Neo-Riemannian Theory

Neo-Riemannian Theory (NRT) is a method of looking at the relationship between chords instead of their function within a key.

NRT is after Hugo Riemann (1849-1919), a German musicologist. The Grove Music Online says he was “one of the founders of modern musicology and the pre-eminent music scholar and teacher of his generation.”

NRT is named after Hugo Riemann (1849-1919), a German musicologist. The Grove Music Online says he was “one of the founders of modern musicology and the pre-eminent music scholar and teacher of his generation.”

Grove Music Online states that Riemann “devoted his entire career to the elusive goal of explaining ‘musical hearing’ (musikalischesHören) in scientific terms.” In his book, Harmony Simplified, or the Theory of the Tonal Functions of Chords, Reimann introduces his concept of harmonic function; he talk about three relationships between major and minor triads – the parallel, relative, and leading-tone relationships.

In this presentation, we will talk about some of the concepts of Neo-Riemannian Theory including:

• • The Tonnetz
  • Parallel relationships between chords
  • Leading tone relationships between chords
  • Relative relationships betwee chords
  • Compound relationships
  • Cyclic patterns
  • Further Reading