What is a Tierce de Picardie?
Q: What is a Tierce de Picardie?
A: A Tierce de Picardie is a major chord at the end of a piece of music in a minor key. It was commonly used in the 16th and 17th centuries to provide relief from the tension of the minor key.
Q: Why does ending in the major give a sense of relief after the tension of the minor?
A: In music, when something is written in a minor key, it sounds melancholy or disturbed because the third note of the scale is flattened (lowered by a semitone). This creates dissonance against the fundamental (first note of the scale). Ending with a major chord resolves this dissonance and provides relief.
Q: Who introduced this term?
A: The term was introduced by Rousseau in his "Dictionnaire de musique" (Dictionary of Music) in 1767.
Q: What does "Tierce" mean?
A: Tierce means "third".
Q: Why did Rousseau call it “Picardie”?
A: No one knows why he called it “Picardie” (Picardy is an area in France).
Q: Which famous composers have used this technique?
A: Bach and Beethoven are two famous composers who have used this technique. Examples include Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, Bach's Concerto for Two Violins and Orchestra, Fantasia and Fugue in G Minor BWV542, Cantata No. 82 "Ich Habe Genug", and Greensleeves.
Q: When would Bach have finished Fantasie with only a major chord if playing on its own without fugue?
A: It is possible that Bach would have finished Fantasie with only a major chord if he was playing it on its own without fugue, but we cannot be sure.
