Schubert Quintet / leading tone diminished

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example of: leading tone diminished

recording by Isaac Stern:, Alexander Schneider, Milton Katims, Pablo Casals, Paul Tortelier Prades-1952

recording by Janine Jansen, Boris Brovtsyn, Amihai Grosz, Torleif Thed?en, Jens Peter Maintz

We can speak of a "leading tone diminished" as from a diminished seventh chord not all notes move and resolve 'shrinking', but instead one or two notes stay in place when the chord resolves. The diminished seventh chord then does not behave as a VII, but rather as neigbouring chord or suspension. As a degree we then usually can label it #II or (#II) - though sometimes we have to imagine an enharmonisation as well:


'normal' resolution:
leading tone dim.': #II in/of Gb:
leading tone dim.': #II in/of V in Ab: In fact the chord should be notated like this:

A beautiful example of a leading tone diminished is at the beginning of the first movement of Schubert's String Quintet in C major, D 956:

LTD = leading tone diminished

C major: I LTD I ^{6 - 5} V6/5 I II6 (V6) V

                                                  of: #II2vm?                                                                 in fact:
                                                                                                                                            (VII7) --> V
                                                                                                                                          on V

|_______________________________________________________________
antecedent

C major: V II LTD II ^{6 - 5} V4/3 I6 I II6 V7 I

                                    or: (#IV4/3vm)?                                                                        in fact:
                                                                                                                                            V7 / #5
                                                                                                                                             on V

      __________| |_____________________________________________________________________
                                                                       consequent
                   HC

Antecedent and consequent until measure 20 together form the first half of the first theme, and are (quasi) model en sequence.
The continuation from measure 21 seems to cause that the complete first theme (until measure 33) is sentential.

C major: I (chrom. p.) VI6

or: (IV6 #IVdv6/5 V ) V7 I6/4 V7^{[ #4 -
5 ]}
for III [ that does not appear]

pedal point on V ------------------>

e minor: IV6 #IVdv6/5 V

__________| |_______________________________________| |______________________________
continuation / extension 'conclusion'

C groot:    V7      III6        V ^{8 -
7}           LTD --> I6/4       LTD -------->   V7             I
                                                       op orgelpunt;
                                                           of #II?

pedal point on V -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

______________________________________________________________________|
'conclusion'