The arrangement of the notes of a chord with respect to the intervals separating them. In four-part harmony, the spacing is called ‘close position’ or ‘close harmony’ if the three upper parts lie as close together as possible, that is, if their range is less than an octave or if the total range of the four parts is not greater than a 12th (ex.1a). If the spacing is wider, it is called ‘open position’ or ‘open harmony’ (ex.1b). The term ‘close harmony’ is also sometime used for the particular blend of chords with added 6ths and 7ths, all set within a relatively narrow range, which characterizes much Barbershop quartet singing.
JULIAN RUSHTON