tonality

[ toh-nal-i-tee ]

/ toʊˈnæl ɪ ti /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tonality ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural to·nal·i·ties.

Music.

the sum of relations, melodic and harmonic, existing between the tones of a scale or musical system.
a particular scale or system of tones; a key.

(in painting, graphics, etc.) the system of tones or tints, or the color scheme, of a picture.

the quality of tones.

Nearby words

Origin of tonality

First recorded in 1830–40; tonal + -ity

Related formsto·nal·i·tive, adjectivenon·to·nal·i·ty, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for tonality

Thirdly, Chopin was to some extent affected by the tonality of his native music.
Studies in Modern Music, Second Series|W. H. Hadow
It is necessary therefore to collect the scanty notices which we possess bearing upon the tonality of Greek music.
The Modes of Ancient Greek Music|David Binning Monro
The tonality rocks between F major to B flat major and G minor.
Handel|Romain Rolland
In his compositions in Grieg-ton Smith has seized the fascinating looseness of the Griegorian tonality and its whimsicality.
Contemporary American Composers|Rupert Hughes

We have seen that this tonality of the watch dog's cries is competent to indicate that a person is coming to the house.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 841, February 13, 1892|Various

British Dictionary definitions for tonality

tonality

/ (təʊˈnælɪtɪ) /

noun plural -ties

music

the actual or implied presence of a musical key in a composition
the system of major and minor keys prevalent in Western music since the decline of modesCompare atonality

the overall scheme of colours and tones in a painting

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for tonality