The Paired Do-Re-Mi

In this essay, I will explore the paired Do-Re-Mi —the term also comes from Robert O. Gjerdingen, which was another favourite opening schema in the galant style that also existed in several variants.

The term paired Do-Re-Mi —a variant of the (‘regular’) Do-Re-Mi— refers to a proposta schema that, due to the addition of an extra Re, consists of a pair of stages. The first pair presents a Do-Re snippet, the second a Re-Mi snippet. The first pair acts as a question, the second as the answer.

To facilitate the reading of this essay, I use Robert Gjerdingen’s black-circled figures to indicate scale steps in the melody (e.g. ➍–➌) and white-circled figures to indicate scale steps in the bass (e.g. ⑦–①).

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The Paired Do-Re-Mi in the Melody

The ➊–➋…➋–➌ snippet of the paired Do-Re-Mi usually appears in the melody.

While the Do-Re-Mi consists of three stages, in the 18^th century this schema was often extended by adding an extra Re, creating a dichotomous schema with a question and an answer —hence Gjerdingen’s label paired Do-Re-Mi. The question segment has both harmonically and melodically an open ending, the answer segment a rather closed ending.

Like the Do-Re-Mi, the ➊–➋…➋–➌ snippet can have several counterpoints.

Do-Si…Si-Do in the Bass

The ➊–➋…➋–➌ snippet in the melody can be accompanied with a ①–⑦…⑦–① snippet in the bass:

Luigi Boccherini penned such a version of the paired Do-Re-Mi to begin his flute sextet in C major op. 16 No. 6 (G. 466):

Note how

• only the rising exemplar of the Adeste Fidelis leaps, used as an upbeat, begins each pair of the schema
• stages 1 and 3 contain the upper third above their respective structural melodic note (for more information on this implied melody in parallel thirds see my essay The Do-Re-Mi)
• stages 2 and 4 in the melody are embellished with an appoggiatura —a typical embellishment there, which is anticipated by the upper third of the preceding structural melodic note.

Do-Sol…Sol-Do in the Bass

The melody can also be accompanied with a ①–⑤…⑤–① snippet in the bass:

Boccherini used the same melody with which his Flute Sextet begins as the beginning of the allegro of his Cello Sonata in A major G. 4. In this case, however, the bass doesn’t have a ①–⑦…⑦–① but a ①–⑤…⑤–① snippet.

(Boccherini also used this melody in his setting of Se d’un amor tiranno (G. 557), an aria from Metastasio’s Artaserse (not shown). In this setting, however, the paired Do-Re-Mi in the melody (➊–➋…➋–➌) is accompanied with a ①–②…⑦–① snippet in the bass. Despite the upper third in the second half of the first stage and the appoggiatura at the beginning of the second, the octaves between the structural notes of the outer voices remain problematic. For this reason, I do not consider the ①–②…⑦–① snippet in the bass to be a legitimate counterpoint to the ➊–➋…➋–➌ melody.)

Another example of a paired Do-Re-Mi with a ①–⑤…⑤–① snippet in the bass, Adeste Fidelis leaps, an upper third in stages 1 and 3, and an appoggiatura in stages 2 and 4 occurs at the beginning of the Siciliana from the fifth sonata for transverse flute and BC in F major op. 2 by Wenceslaus Wodiczka:

(Wodiczka’s opus 2 contains eighth sonatas, the first four for violon and BC, the last four for transverse flute and BC.)

The Chromatic Paired Do-Re-Mi in the Melody

The most popular variant of the paired Do-Re-Mi was undoubtedly the one with chromatic appoggiaturas or chromatic passing notes.

Below you can see an example of the chromatic paired Do-Re-Mi that Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf used to begin his theme and variations from his second string quartet in B flat major:

In addition to the chromatic appoggiatura in stages 2 and 4, note again only the rising exemplars of the Adeste Fidelis leaps and the upper third in stages 1 and 3.

While Dittersdorf opted for a ①–⑦…⑦–① snippet in the bass to accompany the paired Do-Re-Mi in the example above, Mozart opened the third movement of his horn concerto in E flat major KV 447 with a chromatic paired Do-Re-Mi accompanied with a ①–⑤…⑤–① snippet in the bass.

Note how Mozart doesn’t use chromatic appoggiaturas but chromatic passing notes, repeating the previous structural melodic note as a rising (diatonic) appoggiatura. As for the appoggiatura on beat 1 of bar 2, it results in a vertical (perfect) fourth on ⑤, whose upper voice rises to the fifth via a chromatic passing note. This is rather bold voice leading; the upper note of such of fourth usually descends stepwise, interpreting the fourth as part of a 4–3 suspension.

Further Reading (Selection)

Gjerdingen, Robert O. Music in the Galant Style (New York: Oxford University Press, 2007).

Gjerdingen, Robert O. Child Composers in the Old Conservatories — How Orphans Became Elite Musicians (New York: Oxford University Press, 2020).

IJzerman, Job. Harmony, Counterpoint, Partimento: A New Method Inspired by Old Masters (New York: Oxford University Press, 2018).

Sanguinetti, Giorgio. The Art of Partimento — History, Theory, and Practice (New York: Oxford University Press, 2012).