10741 / 18210 · Workshop 88 — Harmonic Memory: How Earlier Chords Change the Meaning of Later Chords, How Repetition Rewrites Function, and How to Make a Listener Hear Long-Range Relationships← prev⊞ allnext →
88.105Apply it to “Mack the Knife”
Because the tune repeats, use memory deliberately.
Early chorus:
plain dominant approach.
Second:
introduce one characteristic chromatic bass connector.
Third:
omit part of it because listener already knows the gesture.
Modulating chorus:
reuse the same connector transposed.
Final tag:
bring back the original-key version once more.
The repeated arrangement has a harmonic vocabulary the listener learns over time.