Mixture – bII, Neapolitan – Example 1

Definition: The bII, Neapolitan, or Phrygian II chord is a major triad built on the lowered 2nd (b2) scale degree. It is called Phrygian II since it is occurs naturally in the Phrygian mode.

Franz Schubert (1797-1828)- Der Erlkonig, D. 328 (1815)

One of the most used pieces for examples of the bII, Phrygian II, or Neapolitan chord is Franz Schubert’s Der Erlkonig. Schubert’s piece is based on the poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. An audio version of the piece is linked to below:

A copy of the lyrics can be found at this site (Oxford Lieder).

We will look at the two places in the piece where the Neapolitan occurs.

Example 1: Der Erlkonig (m. 113-121)

The first example is shown below between the brackets (m. 113-123). It starts just before the seventh stanza in the poem above. In this excerpt, the Erlkonig is talking to the son for the third time and is trying to lure him to come wit him. He starts by saying “I love you” but finishes by saying that if the boy does not come with him, he will take him forcibly.

Audio for above excerpt is at this link, starting at 3:05.

Analysis

At this point in the music, the key is D minor (the dominant of the main key of G minor for this version). Many of the chords here are diatonic or secondary dominants of chords in this key, as can be seen below. The section marked with the shaded block contains chords outside the key of D.

The chord in mm. 117 and 119 is the same – an Eb-G-Bb chord in root position. This Eb major chord is a bII or N in the key of D minor.

The chord in m. 118 is a D-F-Ab-Cb chord over a pedal Eb. This chord, a D half-diminished 7th, is acting as a viiiø7 of the N; D is the a half-step below or the leading tone of Eb. Therefore it is analyzed as a viiø7/N.

The completed analysis can be seen below.

The Use of the Neapolitan

The use of the Neapolitan at this point in the piece is interesting. Each of the other two entrances of the Erlkonig in this piece are in major keys and the accompaniment changed to be more playful. From m. 117 to 119, the piece is in a minor key, but the N is used to create the major key feeling for the Erlkonig while he says “I love you, your fair form allures me.”

For the second half of the stanza, when the Erlkonig becomes dark and says “and if you don’t come willingly, I’ll use force,” the key of D minor is emphasized through the use of the viio7 chord, a secondary leading tone chord of V and the cadence in D minor.

The use of the N (and its leading tone 7th chord) is used in this part of the piece to emphasize the words and paint a picture of the Erlkonig.