ABSTRACT

Ninth chords are in the group of extended chords. In the age of the tonal system, dominant ninth chords, which are established on the V degree of the scale, are used. The uses of these dissonant chords, which differ in major and minor tonalities, in works show differences in music history, mostly based on the requirements of the period. The related evolution is more striking in that it is easily observed in works written for the piano, which is a polyphonic instrument. In this study, the organizations, inversions, alterations on the 9th voices, resolutions, and rootless uses of dominant ninth chords were first discussed theoretically; then, their available uses were examined on examples from baroque, classical, romantic, and contemporary piano works. In the age of the tonal system, the 9th voice above the dominant chord was initially considered a non-chord tone and was resolved before the chord change, later used as a chord tone and resolved during the chord change if present, and continued to be used as a chord tone in the contemporary period, but the resolution tendency was observed to decrease. In the relevant Turkish literature, there are deficiencies in the context of examining the use of diatonic and altered ninth chords. It is recommended that such topics, which sometimes go beyond classical harmony teaching, be given more prominence in the contents of harmony books.