Parallel Fifths

Good, interesting, debatable, bad

Example .mp3 .pdf
Schubert, String Quartet no. 1, D. 18, mvt. 1, mm. 48-58
Mozart, Piano Concerto no. 26 in D Major, K. 537, mvt. 2, mm. 61-66
Mozart, Piano Sonata in C Major, K. 279, mvt. 2, mm. 29-30
Beethoven, 24 Variations on an Arietta by Righini, WoO 65, theme, mm. 13-16
Mozart, Sechs deutsche Tanze, K. 509 no. 1, Alternativo, mm. 9-16
Mozart, Violin Sonata in A Major, K. 526, mvt. 3, mm. 1-8
Schubert, “Du bist die Ruh”, D. 776, mm. 54-60
Handel, Violin Sonata in E Major, op. 1 no. 12, mvt. 1, mm. 1-2 (notice how performance avoids the parallel fifths)
Brahms, Cadenza for Beethoven’s Piano Concerto no. 3, op. 37, mvt. 1, mm. 32-34
Mendelssohn, Piano Concerto no. 2 in d minor, op. 40, mvt. 1, mm. 267-270
Beethoven, Piano Sonata in A-flat Major, op. 26, mvt. 1, Var. 5, mm. 27-30
Mendelssohn, Piano Sonata in E Major, op. 6, mvt. 1, mm. 119-125
Brahms, Chorale Prelude, op. 122 no. 8, mm. 17-18
Beethoven, Leonore Overture no. 1, op. 138, mm. 185-186
Mendelssohn, Paulus, op. 36 no. 2, mm. 7-8
Mendelssohn, Paulus, op. 36 no. 8, mm. 23-25
Mendelssohn, Violin Sonata in F Major, MVW Q7, mvt. 2, mm. 65-72
Mozart, Eight Variations, K. 24, Var. 7, mm. 10-12
Chopin, Etude in e-flat minor, op. 10 no. 6, mm. 45-46
Mendelssohn, Piano Sonata in g minor, op. 105, mvt. 3, mm. 13-24
Mozart, Piano Sonata in D Major, K. 576, mvt. 3, mm. 103-106
Mozart, Piano Sonata in a minor, K. 310, mvt. 2, mm. 61-62
Chopin, Etude in E Major, op. 10 no. 3, mm. 14-15
Brahms, Clarinet Sonata no. 2 in E-flat Major, op. 120 no. 2, mvt. 2, mm. 49-53
Handel, Keyboard Suite in E Major, HWV 430, Air, mm. 3-7
Beethoven, Piano Sonata in f minor, op. 57, mvt. 2, mm. 33-34
J. S. Bach, Chorale no. 4 (“Es ist das Heil uns Kommen her”), mm. 9-10
Tchaikovsky, Violin Concerto in D Major, op. 35, mvt. 1, mm. 162-165
Tchaikovsky, Violin Concerto in D Major, op. 35, mvt. 1, mm. 224-232
Beethoven, Cello Sonata no. 4 in C Major, op. 102 no. 1, Allegro vivace, mm. 191-198
Brahms, Canon, op. 113 no. 13, mm. 7-9
Dvorak, String Quartet no. 13 in G Major, op. 106, mvt. 2, mm. 1-6
Dvorak, String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, op. 96, mvt. 2, mm. 28-30
Brahms, Intermezzo in E-flat Major, op. 117 no 1, mm. 52-57
Mozart, Piano Sonata in B-flat Major, K. 333, mvt. 2, mm. 48-50
Ippolitov-Ivanov, Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, op. 37 no. 14, mm. 1-6
Tallis, “If Ye Love Me”, mm. 34-39
Mozart, Violin Sonata in D Major, K. 306, mvt. 1, mm. 67-72
Brahms, “Treue Liebe dauert lange”, op. 33 no. 15, mm. 1-4
Mozart, Piano Concerto no. 14 in E-flat Major, K. 449, mvt. 2, mm. 90-95
Scarlatti, Keyboard Sonata in b minor, L. 263, mm. 1-12
Glenn Gould, “So You Want to Write a Fugue?”, mm. 1-10
J.S. Bach, Chorale no. 64 "Freu' dich sehr, O meine Seele," mm. 5-8 (wrong note?) (no recording)
Beethoven, String Quartet in E-flat Major, op. 74, mvt. 1, mm. 94-96 (wrong note?)
Vieuxtemps, Violin Concerto no. 5 in a minor, op. 37, mm. 261-265
Mozart, A Musical Joke, K. 522, mvt. 1, mm. 11-15
Mozart, A Musical Joke, K. 522, mvt. 1, mm. 45-51
Mozart, A Musical Joke, K. 522, mvt. 3, mm. 1-4
Mozart, A Musical Joke, K. 522, mvt. 3, mm. 5-6
Mozart, A Musical Joke, K. 522, mvt. 3, mm. 14-18
Mozart, A Musical Joke, K. 522, mvt. 3, mm. 24-27

