tonality

/tou'næliti/

Thân thiện

A pianist plays a piece with a bright major tonality.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • The character of a piece of music as determined by the key in which it is written or the relations between the notes of a scale or key: In music theory, "tonality" refers to the system and overall sound quality created by organizing music around a central note (the tonic) and its associated scale or key. It provides a sense of resolution and harmonic "home."

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The composer's use of tonality gives the symphony a feeling of stability and direction.
  • Modernist composers sometimes deliberately avoided traditional tonality in their works.
  • The shift from major to minor tonality dramatically changed the mood of the piece.

Advanced Usage

• "Tonal center": The central note or chord (the tonic) that a piece of music is built around and returns to for resolution. This is a core concept within tonality.

  • Despite the complex harmonies, the music never loses its sense of a clear tonal center.

• "Functional tonality": The specific system of harmonic relationships (like dominant to tonic) that defines common-practice period music (circa 1600-1900).

  • Bach's compositions are masterful examples of functional tonality.

Variants and Related Words

• Tonal (adj): Pertaining to tonality or tone.

  • The piece has a strong tonal structure.

• Atonality (n): The absence of a tonal center or key, a rejection of traditional tonality.

  • The movement towards atonality was a major development in 20th-century music.

• Polytonality (n): The simultaneous use of two or more different tonalities or keys.

  • The composer achieved a jarring effect through polytonality.

Synonyms

• Key: The group of pitches, or scale, that forms the basis of a music composition (e.g., the key of C major).
• Musical key: A synonym for "key," emphasizing its musical function.

Related Phrases and Concepts

• "Sense of tonality": The perceived feeling of a key or harmonic center in music.

  • Even young children can develop a strong sense of tonality.

• "Tonal framework": The underlying harmonic structure provided by a key or system of tonality.

  • The melody is simple, but it fits perfectly within the established tonal framework.

Học thuật

Noun

1. any of 24 major or minor diatonic scales that provide the tonal framework for a piece of music

Từ đồng nghĩa

• key