Second
A musical interval: the distance between two tones that are one step apart.

[Example 1: Beethoven: Ninth Symphony, 4th mvt: main theme]

The second is a musical interval. It comprises two tones that are only one step apart. That is to say, they are adjacent to one another.

Types of Second

There are two principal kinds of seconds: minor and major.

The Minor Second

Here, first, is the sound of a minor second, played successively (as in a melody), then simultaneously (as in a chord):

[Example 2: minor 2nd: (1) successively, (2) simultaneously]

Notice how harsh the minor second sounds when played simultaneously [Example 3]. The interval is dissonant -- arguably the harshest dissonance that exists between any two tones in music.

The Major Second

The major second is only slightly less harsh than the minor:

[Example 4: major 2nd: (1) successively, (2) simultaneously]

The major second is still dissonant when played simultaneously [Example 5], but the dissonance is not quite so intense as that of the minor second.

Other Kinds of Second

There are two other kinds of second: the diminished second, which sounds the same as a unison; and the augmented second, which sounds the same as a minor third. These occur mostly in music whose style is chromatic. They will not be discussed further here.

The Role of the Second in Melody

In melody, seconds generally produce a smooth effect. This is the main theme of the last movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, which you heard at the beginning of this definition. The theme moves entirely in seconds, sometimes upward, sometimes downward. The music seems to glide along an undulating path:

[Example 6: Beethoven: Ninth Symphony, 4th mvt: main theme]

The absence of leaps from note to note often (as here) conveys calm. Melodic motion that proceeds entirely by seconds is called conjunct (literally "joined together"). Here, now, is the Beatles song, Yesterday. Some wider intervals are interspersed amongst the conjunct motion of this melody. But the predominant motion is still by seconds.

[Example 7: The Beatles: Yesterday]

Seconds in Collision!

Whereas in melody seconds provide smoothness and evoke calm, when sounded simultaneously the two tones of a second produce a very harsh effect. That is (as we saw earlier): simultaneous seconds are dissonant. One way in which they arise frequently in Baroque music is when two tones, so to speak, "bump into one another." Imagine the two violins in the following diagram. At first they have consonance between them. One violin then vaults over the other and collides with it as it lands. The other violin is "nudged" downward by it. The first violin then moves downward a step and collides again, and once again the second violin reacts by moving away. The same process happens twice more before the bumping stops and the two finally return to harmony.

Fig 1: string of collisions.

The result is a "chain" of collisions for which the technical name is suspensions. Each collision is an interval of a second, either major or minor; and each time the second violin moves away it produces a third, which is consonant. The "chain" therefore yields a succession of dissonance--consonance--dissonance--consonance, and so on, the dissonances (the seconds) coinciding with the main beats of the music (the exclamation marks in the diagram), and therefore being accentuated.

Now let us convert that into music. See if you can follow it in the diagram. The music is from a trio sonata by Arcangelo Corelli. Underneath the two violins there are a bass and an organ. Try to disregard these, and concentrate on the two violins.

[Example 8: chain of seconds Corelli: Sonata da Chiesa]

Effects of this sort are used in Baroque music either to add "spice" to the music, or to simulate an emotion such as anguish or grief.

Summary:

• A second is an interval comprising two tones that are one step apart. That is to say, they are adjacent to one another.
• There are two normal sizes of second: major and minor.
• Both of these are dissonant.
• Extensive use of seconds in melody can produce a smooth effect. Melodic motion by seconds is described as conjunct.
• When sounded together, seconds are a principal source of dissonance.
• In Baroque music they are often linked together in chains called suspensions, which may be used for expressive effect.

Note: Having learned about the second, you may want also to consult the definition of the Seventh, since the seventh is closely related to the second (they are in fact the inverse of one another), and the two behave quite similarly.

Copyright © Columbia University, Visual & Sound Materials from the Gabe M. Wiener Music & Arts Library of Columbia University
Second written by: Ian Bent Recording & Mixing: Terry Pender & Christopher Bailey	Narration: Ian Bent Technology & Design: Maurice Matiz