This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
twelve-tone
[ twelv-tohn ]
/ ˈtwɛlvˈtoʊn /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
adjective Music.
based on or incorporating the twelve-tone technique: twelve-tone music.
using or advocating the twelve-tone technique: a twelve-tone composer.
QUIZ
WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?
Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!
Question 1 of 7
Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.
Origin of twelve-tone
First recorded in 1935–40
Words nearby twelve-tone
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use twelve-tone in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for twelve-tone
twelve-tone
adjective
of, relating to, or denoting the type of serial music invented and developed by Arnold Schoenberg, which uses as musical material a tone row formed by the 12 semitones of the chromatic scale, together with its inverted and retrograde versions. The technique has been applied in various ways by different composers and usually results in music in which there are few, if any, tonal centresSee serialism
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