Parallel fifths between phrases

Example .mp3 .pdf
J. S. Bach, Chorale no. 134 (“Du, o schönes Weltgebäude”), mm. 1-5
J. S. Bach, Chorale no. 90 (“Hast du denn, Jesu, dein Angesicht”), mm. 8-13
Corelli, Concerto Grosso in D Major, op. 6 no. 7, mvt. 2, mm. 43-48
Ippolitov-Ivanov, Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, op. 37 no. 7, mm. 22-28
Liszt, Die Seligkeiten, S. 25, mm. 17-21
Liszt, Rosario, S. 56, mvt. 2, mm. 28-36

Enharmonic parallel fifths

Example .mp3 .pdf
Beethoven, Piano Sonata no. 23 in f minor, op. 57, mvt. 2, mm. 1-8
Mozart, Symphony no. 41 in C Major, K. 551, mvt. 4, mm. 219-225
Chopin, Etude in g-sharp minor, op. 25 no. 6, mm. 57-58
Brahms, Piano Concerto no. 2 in B-flat Major, op. 83, mvt. 1, mm. 142-145
Brahms, String Sextet no. 1 in B-flat Major, op. 18, mvt. 1, mm. 35-40

Rustic and coloristic parallel fifths

Example .mp3 .pdf
Scarlatti, Keyboard Sonata in D Major, L. 465, mm. 57-64
Haydn, Symphony no. 88 in G Major, mvt. 3, Trio, mm. 1-10
Beethoven, Symphony no. 6 in F Major, op. 68, mvt. 1, mm. 9-12
Chopin, Mazurka in C Major, op. 24 no. 2, mm. 101-120
Chopin, Mazurka in g minor, op. 67 no. 2, mm. 17-32
Chopin, Mazurka in c-sharp minor, op. 30 no. 4, mm. 124-133
Grieg, Lyric Piece, op. 54 no. 6 (“Bell Ringing”), mm. 1-18
Grieg, Lyric Piece, op. 43 no. 3, mm. 9-12
Grieg, Lyric Piece, op. 38 no. 1, mm. 51-54
Grieg, Lyric Piece, op. 71 no. 4, mm. 1-4
Gounod, Faust, Act V, Apotheose, mm. 9-11
Sinding, Piano Concerto in D-flat Major, op. 6, mvt. 2, mm. 17-24
Saint-Saëns, Piano Concerto no. 5, op. 103, mvt. 2, m. 230
Liszt, Hungarian Rhapsody no. 6 in D-flat Major, mm. 117-128
Liszt, Csárdás Macabre, S. 224, mm. 1-27
Puccini, The Girl of the Golden West, Act III, "Ch'ella mi creda," mm. 5-11
Puccini, La Bohème, Act III, mm. 1-23
Rachmaninoff, Vespers, op. 37 no. 6, mm. 9-14
Barber, String Quartet, op. 11, mvt. 2, mm. 1-6
Vaughan Williams, Mass in g minor, mvt. 1, mm. 5-11
Vaughan Williams, The Lark Ascending, mm. 1-3
Holst, The Planets, mvt. 7 (“Neptune, the Mystic”), mm. 9-13
Respighi, Pines of Rome, mvt. 2, mm. 28-31
Debussy, Violin Sonata in g minor, mvt. 1, mm. 1-9
Ravel, Concerto for Piano (Left Hand) and Orchestra, rehearsal no. 16
Ravel, “Ronsard à son âme”, mm. 1-37
Poulenc, Trois Pièces, no. 2, mm. 1-6

