the audio for the first chord of the viola part in the final harmonization? The chord sounds like a V42 of ii instead of a viiº43, with a C in the viola instead of a Db.

[@ildarkhannanov4326]

After all NCT and variations added, the progression remains functional. It does not become less functional. For some reason, everybody uses the term "functional" as some kind of curse word. Without "functional" this progression would fall apart. It takes decades to internalize tonal-harmonic function.

[@monsieurbrochant7528]

Very interesting, thanks! I think this sounds more like the first iteration of a musical idea early in a music piece, then the second, enriched one, later in the piece. Do you know how to acquire the "tools" you mentioned at the end of the video? I try to remember the ones I see in each piece I learn but is there some kind of list? Do you have one?

[@furman.composer]

Studying harmony and counterpoint.

[@monsieurbrochant7528]

@@furman.composer how? Any recommendations?

[@furman.composer]

@@monsieurbrochant7528 French manuals (Gedalge, d'Indy, Dubois, Fauré...), Cherubini or Fux's books. There's a new trend going on in Partimento - also interesting to check. But commonly found books are indeed good: Kosta's Tonal Harmony, Aldwell's Harmony and Voice leading, Gauldin and Schoenberg's books. Even Walter Piston's are good. And, of course, plenty of solfège exercises (utilizing the same harmony and counterpoint exercises to sight sing each voice). May seem overwhelming at first glance, but diligently studied, this material can be perfected over 2 years without rushing or get tired, just taking few sessions per week. The rest is active listening and practice (with and without instrument).

[@lollertoaster]

The italian chord broke my hearth.

[@altoclef6688]

Good video.

[@toppermusic]

Wanting to learn this style of orchestration. Any recommendations on literature I can read?

[@paoloiavarone]

earned a sub

[@levimungai1846]

are there books one can go through to learn about chords and harmony? this kind of analysis. what are some of them?

[@tristanfanningmusic9701]

Could you explain how you've named the chord at 3:21 at the upbeat? I'm not really sure how this chord is vii43dim/ii in Eb. Thank you!

[@skylarlimex]

the ii chord is F minor in the key of Eb, the diminished chord vii7 of F is E G Bb Db, and since Bb is in the bass, second inversion thus 43

[@BlackHermit]

Very good chromaticism!

[@TheMmau100]

I do understand the roman numbers, what i don't understand are the numbers, what do they mean? Also what it means to have a "⁰" and what it is the / meaning? Can anyone please help me?

[@alexfischer9213]

Hello, that can mean “diminished chord”

[@kaptnkirk2740]

Thank you. Very interesting! Could you sometimes do some stuff about 64-chords in romantic music? It seems, they appear occasionally "irregular". That means: not as a transitus and not as a suspension bevor 53 but more like a "normal" chord.

[@skylarlimex]

it's hard to know what you mean by a "normal" chord, maybe you'd like to provide some examples for me to check out

[@user-ze6yf1go2m]

Where can I find this collection of given melodies?

[@obrayeku]

In the recording it sounds like you play a V42/ii (C/Bb) instead of the diminished chord written in the music and fig. bass, but I think it sounds better that way anyways.

[@jamescerone]

That first option with the interrupted cadence sounds like Randy Newman

[@Wulfhartus]

The italian chord is good to know

[@wadahabbasher]

What’s the piece from this video?

[@smuecke]

I wouldn't have used the C minor chord on beat 3 in the 2nd bar, it kind of spoils the surprise of the deceptive cadence at the end

[@skylarlimex]

what would you have used instead?

[@HYP3RK1NECT]

Armonice eso pero en do menor. Ya que Mi bemol mayor sentía que no le queda. Pero es mi opinión. Kas posibilidades de componer esa base son muchas.

[@mattwallis1893]

Do these texts used for these melodies include fully formed realisations in the book? I noticed there are quite a few volumes of this series of book, where to start? Thanks

[@skylarlimex]

there are separate books for realisations by the author - start with book 1 perhaps

[@mattwallis1893]

@@skylarlimex cool, I’ve ordered the first few books in the series and waiting for them to arrive. Haven’t really seen what the content is in the books. I assume it is only in French? Do the books include any written instructions or theory on how to do the realisations, or just examples? Cheers.

[@philonouz]

nice

[@zidanidane]

💛💛💛

[@jdcellist]

It would be cool for the Cello's B natural in bar 4 to come a beat earlier!

[@danielgolden3946]

Is this an original melody?

[@LucBoeren]

Great vid! I'm guessing you had some real proper music education, however if I could just ask: do you have any tips for learning music by oneself? I'm super thrilled about learning it but school might not really be an option for me as I already have attended colleges and universities for a few too many years. Any tips on books, websites or methods would be super appreciated. Btw I'm telling everyone about your channel :-)

[@skylarlimex]

Thanks so much! I do highly recommend getting a teacher who can teach you analysis, counterpoint and harmony, that'd really speed things up but if you can't find one, your best chances are scouring online, even on KZbin, for resources to teach these things. I've seen a couple of channels who teach basic harmony and counterpoint.