The harmonic notation used in this Harmony
manual is slightly different from the one that usually appears in the
books of English-speaking countries, but only in relation to Dominant chords.
There are many different forms of harmonic notation (Riemann's functions,
American Jazz notation, etc...). Here we have used the most widespread
one to describe Classical Tonal Harmony, which stems directly from the
baroque figured bass and employs Roman numerals accompanied by figures (e.g.
V6).
This notation has two variants whose main difference is the presence or not
of the symbol "+" in the Dominant chords as an indication of the
leading tone. Rameau used this symbol in his Treatise on Harmony,
published in 1722, and from then on it became common in France and other
countries, such as Spain, Italy and some Latin American countries.
This Introduction to Classical Tonal Harmony was initially written in
Spanish, which is why this "French system" has been used for the
notation of Dominant chords. In any case, the differences with the Anglo-Saxon
texts are minimal and should not pose any difficulty for the understanding
of the text. Further information on this subject can be found in:
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