Chains of Suspensions: Step-by-Step Formulas for Choral Composers (PDF Book)

Chains of Suspensions

Step-by-step formulas for choral composers—worked examples in major and minor keys, set to texts from

Scripture

A single note, held a moment longer than expected, can turn an ordinary progression into something

profoundly expressive. A chain of suspensions keeps that tension alive bar after bar. It's the sound of

Bach and Handel at their most eloquent, and the quickest cure for a phrase that is correct but flat.

This book shows you how to write one: what a chain sounds like, why it works, and how to build it

yourself in any key, one voice at a time.

A formula for every chain

Each of the seven chains is written as a short formula in scale degrees and intervals, such as 6 → 7–6

bass ↓2, so a chain you learn in C major works just as well in E♭ major or B minor. The Hold Table and

the Chain Equation show the one fact behind every suspension: a held note grows by however far the

bass falls. Use them to design and check your own chains.

Learn by seeing it in the score

• 21 engraved SATB and three-voice examples, colour-coded: preparation, suspension, resolution

• Each chain built step by step, a voice at a time, with every interval numbered

• Each model engraved again in a new key, to prove the formula travels

• "Listen for" guidance, notes, common mistakes and a short task for every chain