atonality

American  

[ey-toh-nal-i-tee] / ˌeɪ toʊˈnæl ɪ ti /

noun

Music.

1. the absence of key or tonal center.

2. an atonal principle or style of composition.

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atonality British  

/ ˌæ-, ˌeɪtəʊˈnælɪtɪ /

noun

1. absence of or disregard for an established musical key in a composition

2. the principles of composition embodying this and providing a radical alternative to the diatonic system

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Etymology

Origin of atonality

First recorded in 1920–25; atonal + -ity

Example Sentences

He was known for atonality and his 12-tones technique which departed from conventional harmonies.

From BBC • Jan. 14, 2025

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

Chris Walton’s biography of the Swiss composer describes a charismatic bohemian and a feverish yet fickle lover who railed against atonality and the bourgeois institution of marriage while flirting with both.

From New York Times • May 26, 2022

He approached Bachian counterpoint, late Beethoven spirituality and the new experiments in atonality happening in Berlin, where he lived, with a sense of making music matter for the future.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 16, 2021

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