Schubert Impromptu Op 90 No 2 Harmonic Analysis !!exclusive!! 💫

The transition into the B section (Bar 83) is one of Schubert’s most famous harmonic maneuvers. It represents a radical, non-diatonic key shift from E-flat major to B minor.

E-flat major. Driven by scalar triplets in the right hand. schubert impromptu op 90 no 2 harmonic analysis

If you are writing a paper or studying the score, focus on these three "Schubertian" techniques: The transition into the B section (Bar 83)

Schubert frequently moves to the dominant key ( major) and employs secondary dominants (e.g., ) to create momentum. Driven by scalar triplets in the right hand

Though this is a small form (ABA), Schubert outlines three distinct tonal areas in the A section alone:

It begins by establishing B minor through strong accents on the second beat. It eventually modulates to its dominant, F-sharp minor (mm. 83–102). A dramatic climax occurs featuring a Neapolitan cadence

The new theme arrives in B-flat major – except it isn’t happy. The melody uses the flattened 7th (A-flat), hinting at the mixolydian mode. Harmonically, Schubert immediately tonicizes G minor (the relative minor of B-flat) via a G minor harmony in bar 23. We are drifting.