supertonic

American  

[soo-per-ton-ik] / ˌsu pərˈtɒn ɪk /

noun

Music.

1. the second tone of a diatonic scale, being the next above the tonic.

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supertonic British  

/ ˌsuːpəˈtɒnɪk /

noun

1. the second degree of a major or minor scale

2. a key or chord based on this

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Etymology

Origin of supertonic

First recorded in 1800–10; super- + tonic

Example Sentences

There's also no need for the saccharine supertonic key changes you've unnecessarily sellotaped onto the end of Julie London's classic.

From The Guardian • Mar. 17, 2010

The cream is made in three color tones—the vanilla being the subdominant, as the chord is of subdominant character; the strawberry being the submediant, and the restful green the lowered supertonic or altered tone.”

From The So-called Human Race by Taylor, Bert Leston

Not infrequently the theme ends on the leading note or supertonic which strikes the ear with a perpetual surprise, the cadence leading one to anticipate a repetition rather than a conclusion of the air.

From Stories and Ballads of the Far Past Translated from the Norse (Icelandic and Faroese) with Introductions and Notes by Kershaw, Nora

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