Schubert Impromptu Op 90 No 2 Harmonic Analysis
| Bar Range | Key | Function | Analysis | |-----------|-----|----------|----------| | 70–72 | B major | Dominant preparation | B – E is V – I in E major | | 73–80 | E major | Tonic | Hymn-like chords: I – IV – V⁷ – I | | 81–88 | C-sharp minor | Relative minor of E major | vi – ii⁷ – V⁷/vi – vi | | 89–96 | A major | Subdominant of E | Secondary dominant: V⁷/IV (B⁷) to IV (A) | | 97–104 | F-sharp minor | Chromatic mediant of A | Deceptive motion via Ger⁺⁶ (F# – A# – C# – D#) | | 105–117 | E major | Tonic return with coda in E | Final cadence: IV – I⁶/₄ – V⁷ – I |
The Trio (Op. 90 No. 2 is famous for having a Trio that acts as a second, contrasting middle section) shifts the character entirely to a solemn chorale.
Key Area: E-flat Minor:
Chromatic Mediant Relationships:
Here, Schubert fully embraces the parallel minor. schubert impromptu op 90 no 2 harmonic analysis
If Section A was a walk through a pleasant park with sudden gusts of wind, Section B is a plunge into a frozen lake. Schubert does something radical: he abandons E-flat major entirely for key that is harmonically distant: B minor.
How do we get from E-flat major to B minor? The distance is a tritone (E-flat to A) followed by a diminished fifth to B. In classical theory, this is a brutal, Neapolitan-like leap. But Schubert bridges it with a single, magical chord: the E-flat diminished seventh at the end of bar 54, which resolves enharmonically to the dominant of B minor (F-sharp major) in bar 55. | Bar Range | Key | Function |
Though this is a small form (ABA), Schubert outlines three distinct tonal areas in the A section alone:
The "False Tonic" – The ear expects a strong E-flat major resolution, but Schubert resolves V⁷ of E-flat (B-flat⁷) to a C-flat major chord (bar 61), which is enharmonically B major – the Neapolitan of the Neapolitan. This is a harmonic ellipsis. Chromatic Mediant Relationships:
Key: E major (flat submediant of E♭ major is C♭, but E major is enharmonic to F♭—a rare III♭ relation).