Why does harmony and tonality matter across OCR A-Level Music?

Harmony and tonality underpin both halves of the course. In the Listening and Appraising paper you identify keys, cadences, modulations and chord types in the prescribed work and unfamiliar extracts, and complete harmonic dictation. In the composing technical exercises (the Bach chorale harmonisation, two-part counterpoint and ground bass) you write functionally correct harmony with proper cadences and voice-leading. The same knowledge of how chords function and how dissonance resolves serves both hearing and writing, so it is high-value to master.

What are the four cadences and how do I tell them apart?

A cadence is a harmonic full stop named by its two chords and feel. A perfect cadence (V to I) sounds finished and confirms the key; an imperfect cadence (any chord to V) sounds unfinished, like a comma; a plagal cadence (IV to I) is the gentle 'amen'; an interrupted cadence (V to VI) is a surprise that avoids the expected close. You tell them apart by the bass notes of the last two chords and the finished, unfinished or surprising feel.

How does modulation work?

Modulation is a change of key within a piece. It is usually achieved through a pivot chord common to both keys, signalled by a new leading note (an accidental raising the seventh of the new key), and confirmed by a cadence in the new key. Classical music modulates to closely related keys: the dominant (brightening, the goal of a major-key exposition), the relative or tonic minor or major, and the subdominant. In sonata form the journey away from and back to the tonic drives the whole structure.

How are chords labelled in OCR Music?

Chords are labelled two ways. Figured bass counts the intervals above the bass note, so a first inversion is a 6 (or 6 over 3) and a second inversion is 6 over 4, with a 7 for a seventh. Roman numerals name the chord by its scale degree, with upper case for major and lower case for minor, a small circle for diminished, and a, b or c for root position, first or second inversion. You read and write both systems, working from the bass up and checking each chord fits the key.

How do I recognise harmony by ear?

Work from the bass up. Hear the bass line first, since it anchors the chords and reveals inversions and cadences. Judge each chord's quality (major bright, minor dark, diminished tense) and whether it has a seventh. Use cadence logic at phrase ends (finished implies perfect, unfinished implies imperfect, a surprise implies interrupted), track the harmonic rhythm, and detect modulation from a new leading note and a cadence in a new key. For the harmonic dictation, write the bass, then the cadence chords, then fill in, always fitting the key.

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OCR A-Level Music: harmony and tonality, a complete overview

A deep-dive OCR A-Level Music guide to harmony and tonality: keys, cadences and modulation, chords and functional harmony, harmonic devices and dissonance, and recognising harmony by ear, the framework that underpins both the listening analysis and the composing technical exercises.

Generated by Claude Opus 4.815 min readH543Updated 2026-06-02

Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed

Jump to a section

What this part of the course covers
Keys, cadences and modulation
Chords and functional harmony
Harmonic devices and dissonance
Recognising harmony by ear
How harmony serves the exam
Check your knowledge

What this part of the course covers

Harmony and tonality are the framework behind both the listening analysis and the composing technical exercises. This overview ties together keys, cadences and modulation, chords and functional harmony, harmonic devices and dissonance, and recognising harmony by ear. Each topic has its own dot-point page with practice questions.

Keys, cadences and modulation

Tonality centres on a home key that is major or minor, with related keys close on the circle of fifths (the dominant, subdominant, relative and tonic minor or major). Cadences punctuate the music, perfect (finished), imperfect (unfinished), plagal (the "amen") and interrupted (a surprise), and modulation moves between keys via a pivot chord, a new leading note and a confirming cadence. This framework explains structure and character and is examined throughout.

Chords and functional harmony

Chords are triads and seventh chords, of various qualities and inversions, labelled in figured bass and Roman numerals. Functional harmony groups them by role, tonic, predominant/subdominant and dominant, driving directed progressions such as $I$ , $IV$ , $V$ , $I$ and the cycle of fifths. You both label chords in analysis and write them in the composing exercises.

Harmonic devices and dissonance

Composers add tension and colour with pedal points, suspensions, decorating non-chord notes, sequences and chromatic chords (secondary dominants, the Neapolitan, augmented sixths). The key skill is naming each dissonance and how it resolves, not just calling music "dissonant".

Recognising harmony by ear

The aural skill is to hear harmony from the bass up, judging chord quality and sevenths, using cadence logic at phrase ends, tracking harmonic rhythm, and detecting modulation. This underpins the listening questions and the harmonic dictation.

How harmony serves the exam

Harmony and tonality earn marks across the whole course:

Section A and Section B examine keys, cadences, modulations, chord types and harmonic devices in extracts and the prescribed work, including dictation.
The composing technical exercises require you to write functionally correct harmony with proper cadences, voice-leading and devices.

Because the same knowledge serves both listening and composing, it is among the highest-value areas to master.

Harmony and tonality underpin both the listening analysis and the composing technical exercises in OCR A-Level Music. Tonality centres on a major or minor home key with related keys on the circle of fifths; cadences (perfect, imperfect, plagal, interrupted) punctuate the music, and modulation moves between keys via a pivot chord, a new leading note and a confirming cadence. Chords are triads and sevenths in various qualities and inversions, labelled in figured bass and Roman numerals, grouped by function (tonic, predominant, dominant) into directed progressions. Harmonic devices (pedals, suspensions, non-chord notes, sequences, chromatic chords) add tension and colour, and the key skill is naming how each dissonance resolves. Recognise harmony by ear from the bass up, using cadence logic, harmonic rhythm and modulation cues, for the listening questions and the harmonic dictation.

Check your knowledge

A mix of recall and applied questions on harmony and tonality. Attempt them, then check against the solutions.

Name the four cadence types and their chords. (4 marks)
Name three keys closely related to a major tonic. (3 marks)
How is a modulation confirmed? (2 marks)
What is the figured bass for a first-inversion and a second-inversion triad? (2 marks)
Name the three harmonic functions and a chord for each. (3 marks)
What are the three stages of a suspension? (3 marks)
What does a dominant pedal do, compared with a tonic pedal? (2 marks)
What should you hear first when recognising harmony by ear, and why? (2 marks)

Solutions

Q1: Perfect ( $V$ to $I$ ); imperfect (any chord to $V$ ); plagal ( $IV$ to $I$ ); interrupted ( $V$ to $vi$ ).
Q2: Any three of: the dominant, the subdominant, the relative minor, and the tonic (parallel) minor.
Q3: By a cadence in the new key, usually after a pivot chord and a new leading note (accidental).
Q4: First inversion is $\frac{6}{3}$ (or $6$ ); second inversion is $\frac{6}{4}$ .
Q5: Tonic ( $I$ or $vi$ ); predominant/subdominant ( $IV$ or $ii$ ); dominant ( $V$ , $V^7$ or $vii^o$ ).
Q6: Preparation (a consonant note); suspension (held into the next chord as a dissonance); resolution (falling by step to a chord note).
Q7: A dominant pedal builds tension and expectation (often before a return or climax); a tonic pedal anchors and stabilises the key.
Q8: The bass line, because it anchors the chords (revealing roots and inversions) and its motion reveals the cadences.

Sources & how we know this

OCR A Level Music (H543) specification — OCR (2016)