in a general sense, the act of disposing things in such a manner as to render any foreseen event more advantageous or less hurtful according to its nature.
Preparation of Difficulties, in music, is their disposition in harmony in such a manner, that, by something congenial in what precedes, they may be rendered less harsh to the ear than they would be without that precaution: according to this definition, every discord ought to be prepared. But when, in order to prepare a dissonance, it is exacted that the sound which forms it should before have formed a consonance, then there is fundamentally but one single dissonance which is prepared, viz. the seventh. Nor is even this preparation necessary in the chord which contains the sensible note, because then the dissonance being characteristic, both in its chord and in its mode, the ear has sufficient reason to expect it: it accordingly does expect it, and recognize it; nor is either deceived with respect to its chord nor its natural progress. But when the seventh is heard upon a fundamental sound which is not essential to the mode, it ought then to be prepared, in order to prevent all ambiguity; to prevent the ear, whilst listening to this note, from losing its train; and as this chord of the seventh may be inverted and combined in several different manners, from this arise likewise a number of different ways by which it may seem to be prepared, which, in the main, always issue however in the same thing.
In making use of dissonances, three things are to be considered; viz. the chord which precedes the dissonance, that in which it is found, and that which is immediately subsequent to it. Preparation only respects the two first; for the third, see Resolution.
When we would regularly prepare a discord in order to arrive at its chord, we must choose such a career of the fundamental base, that the sound which forms the dissonance may be a protraction into the perfect time of the same note which formed a consonance formerly struck in the imperfect in the preceding chord; this is what we call fincipation. See Sincopeation.
From this preparation two advantages result; viz. 1. That there is necessarily an harmonical connection between the two chords, since that connection is formed by the dissonance itself; and, 2. That this dissonance, as it is nothing else but the continuation of the same sound which had formed a consonance, becomes much less harsh to the ear than it would have been with any sound recently struck. Now this is all that we expect to gain by preparation. See Cadence, Discord, and Harmony.
By what has been just said, it will appear that there is no other part peculiarly defined for preparing the dissonance, except that in which it is heard; so that if the treble shall exhibit a dissonance, that must be fincipated; but if the dissonance is in the bass, the bass must be fincipated. Though there is nothing here but what is quite simple, yet have masters of music miserably embroiled the whole matter.
Some difficulties may be found which are never prepared: such is the sixth superadded: some which are very unfrequently prepared; such is the diminished seventh.