leading tone

American  

[lee-ding] / ˈli dɪŋ /

noun

Music.

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

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Etymology

Origin of leading tone

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

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

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

Si, sē, n. the syllable used for the seventh tone of the scale, or the leading tone.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various

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 Balzac, Honoré de

The color of blood is this plainly taken for the leading tone in the storm-clouds above the "Slave-ship."

From Modern Painters, Volume IV (of V) by Ruskin, John

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 Goepp, Philip H.