corpus-findings · moss2019-tonal-harmony-beethoven

Using resampling methods, this study shows that 1) the rank-frequency distribution of chords resembles a power law, i.e. few chords govern a large proportion of the data; 2) chord transitions are referential and chord predictability is significantly affected by distinguished chord features; 3) tonal harmony conveys directedness in time; and 4) tonal harmony operates differently at the hierarchical levels of chords and keys. ... In particular, I , i , and V chords account for more than 60% of all chords in major, and more than 50% of all chords in minor, clearly demonstrating their primacy in tonal music which reflects the principle of centricity.