tonality
/təʊˈnæləti/ (bre, ipa) · [tonˈæləti] /təʊˈnæləti/ (ame, ipa) · [tonˈæləti] /tō-ˈna-lə-tē How to pronounce tonality (audio)/ (ame, mw)
tonality — noun
- tonalitysingular
- tonalitiesplural
1. the musical key system that keeps a song or piece centred on one main note and t
the musical key system that keeps a song or piece centred on one main note and the chords that belong with it.
During rehearsal, Defne moved the hymn into a lower tonality for the choir.
move music into a lower tonality
Ada said the last chord confirmed the song's major tonality.
major tonality confirmed by the final chord
The film score shifts tonality when the children enter the empty house.
Haruto played the same melody again, but in a darker tonality.
The lullaby's soft tonality helped the baby settle after midnight.
- key
the everyday music word for the main pitch centre; less abstract than tonality
- key centre
a more technical term that focuses on the home note rather than the whole harmonic system
- tonal system
broader and more analytic, often used when discussing how harmony is organised
- atonality
music organised without a stable key centre
文法句型
the tonality of [piece/song]
change the tonality
in a major/minor tonality
用法筆記
Mostly used in music theory, teaching, and criticism rather than casual everyday talk. It often appears with adjectives such as major, minor, dark, or bright, or with verbs like change and shift.