Passing Diminished Seventh Chords – Almost Like Being in Love

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.

Almost Like Being in Love

Another piece that includes a passing diminished seventh chord is “Almost Like Being in Love” written in 1947 by Frederick Loewe and Alan Jay Lerner for the play (and later movie) Brigadoon.

A chords only version as well as a clip from the movie is shown below.

Almost Like Being in Love – mm. 1-7

This piece is in AABA form. Let’s first look at the first A section – the first 7 measures.

The piece is in the key of Eb major. The example below shows an analysis of this section with the exception of the chord in measure 4 – the F#o7 chord.

The F#o7 chord is not a secondary dominant (secondary leading tone) chord; there is no note in the chord that is a leading tone to the next chord, the F-7 chord.

However, there is a passing motion in the bass – the G-F#-F. Therefore, this chord is a passing diminished seventh chord. It is acting as a color chord that connects the G-7 to the F-7 chord. This analysis can be seen in the example below.

Almost Like Being in Love – mm. 25-end

The F#o7 passing diminished seventh returns in each A section of the song.

There is an extension of the material in the final A section (m. 25 to the end) of the song. Measures 30-33 are inserted into the middle of the phrase with a repetition of material.

Let’s take a look at mm. 28-33 specifically.

In these measures, the F#o7 chord is used in both an ascending and descending passing motion. In the example below, the chords in the purple boxes (m. 28 and 32) are used with a descending passing motion in the bass while the chord in the blue box (m. 30) is used with an ascending passing motion in the bass.

The F#o7 used in descending passing motion (purple boxes, m. 28 and 32) function the same as the chord in m. 4 as explained above. These F#o7 chords are best analyzed as passing diminished seventh chords.

The F#o7 chord in m. 30 (the blue box), used with an ascending passing motion in the bass, can be analyzed as a secondary dominant chord since the F# root of the chord resolves up to G in the next measure (even though the G is the 3rd of the I6 chord).

However, it is also acting like the other F#o7 chords as a color chord – a passing diminished seventh chord. The following example shows the F#o7 chord in m. 30 also being analyzed as a passing o7 chord.

Summary

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. They can appear with ascending or descending passing motion in the bass.

These chords do not need to be analyzed with roman numerals; an indication of passing o7 can be used to indicate their function.