Dominant Seventh Chords Part 1: Theory || Tonal Voice Leading 11 

Glad you enjoy them!

*wears a hat in church while singing unprepared dissonant intervals*

Interesting quote, as in some cultures / time periods - wearing a hat to church (for women) was considered proper

Root motion isn’t the same thing as the motion of the bass voice. Rameau used to add a clef that he labeled “fundamental bass” to show the root motion between each chord in his examples that was independent of any of the particular parts. So we commonly call root motion “down the circle of fifths” even if the bass voice literally moves in some other way.

@@JacobGran ok so root motion means backward on the circle of fifths... got it. thank you

At the pace I'm going, it will take a few years before we get to any modern music!

Yes and no. That would be produce 4-voice V - I authentic cadence with plain triads rather than seventh chord, and those do happen all the time. However we wouldn't call that repeated G any kind of melodic cadence, because it didn't move anywhere (it isn't a form of melodic closure) and it isn't one of the traditional "clausulae." I can highly recommend Early Music Sources' video on "16th and 17th Century Cadences." Although textbooks gradually stop mentioning the clausulae in favor of Rameau-style harmonic cadences, everything Rotem mentions in that video related to melodic closure persists in strict counterpoint pedagogy through the 18th century.

@@JacobGran Does this mean I should use this type of dominant 7th cadence even back in our four-voice counterpoint exercises (Tonal Voice Leading 9)?

Hahahahahahahaha😂