That’s an argument that classical music uses more augmented sixths chords, which are not especially uncommon
“Uncommon” doesn’t mean anything without reference to a time period; the point is that they are more uncommon in the Baroque period than in the Classical. The Classical period uses a richer “vocabulary of chords” than the Baroque, if one insists on thinking in such terms (as a Westergaardian, I don’t think in terms of a “vocabulary of chords”, of course).
Contrast that with something like the chord held at the start of Bach’s Fugue in D minor—it’s got a C#, a D, and an E it in; what the hell is it?
First of all “Bach’s Fugue in D minor” is highly ambiguous; Wikipedia lists 10 such works by J.S. Bach alone (BWV 538, 539, 554, 565, 851, 875, 899, 903, 905, and 948).
But you can find a chord containing those same three pitch-classes (along with G# and B) in the first movement of Mozart’s Symphony No. 29 (p.4, second system, 4th measure, 1st and 3rd quarter).
Classical music moves from one resolved chord to another thru a series of pivot chords.
“Pivot chord” is a technical term in harmonic theory (which, again, I don’t subscribe to) meaning a chord shared by two different keys which is used in modulating between them. You don’t appear to be using this term correctly here (we’re not talking about key changes), and I’m not sure exactly what you do mean. “Resolved chord” is not a standard term at all, but maybe you mean “consonant chord”. (?) However, both Baroque and Classical music “move from one [consonant] chord to another” (well, except when moving to dissonant chords, which also occurs in both periods...) So this sentence reads like confused gobbledygook to me. A musical example of the phenomenon which you think occurs in Baroque music but not Classical would help (but we know it isn’t “a chord with C#, D, and E”, as the Mozart example I gave shows).
Now, if when we say Baroque you’re thinking Vivaldi and I’m thinking Bach’s organ music, that could account for the difference of opinion
You just have to compare apples to apples. If the most complex works of J.S. Bach are what you mean by “Baroque”, then the most complex works of Haydn, Mozart, and (at least early) Beethoven have to be what you mean by “Classical”.
I think what actually accounts for the “difference of opinion” is that you underestimate the complexity of Classical works.
Baroque music sometimes… pass[es] through intermediate states that aren’t any kind of recognized chord
Indeed! Thus harmonic theory is inadequate even to the description (mere description, mind you) of Baroque music, let alone Classical or Romantic.
“Uncommon” doesn’t mean anything without reference to a time period; the point is that they are more uncommon in the Baroque period than in the Classical. The Classical period uses a richer “vocabulary of chords” than the Baroque, if one insists on thinking in such terms (as a Westergaardian, I don’t think in terms of a “vocabulary of chords”, of course).
First of all “Bach’s Fugue in D minor” is highly ambiguous; Wikipedia lists 10 such works by J.S. Bach alone (BWV 538, 539, 554, 565, 851, 875, 899, 903, 905, and 948).
But you can find a chord containing those same three pitch-classes (along with G# and B) in the first movement of Mozart’s Symphony No. 29 (p.4, second system, 4th measure, 1st and 3rd quarter).
“Pivot chord” is a technical term in harmonic theory (which, again, I don’t subscribe to) meaning a chord shared by two different keys which is used in modulating between them. You don’t appear to be using this term correctly here (we’re not talking about key changes), and I’m not sure exactly what you do mean. “Resolved chord” is not a standard term at all, but maybe you mean “consonant chord”. (?) However, both Baroque and Classical music “move from one [consonant] chord to another” (well, except when moving to dissonant chords, which also occurs in both periods...) So this sentence reads like confused gobbledygook to me. A musical example of the phenomenon which you think occurs in Baroque music but not Classical would help (but we know it isn’t “a chord with C#, D, and E”, as the Mozart example I gave shows).
You just have to compare apples to apples. If the most complex works of J.S. Bach are what you mean by “Baroque”, then the most complex works of Haydn, Mozart, and (at least early) Beethoven have to be what you mean by “Classical”.
I think what actually accounts for the “difference of opinion” is that you underestimate the complexity of Classical works.
Indeed! Thus harmonic theory is inadequate even to the description (mere description, mind you) of Baroque music, let alone Classical or Romantic.