A translation on the section Concerning a Partimento in Minor that Rises by Semitone and Begins said Ascent from ⑤ in Fedele Fenaroli’s Partimenti ossia basso numerato, Book III Naples (1775) Ed. Gjerdingen, with adaptions to the guitar.
Now moving on to the Partimento in minor mode with ascending semitone motion, which, as has been said, will begin on ⑤.
I. It must be noted that this ⑤ should be accompanied by a major 3rd, perfect 5th, and 8ve. This 8ve will then remain as the 7th over the next note of the partimento, which also ascends by a semitone. On the following note, likewise ascending by semitone, that 7th will resolve to a minor 6th.
On the next note, also ascending by semitone, the 3rd from the previous note is sustained, forming a 9th suspension, which resolves to the 8ve over the same bass note. The next note of the partimento, continuing its ascent by semitone, will be the major 7th of the key in which the motion began, and it requires to be harmonized with a 5th and a 6th.
The final note of this ascending motion, which will be the tonic of the key, is to be accompanied by a 3rd and a 5th.
See example A.
II. On the first note of the partimento, which starts with an ascending semitone motion, and which, as already mentioned, must be the ⑤ of the key, one should provide the harmony of a major 3rd, perfect 5th, and octave. On the next note, which ascends by semitone and becomes the ♭⑥ of the key, the harmonization should consist of a 3rd and 6th.
On the following note, also ascending by semitone and becoming the ♮⑥ of the key, one should provide a 3rd and a diminished 5th.
On the next note of the partimento, again ascending by semitone, which becomes the ♭⑦ of the key, the diminished 5th from the previous chord remains in place and forms a dissonant with the 4th, which resolves to a 3rd on the second half of the beat.
On the next note, ascending again by semitone and becoming the ♮⑦ of the key, one should give a 3rd and a diminished 5th.
And on the final note of the partimento, which also ascends by semitone and becomes the tonic of the key, the diminished fifth from the preceding harmony is sustained as a fourth, which resolves to a third on the second half of the beat.
See example B.
This concludes this short text on partimento in the minor mode that rises by semitone from ⑤, as instructed by Fedele Fenaroli in his Partimenti ossia basso numerato. You can download this essay as a PDF for free.
Karl Michelson 