For the mediant in mathematics, see Mediant (mathematics).
The scale and mediant triad in C major (top) and C minor (bottom).
In music, the mediant (Latin: "being in the middle"[1]) is the third scale degree () of a diatonic scale, being the note halfway between the tonic and the dominant.[2] In the movable do solfège system, the mediant note is sung as mi. While the fifth scale degree is almost always a perfect fifth, the mediant can be a major or minor third.
Schenkerian analysts consider the mediant (third scale degree) as an expansion or extension of the tonic since they are both common tones of the tonic chord.[3] Thus, the third degree of a tonic triad is also the mediant iii note; furthermore, the 5th degree of the submediant chord vi is also the mediant iii note. On the other hand, in German theory derived from Hugo Riemann the mediant in major is considered the dominant parallel, Dp, and in minor the tonic parallel, tP.
In Roman numeral analysis, the mediant chord can take several forms. In major scales, the mediant chord is a minor triad and is symbolized with the Roman numeral iii. In natural minor scales, the mediant is a major triad and is symbolized with the Roman numeral III. In harmonic minor scales and ascending melodic minor scales, the seventh scale degree is raised by a half step from the subtonic b7 to the leading tone natural 7, creating an augmented triad that is symbolized with the Roman numeral bIII+ (flat III augmented).
The term mediant also refers to a relationship of musical keys. For example, relative to the key of A minor, the key of C major is the mediant, and it often serves as a mid-way point between I and V (hence the name). Tonicization or modulation to the mediant is quite common in pieces written in the minor mode and usually serves as the second theme group in sonata form since it is very easy to tonicize III in minor. Tonicization of III in major is quite rare in early classical harmony, compared with, say, modulation to the dominant V or the subdominant IV in major. It becomes more common in late Haydn and Mozart and normal by middle-period Beethoven. Mediant tonicization in major is an important feature of Romantic music.
^"Mediant", Merriam-Webster.com.
^Benward & Saker (2003), p.32.
^Aldwell, Edward; Schachter, Carl (2003). Harmony and Voice Leading (3 ed.). Australia, United States: Thomson/Schirmer. p. 227. ISBN 0-15-506242-5. OCLC 50654542.
In music, the mediant (Latin: "being in the middle") is the third scale degree () of a diatonic scale, being the note halfway between the tonic and the...
See media help. In music, chromatic mediants are "altered mediant and submediant chords." A chromatic mediant relationship defined conservatively is...
submediant is the sixth degree () of a diatonic scale. The submediant ("lower mediant") is named thus because it is halfway between the tonic and the subdominant...
third, sixth, and seventh emphasized through modal frames such as the mediant-octave mode, which uses the third as a floor and ceiling note, its less...
every mode is distinguished by scale degrees called the mediant and the participant. The mediant is named from its position—in the authentic modes—between...
parallel mediant E♭ minor. Similarly, the opening movement of Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 in E minor has its second subject group start in the minor mediant G minor...
scale-degree chords of F minor are: Tonic – F minor Supertonic – G diminished Mediant – A-flat major Subdominant – B-flat minor Dominant – C minor Submediant...
minor the VII functions as a secondary dominant triad in relation to the mediant." In the minor mode, the subtonic chord may also appear as a major minor...
keys are: ii (supertonic, the relative minor of the subdominant) iii (mediant, the relative minor of the dominant) IV (subdominant): one less sharp (or...
same major scale also has three minor chords, the supertonic chord (ii), mediant chord (iii), and submediant chord (vi), respectively. These chords stand...
mediant is named from its position between the final and reciting tone, and the participant is an auxiliary note, generally adjacent to the mediant in...
ii / iio iii / III IV / iv V / v vi / VI viio / VII Tonic Supertonic Sp Mediant Dp, Tkp, tP, [D](Sp) Subdominant Dominant Submediant Tp, sP, tCp Leading-tone...
tonic mediant, third degree of the diatonic scale submediant, sixth degree of the diatonic scale – three steps below the tonic chromatic mediant, chromatic...
supertonic resolve to the tonic, whereas the subdominant resolves to the mediant. In the other resolutions, the dominant remains stationary, the leading...
of B major are as follows: Tonic – B major Supertonic – C-sharp minor Mediant – D-sharp minor Subdominant – E major Dominant – F-sharp major Submediant...
and melodic minor scales are: Tonic - G minor Supertonic - A diminished Mediant - B-flat major Subdominant - C minor Dominant - D minor Submediant - E-flat...
confusion, a parallel chord is derived from the relative key. Chromatic mediant Mode (music) Benward; Saker (2003). Music in Theory and Practice. Vol. I...
is often based on the ♭ scale degree (the flat mediant) and acts as a passing chord between the mediant triad (or first-inversion tonic triad) and the...
and melodic minor scales are: Tonic – C minor Supertonic – D diminished Mediant – E-flat major Subdominant – F minor Dominant – G minor Submediant – A-flat...
leading-tone. The flattened seventh of the scale is a tritone away from the mediant (major-third degree) of the key. The order of whole tones and semitones...
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) of a diatonic scale, being the note halfway between the tonic and the dominant.[2] In the movable do solfège system, the mediant note is sung as mi. While the fifth scale degree is almost always a perfect fifth, the mediant can be a major or minor third.