The Rule of the Octave in Minor According to Fenaroli

An important early topic within partimento training is what is nowadays usually called the rule of the octave.

The rule of the octave gives one specific, first-choice chord for each note of a major and minor scale in the bass, both ascending and descending. While different versions of the rule of the octave exist, I focus in this essay on the standard version in minor taught by Fedele Fenaroli.

Realizing the rule of the octave in a minor key demands somewhat more attention than realizing it in a major key. This is because, depending on the circumstances, the sixth and the seventh scale steps need to be raised or lowered. (For the rule of the octave in major according to Fenaroli see my essay The Rule of the Octave in Major According to Fenaroli.) Note that the term ‘rule of the octave’ was not used in 18^th-century Italy —this rule was referred to as setting scale (scales). Still, because it is a convenient term, I do use it throughout this essay, represented by the abbreviation “RO”.

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As I pointed out in my essay The Rule of the Octave in Major According to Fenaroli, Fenaroli did not give much attention to voice leading when starting to teach the RO. Below you find the G minor scale as notated in one of the many manuscripts with the musical examples to which Fenaroli’s primer Regole Musicali refer.

Remember that the figures above the bass line are a stenographic notation for exactly which notes should be played on each bass note.

Note that,

• when the bass rises, ⑥ and ⑦ are chromatically raised
• when the bass descends, ⑥ and ⑦ are chromatically lowered.

Complete RO in First Position

The example below illustrates the RO for the G minor scale in first position as given by Imbimbo.

The next example concretizes the figures of the G minor scale in first position:

The most noticeable chord/sonority is the one occurring on ⑥(♭) in the descending scale with the augmented sixth c♯¹. Fenaroli explains that, contrary to the descending RO in a major key, this scale step cannot be considered ② (in the dominant key) because of the e♭ instead of the e(♮). So, there is an interesting tension between the bass and the chord. While the bass stays in G minor with the e♭, the right hand produces a dominant seventh chord of D. This reasoning can be helpful to find quickly the correct sonority to play on ⑥(♭).

On page 122 of this Art of Partimento (2012), Giorgio Sanguinetti gives a realization of this scale in first position according to Imbimbo as well. While his realization is almost identical to mine, he gives a¹ as top note of the setting on ⑦ in the descending scale, resulting in a four-part instead of in a three-part chord at that point. (I made a similar remark in relation to Sanguinetti’s realization of the G major scale in first position; see my essay The Rule of the Octave in Major According to Fenaroli.)

While this realization is of course blameless, it does not translate the figures literally. As a matter of fact, all the manuscripts I know give 6/3 at that point.

Ascending RO in First Position

Note that

• a lowered sixth scale (e♭¹) occurs on ④; the reason for this is that e♭¹ steps down to d¹ on ⑤
• ⑥ and ⑦ are chromatically raised (e♮ and f♯, the latter being the leading note); this is necessary to be able to step up from ⑤ (d) to ① (g).

How to Build Up the Ascending RO in First Position?

Since the way to build up the ascending RO in a minor key is identical to that in major key, please check out the section with the same title in my essay The Rule of the Octave in Major According to Fenaroli. Do pay attention to the accidentals, though.

Alternative Sonority on ⑦

Fenaroli illustrates that, when ascending, one can opt for another sonority on ⑦. Instead of playing a 6/5 sonority, one can play a diminished seventh chord. A typical case is when ⑦ appears in between two appearances of ①:

Descending RO in First Position

How to Build Up the Descending RO in First Position?

Since the way to build up the ascending RO in a minor key is mostly identical to that in a major key, please check out the section with the same title in my essay The Rule of the Octave in Major According to Fenaroli. Note, however, that the snippet ①–⑦–⑥–⑤ needs to be practised in its entirety. The snippet (①–)⑦–⑤ would result in a cross relation (f♮ in the bass – f♯ in the top voice).

Alternative Sonority on ④

Fenaroli explains that, when descending, one can opt for another sonority on ④. Instead of simply prolonging the triad on ⑤, resulting in a ♯4/2/6 sonority, one can play (♭)3 instead of 2, resulting in a ♯4/(♭)3/6 sonority:

Complete RO in Second Position

The example below illustrates the RO for G minor in second position from Imbimbo’s edition.

The next example concretizes the figures of the G minor scale in second position:

Make sure to practice the RO in a minor key in second position also with the alternative chord on ④ when descending.

Complete RO in Third Position

The example below illustrates the RO for G minor in third position from Imbimbo’s edition.

The next example concretizes the figures of the G minor scale in third position:

Make sure to practice the RO in a minor key in third position also with the alternative chord on ④ when descending.

Further Reading (Selection)

Demeyere, Ewald. On Fedele Fenaroli’s Pedagogy: An Update, in: Eighteenth-Century Music 15/2 (2018), 207-229.

Fenaroli, Fedele. METODO PER BENE ACCOMPAGNARE, Preface and Editorial Principles by Ewald Demeyere (Ottignies, 2021).

Fenaroli, Fedele. Partimenti Ossia Basso Numerato, Opera Completa Di Fedele Fenaroli. Per uso Degli alunni del Regal Conservatorio di Napoli (Paris: Imbimbo & Carli, 1813 or 1814).

Fenaroli, Fedele. REGOLE MUSICALI PER I PRINCIPIANTI DI CEMBALO, A Comparative Edition (V1.0), compiled and edited by Ewald Demeyere (Ottignies, 2021).

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).