Summary
A passing diminished seventh chord can be defined as below:
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.
These chords can occur in ascending or descending passing motion in the bass.
They sometimes can be analyzed as secondary dominants (secondary leading tone) chords (viio7/x). However, they also act as color chords and so can be analyzed just as passing o7 chords.
Other examples of Passing o7 chords
In the other pages on passing diminished seventh chords, we saw examples in Mozart’s “Rondo in F,” van Heusen’s “It Could Happen To You,” Kern and Hammerstein’s “All the Things You Are, ” and Lerner and Loewe’s “Almost Like Being in Love.”
The following pieces also contain passing diminished seventh chords:
Someday My Prince Will Come
“Someday My Prince Will Come” was written Larry Morey and Frank Churchill for the 1937 Disney movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
A chords only version of the song is given below as well as the audio versions of the song.
When You Wish Upon A Star
When youu wish upon a star was written by Leigh Harline and Ned Washington in 1940 for the Disney film Pinocchio. A chords only version of the song is given below as well as audio versions of the song.
Take the “A” Train
“Take the ‘A’ Train was written in 1939 by Billy Strayhorn with lyrics by Lee Gaines and Joya Sherrill. It is a jazz standard made famous by Duke Ellington Orchestra.
A chords only version of the piece is shown below as well as audios of the song.
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