Unequal fifths: diminished fifth → perfect fifth

Example .mp3 .pdf
Corelli, Concerto Grosso in g minor, op. 6 no. 8, mvt. 1, mm. 1-6
J. S. Bach, Chorale no. 60 (“Ich freue mich in dir”), mm. 1-2
J. S. Bach, Chorale no. 317 (“Herr, wie du willst”), mm. 1-2
Beethoven, 24 Variations on an Arietta by Righini, WoO 65, Var. 3, mm. 9-16
J. S. Bach, Brandenburg Concerto no. 1 in F major, BWV 1046, mvt. 2, mm. 10-11
Brahms, Sarabande no. 2, WoO 5, mm. 15-17
Brahms, “Treue Liebe”, op. 7 no. 1, mm. 12-14

Fifth and octaves by contrary motion

Example .mp3 .pdf
J. S. Bach, Chorale no. 114 (“Von Gott will ich nicht lassen”), mm. 1-4
J. S. Bach, Chorale no. 191 (“Von Gott will ich nicht lassen”), mm. 1-4 (no recording)
J. S. Bach, Chorale no. 69 (“Komm, heiliger Geist, Herre Gott”), mm. 1-3
Mozart, String Quartet in A Major, K. 464, mvt. 4, mm. 257-262
Chopin, Etude in F Major, op. 10 no. 8, mm. 93-95
R. Strauss, Violin Sonata in E-flat Major, op. 18, mvt. 1, mm. 309-311
Beethoven, Symphony no. 6 in F Major, op. 68, mvt. 1, mm. 9-12

Avoided and almost parallel fifths

Example .mp3 .pdf
J.S. Bach, Partita no. 3 in E Major for Solo Violin, BWV 1006, Gavotte en Rondeau, mm. 59-68
Mozart, Symphony no. 35 in D Major, K. 385, mvt. 3, mm. 1-8
Mozart, Piano Sonata in B-flat Major, K. 333, mvt. 1, mm. 1-2
Vivaldi, Violin Concerto in e minor, F. I no. 208, mvt. 2, mm. 52-58
Haydn, String Quartet in D Major, op. 17 no. 6, mvt. 4, mm. 12-19
Mendelssohn, Piano Sonata in B-flat Major, op. 106, mvt. 3, mm. 1-7
Mozart, Piano Concerto no. 26 in D Major, K. 537, mvt. 1, mm. 67-74
Schubert, "Wanderer" Fantasy, op. 15, Adagio, mm. 9-14
Mendelssohn, Song Without Words in g minor, op. 53 no. 3, mm. 9-12
J. S. Bach, Mass in b minor, BWV 232, Benedictus, mm. 5-12
Palestrina, “O crux ave”, mm. 21-23
J. S. Bach, Chorale no. 143 (“In dulci jubilo”), mm. 22-25
Mozart, Piano Sonata in B-flat Major, K. 281, mvt. 3, mm. 7-12
Brahms, “Meerfahrt”, op. 96 no. 4, mm. 21-27

“Full-voiced” textures (Johann David Heinichen)

