Questions: Borrowed Chords and Chromatic Voice Leading in Parallel Modes

Question 1

In C major, a composer uses the borrowed iv chord (F minor: F–A♭–C). How should the A♭ resolve in standard voice leading?

• A. Down by half-step to G (the fifth of the tonic chord)
• B. Up by half-step to A♮ (restoring the diatonic sixth)
• C. Stay as a common tone — A♭ is shared between F minor and A♭ major
• D. Move down by whole step to G♭, continuing the flat direction

Answer: (A)

The governing principle is that flatted chromatic tones resolve downward. A♭ is ♭6 imported from C minor; it resolves down by half-step to G (scale degree 5), which is the fifth of the C major tonic chord. This smooth semitone resolution is what gives the borrowed iv chord its characteristic poignancy. Option B (restoring A♮) could occur in some harmonic contexts but fights against the chromatic note's natural tendency and loses the expressiveness of the borrowed tone.

Question 2

You encounter the chord B–D–F–A♭ in a passage clearly in C major. This chord is most likely:

• A. The viidim7 borrowed from the parallel minor (C minor), where A♭ is ♭6
• B. A secondary dominant seventh chord to the subdominant
• C. The leading-tone seventh chord naturally occurring in C major
• D. An augmented sixth chord with an enharmonic spelling

Answer: (A)

In C major, the diatonic leading-tone seventh is a half-diminished seventh: B–D–F–A♮. The fully-diminished version B–D–F–A♭ contains A♭, which is ♭6 — a note from C minor, not C major. This identifies it as a borrowed viidim7 from the parallel minor. All three non-root voices resolve by semitone: B→C, F→E (or F→G), A♭→G, giving it extraordinary voice-leading efficiency.

Question 3

In a borrowed chord, a flatted chromatic tone (such as ♭6) should resolve downward by half-step, while a raised chromatic tone should resolve upward.

• T. True
• F. False

Answer: True

This is the core principle of chromatic voice leading: chromatic tones resolve in the direction of their alteration. A flatted degree 'wants' to descend; a raised degree 'wants' to ascend. This mirrors the treatment of leading tones (raised 7̂ resolves up to 1̂) and chromatic passing tones. The logic is that the chromatic alteration creates a half-step tension that is released by moving in the direction the alteration points.

Question 4

Borrowed chords destabilize the home key because their chromatic tones can seldom be resolved without leaving the tonal center.

• T. True
• F. False

Answer: False

Modal borrowing works precisely because the chromatic tones can resolve smoothly back into the home key. The A♭ in a borrowed iv chord resolves down to G (diatonic in C major); the B in the borrowed viidim7 resolves up to C (the tonic). The listener's tonal sense of home is maintained by the root motion and by the stepwise resolution of the chromatic voice. A borrowed chord is a guest that 'leaves gracefully' — the departure is the color, and the resolution maintains coherence.

Question 5

What principle governs the voice leading of chromatic tones in borrowed chords, and why does following this principle make the borrowed chord sound coherent rather than arbitrary?

Model answer: Chromatic tones must resolve in the direction of their alteration: flatted tones resolve down by half-step, raised tones resolve up by half-step. This principle makes borrowed chords coherent because the chromatic departure is immediately answered by a diatonic arrival — the borrowed tone slides into a pitch that belongs to the home key, maintaining tonal orientation while adding color. If the chromatic tone were voice-led against its natural tendency (forced into a leap or wrong direction), the borrowed chord would sound arbitrary and unresolved.

The expressiveness of borrowed chords comes from the combination of chromatic color and smooth resolution. The A♭ in a borrowed iv chord is 'exotic' relative to C major, but its half-step resolution to G is so smooth that the ear accepts the brief chromatic excursion as enriching rather than destabilizing. This is why half-step resolutions of chromatic tones are the default in tonal voice leading: they create maximum tension with minimum disruption to the tonal framework.