Skip to content

General

post-tonal harmony

Post-Tonal Harmony

     In the beginning of the twentieth century, the tonal system was already falling apart due to the extreme use of chromaticism and post-tonal is a term that is used for music that doesn’t follow the traditional conventions of tonal harmony.… Read More »Post-Tonal Harmony

atonality

Atonality

     The chromaticism of the nineteenth century diluted the tonal system in such a way that it was only natural that the system would eventually be abandoned altogether. This new music without a tonal center, that was weakened or lost, eventually… Read More »Atonality

key centers

Key Centers

     In tonal music, a key center is the pitch or chord around which the music revolves, like a home base where you want to return to. It is important to distinguish that being in the key of C major doesn’t… Read More »Key Centers

introduction to twelve-tone music

Twelve-Tone Music

     Also known as Dodecaphony, the twelve-tone technique is a method of musical composition devised by Austrian composer Arnold Schoenberg, as an aftermath of “free atonality”, as a way to replace the structural differentiations present in the tonal system. The core… Read More »Twelve-Tone Music

tonality in music

Tonality

     Simply put, tonality is a system of musical organization using the same set of notes and chords in which there are perceived relationships with the pitches or chords from within the same group of notes – stabilities, attractions and… Read More »Tonality

texture in music

Texture

     It can be related to how many instruments are playing at a given time and it can be thick or dense (lots of instruments); light or sparse (fewer instruments). But it is also related to other elements of music, such… Read More »Texture

dynamics in music

Dynamics

     Dynamics refers to how loud or soft a musician needs to play a particular musical passage. Being one the expressive elements of music, using dynamics in a piece of music may help sustain the interest, avoid boredom by adding variety… Read More »Dynamics

Exit mobile version