Tristan chord
| Component intervals from root | |
|---|---|
| augmented second | |
| augmented sixth | |
| augmented fourth (tritone) | |
| root [F] | |
|
Forte no. / |
|
| 4-27 / |
The Tristan chord is a chord made up of the notes F, B, D♯, and G♯. More generally, it can be any chord that consists of these same intervals: augmented fourth, augmented sixth, and augmented ninth above a bass note. It is so named as it is heard in the opening phrase of Richard Wagner's opera Tristan und Isolde as part of the leitmotif relating to Tristan.
The notes of the Tristan chord are not unusual; they could be respelled enharmonically to form a common half-diminished seventh chord. What distinguishes the chord is its unusual relationship to the implied key of its surroundings.
This motif also appears in measures 6, 10, and 12, several times later in the work and at the end of the last act.
Much has been written about the Tristan chord's possible harmonic functions or voice leading (melodic function), and the motif has been interpreted in various ways. For instance, Arnold Schering traces the development of the Tristan chord through ten intermediate steps, beginning with the Phrygian cadence (iv6-V) (Schering 1935,).
...
Wikipedia