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leading tone

American  
[lee-ding] / ˈli dɪŋ /

noun

Music.
  1. the seventh degree of a diatonic scale; subtonic.


Etymology

Origin of leading tone

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The theme is treated with reverence, delicacy and judgment, and the leading tone is that of a mighty hymn of rejoicing.

From For Every Music Lover A Series of Practical Essays on Music by Aubertine Woodward Moore

Old coloured prints need narrow black passepartout, while broad passepartout in pink, blue or pale green to match the leading tone in wall paper makes your quaint, old black-and-white prints very decorative.

From The Art of Interior Decoration by Grace Wood

Thus the color which was the leading tone of one room became the relieving tint of another.

From Rise and Fall of Cesar Birotteau by Honoré de Balzac

This avoidance of the seventh or leading tone is seen throughout the symphony as well as in the traditional jubilee tunes.

From Symphonies and Their Meaning; Third Series, Modern Symphonies by Philip H. Goepp

In the last measure but one, both the supertonic and leading tone should appear.

From A Treatise on Simple Counterpoint in Forty Lessons by Friedrich Johann Lehmann

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