Definition: A passing diminished 7th chord is a non-diatonic fully diminished seventh chord that joins other chords by half-step motion and creates passing motion in the bass.
On the page Secondary Leading Tones – Analysis, we learned how to recognize and analyze secondary leading tone chords. (viio7/x). Below is the last section of Mozart’s Rondo in F which contains two secondary leading tone chords: a viio7/V and a viio7/IV.
Since these chords do function in the key as secondary leading tone seventh chords (or secondary dominants), we can analyzed them as such.
However, if we look a little deeper at the chords and the inversions used, a descending bass line becomes very apparent.
Because of this passing motion in the bass, these chords could also be recognized as passing diminished 7th chords – non-diatonic diminished seventh chords that join other chords by half-step motion creating passing motion in the bass.
Passing Diminished Seventh Chords in Jazz
Passing diminished seventh chords – both ascending and descending – are commonly used in jazz as color chords.
The song “It Could Happen to You” by Jimmy Van Heusen (written in 1943 for the musical comedy And the Angels Sing) uses two passing diminished 7th chords in the first few measures. The excerpt below shows the chords and the bass line for the first 5 measures of the tune. Listen for the chords and bass line.
The analysis of this excerpt in shown below.
The Eo7 (m. 2) acts of viio7 of ii (F-7) in the key of Eb and resolved as is expected.
The F#o7 (m. 4) is actually the viio7 of G (ii in Eb) but works here since the I chord that follows it has a G in the bass and so resolves.
Since the bass line descends stepwise in a passing motion, these two chords can also be analyzed as passing diminished 7th chords (see below).
Summary
To review:
A passing diminished 7th chord is a non-diatonic fully diminished seventh chord that joins other chords by half-step motion and creates passing motion in the bass.
There are some instances, especially when o7 chords are used in a descending motion, that they will not function as secondary dominants and should be analyzed only for their passing motion. Several examples of this use of the chords will be shown on the Passing Diminished seventh chords – 2 page.
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