Questions: Suspensions: Preparation and Resolution

Question 1

In a 4–3 suspension, what interval does the suspended note form above the bass during the moment of dissonance?

• A. A major third
• B. A perfect fourth
• C. A tritone
• D. A major second

Answer: (B)

Suspension labels describe the interval formed during the suspension and the interval resolved to. A 4–3 suspension means the held note forms a fourth above the bass during the dissonance, then resolves down by step to form a third. The number before the dash is the dissonant interval; the number after is where it resolves.

Question 2

A composer holds a note over from one chord into the next, but instead of stepping downward, the held note leaps up by a third to land on a chord tone. Is this a suspension?

• A. Yes — any note held over a chord change qualifies as a suspension
• B. No — a suspension requires downward stepwise resolution; an upward leap fails this requirement
• C. Yes — the resolution direction is flexible as long as there is preparation and a moment of dissonance
• D. Only if the held note falls on a metrically strong beat

Answer: (B)

Downward stepwise resolution is definitional to a suspension, not optional. A note held into a new chord that resolves upward or by leap may be an anticipation, a pedal tone, or a free treatment of dissonance, but it is not a suspension. The mandatory downward step is part of what gives suspensions their characteristic 'giving way' quality — the old note yields reluctantly to the new harmony.

Question 3

A suspension should fall on a metrically weak beat, since its purpose is to briefly delay the harmonic resolution.

• T. True
• F. False

Answer: False

This is exactly backwards. Suspensions fall on metrically strong beats — specifically, the beat where the new harmony arrives. The suspended note clashes with the new harmony right at the moment of rhythmic emphasis, which is precisely what makes the dissonance so striking. The resolution then falls on the weaker beat. Metric placement is central to suspension function: the same held note might sound like a passing tone if it lands weakly, but creates a full suspension on a strong beat.

Question 4

The preparation stage of a suspension is the note belonging to the previous chord before the harmony changes.

• T. True
• F. False

Answer: True

The preparation establishes the suspended note as a legitimate chord tone before any dissonance occurs. When the harmony changes beneath it, the note is 'caught' in the new chord where it no longer belongs — creating the suspension. Without the preparation, there would be no sense of a note being 'left behind' by the changing harmony, and the resulting dissonance would sound arbitrary rather than dramatically purposeful.

Question 5

What distinguishes a suspension from other non-chord tones, and why does the three-stage structure of preparation, suspension, and resolution matter musically?

Model answer: A suspension is distinguished by its temporal structure: the dissonant note is not a new pitch appearing briefly, but a pitch from the previous harmony that is held over while the chord changes beneath it. Other non-chord tones (passing tones, neighbor tones) approach from and return to chord tones in real time. The three-stage structure matters because each stage creates a distinct experience: preparation builds no tension, the suspension creates acute dissonance, and the resolution releases it. This arc of tension and release — old sound clashing with new, then yielding — is the emotional engine of the suspension and distinguishes it from accidental or incidental dissonance.

The preparation-suspension-resolution template is also a compositional tool that sets expectations. Once a listener internalizes this pattern, even the preparation begins to carry anticipatory tension. Composers can exploit or subvert the expected resolution to create surprise or extended longing.