Example .mp3 .pdf
Beethoven, Piano Sonata in C Major, op. 53, mvt. 1, mm. 196-203
Beethoven, Cello Sonata no. 3 in A Major, op. 69, mvt. 1, mm. 21-24
Handel, Harpsichord Suite no. 1 in B-flat Major, HWV 434, Aria con Variazioni, mm. 1-4
Mozart, Violin Sonata in G Major, K. 379, mvt. 1, mm. 1-3
Schubert, “Du bist die Ruh”, D. 776, mm. 54-60
Paganini, Caprice, op. 1 no. 8, mm. 1-8
Chopin, Prelude in c-sharp minor, op. 28 no. 10, mm. 1-4

Parallel octaves

Example .mp3 .pdf
Mozart, Piano Sonata in F Major, K. 533, mvt. 3 (K. 494), mm. 68-71
Beethoven, Piano Sonata in f minor, op. 57, mvt. 2, mm. 37-38
Schubert, Impromptu in B-flat Major, D. 935 no. 3, mm. 7-8
Chopin, Piano Sonata no. 2 in b-flat minor, op. 35, mvt. 3, mm. 1-6
Mozart (arr. Süssmayr), Requiem, K. 626, Recordare, mm. 20-24
Brahms, "Alte Liebe", op. 72 no. 1, mm. 1-6
Palestrina, Christe redemptor omnium, mvt. 4, mm. 39-44
Chopin, Nocturne in G Major, op. 37 no. 2, mm. 28-41
J. S. Bach, Brandenburg Concerto no. 5 in D Major, BWV 1050, mvt. 1, mm. 8-11
Mozart, A Musical Joke, K. 522, mvt. 2, Trio, mm. 1-8
Beethoven, Piano Sonata in c minor, op. 10 no. 1, mvt. 2, mm. 13-16
Mendelssohn, Song without Words, op. 19 no. 6, mm. 38-46
Chopin, Prelude, op. 28 no. 2, mm. 3-4
Mozart, String Quartet in A Major, K. 464, mvt. 4, mm. 1-8

From Brahms’ notebook

Fifths

Example .mp3 .pdf
Mozart, Piano Sonata in a minor, K. 310, mvt. 2, mm. 15-19
Cherubini, Missa Solemnis no. 2 in d minor, Kyrie, mm. 258-262
Beethoven, String Quartet in c minor, op. 18 no. 4, mvt. 3, mm. 21-27
Beethoven, Piano Sonata in E major, op. 14 no. 1, mm. 51-57
Beethoven, String Quartet in c-sharp minor, op. 131, mvt. 1, mm. 18-21
Schumann, Romanze, op. 28 no. 1, mm. 25-32
Beethoven, String Quartet in c-sharp minor, op. 131, mvt. 7, mm. 170-172
Mozart, The Magic Flute, Overture, mm. 20 and 187-190
Mozart, Don Giovanni, K. 527, Act II no. 19, mm. 61-63
Bizet, Carmen, Act I, no. 9, mm. 11-20
Mendelssohn, Variations Sérieuses, op. 54, Var. 13, mm. 12-20
J. S. Bach, Cantata no. 23, BWV 23, mvt. 1, mm. 37-38
J. S. Bach, Cantata no. 59, BWV 59, mvt. 1, mm. 39-41
Schubert, Die Schöne Müllerin, D. 795 no. 17 (“Die böse Farbe”), mm. 17-22

Octaves

Example .mp3 .pdf
Cherubini, Missa Solemnis no. 2 in d minor, Gloria, mm. 13-17
Mozart, The Magic Flute, K. 620, Act I, Quintet, mm. 120-122
J. S. Bach, Mass in b minor, BWV 232, Laudamus te, m. 56
Beethoven, Violin Sonata in G Major, op. 96, mvt. 2, mm. 36-38
Beethoven, Piano Sonata in C Major, op. 53, mvt. 1, mm. 82-90
Beethoven, Piano Sonata in C Major, op. 2 no. 3, mvt. 1, mm. 47-51