polytonality

American  

[pol-ee-toh-nal-i-tee] / ˌpɒl i toʊˈnæl ɪ ti /

Also polytonalism

noun

Music.

1. the use of more than one key at the same time.

---

polytonality British  

/ ˌpɒlɪtəʊˈnælɪtɪ /

noun

1. music the simultaneous use of more than two different keys or tonalities

---

Other Word Forms

• polytonalist
  noun
• polytonal
  adjective
• polytonally
  adverb

---

Etymology

Origin of polytonality

First recorded in 1920–25; poly- + tonality

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

polytonality

A silent gaze, like white light being all colors, divulges all things in polyrhythms and polytonality.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 23, 2020

It might be closer to call what he was doing polytonality rather than atonality.

From The Guardian ● Nov. 5, 2016

Ives, who pioneered the deliberate layering of disparate musical textures, would have been tickled by the unintended element of polytonality seeping in from outside.

From New York Times ● Sep. 3, 2015

As for Charlap and Rosnes, the contrast between his swinging, bebop precision and her splayed, pulsing polytonality is a special treat.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 13, 2011

Indeed he did, and as a virtual recluse who had never heard a note of Schoenberg, he set down his inner music, delving into dissonance and polytonality in 1916.

From Time Magazine Archive

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---