Textbook
£24 PDF
- The complete 114-page textbook (A4 PDF)
- 10 chapters and 69 fully analysed examples
- Final portfolio project and appendices
Practical textbook · PDF
Creative Modulation
Choral Composition · From Bach to Ēriks Ešenvalds
Learn how composers move between keys, and how to make every key change serve the words. A practical textbook in harmonic movement, tonal architecture and expressive SATB writing.
- 114 pages
- 10 chapters
- 69 analysed examples
- Instant download
Why modulate?
Where a choral piece breathes, turns and opens up
Plenty of choral writing is correct but never quite takes flight. Very often the missing ingredient is harmonic movement: a key change placed at exactly the right word.
This book shows you how composers do it, from Bach’s chorales to contemporary choral harmony, and how to do it yourself. Every technique is taught through engraved SATB examples, with Roman numerals in both keys at every pivot, key labels, cadences, common tones and chromatic notes marked on the music. The original examples set words from the Psalms.
See inside
Every modulation is marked on the score, then explained in plain words beside it.
Ex. 5.6: from restraint to climax, D major to A♭ major and home 
Ex. 8.2: a chain of mediants on one held note 
Every example analysed on the page 
Each chapter opens with its goals
Ten chapters
From the pivot chord to your own style
Then a final portfolio project with a 100-mark rubric, and appendices: a glossary, modulation reference sheets, an index of examples, a bibliography and a listening guide.
- Modulation as a Compositional Language
- Bach and Functional Modulation
- Pivot-Chord Modulation
- Chromatic Modulation and Expressive Harmony
- Direct Modulation and Dramatic Tonal Shifts
- Sequential Modulation and Contrapuntal Motion
- Modal Colour and Contemporary Choral Tonality
- From Bach to Ēriks Ešenvalds
- Modulation, Text Painting and Emotional Narrative
- Advanced Creative Modulation and Personal Style
In every chapter
The same nine features, so you always know where to look.
- At the Score
- Inside the Harmony
- Composer’s Decision
- The Psalm Connection
- Try This
- Listen For
- Common Pitfall
- Creative Alternative
- Student Exercise
Who it’s for
For composers who write for voices
Advanced secondary students, undergraduate composers, church musicians, choral directors and composers developing their own voice.
It assumes you know diatonic harmony, Roman-numeral analysis and basic four-part writing. Everything beyond that is explained as you go.
Choose your edition
Read it, hear it, write it
Best value
Complete Course
£39 textbook + resources
- Everything in the textbook
- Student Workbook, 24 pages: reference sheets, planning templates, analysis and part-writing tasks, staff paper
- All 69 annotated score cards, PDF and PNG
- MP3 audio of every example
Secure payment by Stripe. After paying you go straight to your downloads, and we email you the link too.
Questions
Good to know
What level is it?
It assumes diatonic harmony, Roman numerals and basic four-part writing. Everything beyond that is explained as you go, with examples.
Is it a printed book?
No, it’s a PDF (A4), delivered instantly. You can read it on any device or print it for your own use.
Do I need notation software?
No. Every example is engraved in the book. Write your exercises in any notation software or on paper.
Can I hear the examples?
Yes, with the Complete Course: it includes an MP3 of every example, plus the workbook and the score cards.
Can I use it with my students?
The workbook’s templates and worksheets may be copied for your own study and classroom use.