modal harmony
English composer
Definition
Fauré's characteristic use of modes — Dorian, Mixolydian, Lydian — alongside or in place of tonal harmony, giving his music its distinctive archaic shimmer.
Interpretive Guidance
Modal harmony in Fauré often produces unexpected chord progressions that feel inevitable but not functional in the tonal sense. Do not fight the strangeness; lean into the colour of the unexpected chord. Listen for the leading tone that does not resolve as expected and give it space rather than forcing a tonal interpretation.