Tonality: Tonic Centers, Harmonic Functions, and Diverse Systems

All flashcards

Dominant function

The harmonic role of the chord built on scale degree five, which commonly creates an expectation of tonic resolution.

Cadence

A musical gesture that brings a phrase or passage to an arrival or pause.

Centricity

An emphasis on a central pitch that does not require conventional major–minor harmony.

Pitch-class profile (chromagram)

A twelve-dimensional summary of pitch-class content that can support computational key estimation.

Tonality and key

Tonality can refer to a key, but it can also describe broader pitch organization; context determines the intended meaning.

Quiz questions

1. In common-practice major–minor music, what is characteristic of the dominant function?Answer: It is built on the fifth scale degree and commonly points toward the tonic.
2. In C major, which progression illustrates a deceptive cadence?Answer: G7 moving to A minor.
3. Which view of tonality did François-Joseph Fétis emphasize?Answer: Tonality as a historically changing, culturally shaped system.
4. How does a common computational method estimate a song's key?Answer: It compares a pitch-class profile with prototypes for major and minor keys.
5. Why can power chords make common-practice major–minor analysis less suitable?Answer: Their root-and-fifth structure omits the third that distinguishes major from minor quality.