atonality
Americannoun
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absence of or disregard for an established musical key in a composition
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the principles of composition embodying this and providing a radical alternative to the diatonic system
Etymology
Origin of atonality
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.
He was known for atonality and his 12-tones technique which departed from conventional harmonies.
From BBC ● Jan. 14, 2025
In Brahms, Schoenberg found progressivist harmonic thinking that was logically heading toward atonality.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2024
Ms Barford said Bailey was also "fascinated by" and "deeply knowledgeable about" the sounds his guitar could produce, experimenting with noise, atonality and the set-up of his instrument.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2023
When Korngold returned to absolute music, it was to slay the same old dragons, though atonality had hardly achieved popular acceptance in the interim.
From New York Times ● Nov. 10, 2022
Schoenberg’s major innovations consisted of experiments with atonality – music without a central, binding key – and a newly-invented twelve-tone scale of his own creation.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2020
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
