(Ger. Teiler).
In Schenkerian analysis (see Analysis, §II, 4), the first occurrence of the dominant in a complete tonal statement, such as a symmetrical period, that marks a temporary resting point en route to a full close; hence also ‘dividing fifth’ (Quintteiler), ‘divider at the upper fifth’ (Oberquintteiler) and, most precisely, ‘dividing dominant (teilende Dominante).
The concept of divider is closely connected with Interruption: it supports the first 2 of an interrupted Urlinie descent (see ex.1).
By extension, it can be extended to any dominant whose position is analogous to the final chord of what is conventionally called an ‘imperfect cadence’ (Ger. Halbschluss, a term Schenker disapproved of because it misleadingly implies closure; see Der freie Satz, 1935, §89). Thus, for example, the dominant that marks the end of a harmonically ‘open’ first group in a sonata form movement is clearly of a lower order than the dominant that affirms the (foreground) tonality of the second group; that the first of these dominants divides the exposition into two parts is illustrated by Schenker’s analyses of C major sonata movements by Mozart (k279/189d) and Beethoven (op.2 no.3): see Der freie Satz, fig.154/1–2.
In his early analyses, Schenker often used the term Oberquintteiler for ‘secondary dominant’; one occasionally finds Unterquintteiler for a subdominant of special significance.
WILLIAM DRABKIN