Atonality

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

A characteristic of music that lacks a tonal center or key, treating all twelve pitches of the chromatic scale as equally important, without the hierarchical relationships of tonal harmony; associated with expressionist composers of the early twentieth century.

Examples

• Schoenberg's early atonal pieces like Pierrot Lunaire shocked audiences accustomed to tonal harmony.
• Atonality freed composers from the constraints of key but also alienated many listeners.

Synonyms: free atonality, non-tonal music