Measures 1–3: The diminished fourth traversed by the upper voice does not represent a genuine linear progression; the opening D
![](../../gifs/natural.gif)
is an inner voice inflected to D
![](../../gifs/flat.gif)
when the G
![](../../gifs/flat.gif)
-major harmony appears. The bass B
![](../../gifs/flat.gif)
is retained through this inflection of the third coupled with a 5–6 exchange. Typically, this would represent a single prolonged harmony, but here the impression of E
![](../../gifs/flat.gif)
minor is initially so strong that it seems warranted to assign the first harmony its own
Stufe.