Common Practice Numerals
| Roman numeral analysis symbols | ||
|---|---|---|
| Symbol | Meaning | Examples |
| Uppercase Roman numeral | Major triad | I |
| Lowercase Roman numeral | Minor triad | i |
| Superscript o | Diminished triad | io |
| Superscript + | Augmented triad | I+ |
| Superscript number | added note | V7, I6 |
| Two or more numbers | figured bass notation | V4 - 3, I6 4 (equivalent to Ic) |
| Lowercase b | First inversion | Ib |
| Lowercase c | Second inversion | Ic |
| Lowercase d | Third inversion | V7d |
The current system used today to study and analyze tonal music comes about initially from the work and writings of Rameau’s fundamental bass. The dissemination of Rameau’s concepts could only have come about during the significant waning of the study of harmony for the purpose of the basso continuo and its implied improvisational properties in the later 18th century. The use of Roman numerals in describing fundamentals as “scale degrees in relation to a tonic” was brought about, according to one historian, by John Trydell’s Two Essays on the Theory and Practice of Music, published in Dublin in 1766. However, another source says that Trydell used Arabic numerals for this purpose, and Roman numerals were only later substituted by Georg Joseph Vogler. Alternatives include the functional hybrid Nashville number system and macro analysis.
Read more about this topic: Roman Numeral Analysis
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