First heard this when being a teenager at an outdoor cinema near the sea. At the interval of the movie. It was as if everything including time stopped while the song played.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=k3KSpeiRPTc
The C major 7th chord (C bass with E G B) is one of the best sounding chords on our planet. Why? Who knows?
It is defined by the 7th interval from bass counting all the natural notes.
So the bass is C or Do.
The 7th interval is defined by any B or Si anywhere on the human hearing range. Usually as on the beginning of Julia, B or Si is somewhere high played in octaves by the piano.
The 3rd or E (Mi) is added to make the beautiful chord sound great to our brain. The 5th or G (Sol) may be added too.
Julia begins with no bass. It is only the left hand of the pianist playing G C E C E C G C E C E C G C ...
And the right hand plays B, B octave, B, B octave.
So the bass C which is not played is created to our mind imagination. How beautiful.
The key must be E minor, or Mi minore as only all F, or Fa are sharp, the black key immediately to the right of any F.
A great melody is created in the introduction by the left hand of the pianist. It can be thought as a step bass descending passing through all the notes of the scale.
So it is G, F (remember all F are F sharp), E,...
G
G
G
F
F
F
E
E
E
D
D
D
C
C
C
B
B
B
A Julia (is sung here)
While this is happening the melody is a pedal bass playing B, B octave all the time. Defining some of the most beautiful intervals.
The section Please, Please see how much you mean to me, is very interesting too.
As now the bass proudly plays C and 2 parts sing E G or B.
So again the beauty of C major 7th is fully exposed. And also the beauty of A9, as a part keeps playing B but the bass goes to A. So it is a 9th prepared with the third and fifth added. Just like Bach knew from Niedt several senturies ago.
Bibliography:
Bach Bass Rules:
http://normanschmidt.net/scores/bachjs-general_bass_rules.pdf
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