Neapolitan Cadence iv-bII-V-i
Piano sound loads on first tap. Resolved in the key of C — every chord links to its full analysis.
One of classical harmony's most dramatic pre-dominants. The Neapolitan (bII) — a MAJOR chord built on the lowered second degree — appears just before the dominant (V), its chromatic root heightening the tension that the V then resolves firmly into the minor tonic (i).
What each degree does
The minor subdominant — a IV borrowed from the minor mode. That bittersweet, nostalgic plagal colour of a chord that 'should' be major arriving tinged with sadness.
The Neapolitan — a major chord on the LOWERED 2nd degree, a chromatic predominant of dark, 'Spanish' (Phrygian) colour. It falls toward the dominant with dramatic weight.
Tension pulling home — the chord that 'wants to resolve' to I; it closes or opens sections. The dominant, the engine of the key.
Home, but in shadow — the minor tonic. The same rest as I, coloured dark and melancholic.