Definition

Noun: * Polytonalism: A style or technique in musical composition that simultaneously employs two or more different keys (tonalities).

Usage

• Polytonalism is a technical term used in music theory and criticism to describe a specific harmonic practice, most notably developed in early 20th-century classical music.
• It is used to analyze and discuss the structure of a piece of music.
  • The composer's use of polytonalism creates a sense of tension and modernism.
  • Scholars often cite Stravinsky and Milhaud as pioneers of polytonalism.

Examples

Advanced Usage

• The related adjective is polytonal.
  • The polytonal passage was challenging for the orchestra to tune.
• The practice itself is called polytonality.
  • The polytonality in this symphony is more subtle than in his earlier works.

Variants and Related Words

• Polytonal (adjective): Characterized by polytonalism.
• Polytonality (noun): The simultaneous use of two or more keys in music; the system or technique of polytonalism.
• Bitonalism/Bitonality (noun): The specific use of exactly two different keys simultaneously, often considered a subset of polytonalism.

Synonyms

• Multitonality (noun): A less common synonym for polytonality.

Antonyms

• Monotonality (noun): Music that remains in a single key.
• Atonality (noun): Music that avoids establishing any key or tonal center. (Note: This is a different modern technique, not simply the opposite.)

Noun

1. music that uses two or more different keys at the same time