1 p.l., ii, 58 p. illus. (music). 28 cm.
Typewritten.
Bibliography: l. 55-58.
The task of establishing even an approximate beginning of the use of a chord is one to be approached with great care. It not only physically impossible but also of no real practical value to examine all the music that has been written up to the middle of the eighteenth century. Therefore, the search tor Neopolitan sixth chords has been confined to the music ot the most illustrious composers, with the conviction that these names will be a fair representation.
This thesis deals only with the beginnings of the Neapolitan sixth chord and its development through Bach. It is well known that the Neopolitan sixth chord came into full bloom in the romantic period of the nineteenth century. However, before this, there had to be much experimenting. With Johann Sebastian Bach, the Neapolitan sixth is definitely crystallized in usage. For this reason, research seems appropriately culminated in an analysis of a representative amount of his music.
The editions of the musical examples in this thesis are supposedly authentic. In cases where facsimiles were available, they were utilized.
