Musical Elements: Tonality

Overview of Tonality

Indispensable to the Western Classical Music from 1650–1910, tonality is a system or arrangement of pitches to establish a central note, known as the tonic.
Tonality became the normative musical language during the Baroque period (1600-1750), evolving from the modal system used in Renaissance music.

Major and Minor Keys

Two fundamental types of tonality in the period include major and minor keys. The ‘mood’ of the music is often associated with these keys, with major often sounding happy, and minor sounding sad or sombre.
Pieces can modulate, or move between keys, which offers variety and helps to underscore elements of the narrative, mood or thematic material.

Evolution of Tonality - 1650-1910

During the Baroque period, the groundwork for tonality was set with composers like Bach and Handel exploiting the contrasts between major and minor keys.
The Classical period saw composers like Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven advancing the use of tonality, with a focus on symmetry and formality.
Entering the Romantic era, composers like Wagner and Mahler began stretching the boundaries of tonality, leading to more complex harmonic languages.

Functional Harmony in Tonality

Functional harmony, where chords have specific relationship and ‘function’ in relation to the key, is a fundamental element of tonality. These functions can be tonic, dominant, or subdominant.
Composers used cadences - musical punctuation marks - to denote the end of phrases or sections. Cadences can be perfect (V-I), plagal (IV-I), imperfect (any chord followed by V) or interrupted (V- vi), among others.

Impact of Tonality on Composition

Tonality allows for the creation of tension and resolution in music, which underpins dramatic expression.
Diverse tonal relationships can offer profound expressive possibilities, whether through the contrast of major and minor keys, modulation to different keys, or the implications of various harmonic functions.

Points to Remember

The use and evolution of tonality in Western Classical Music from 1650–1910 is key to understanding and interpreting the works of this period. It’s crucial to understand the distinct role of major and minor keys, functional harmony, and the expressive potential tonality affords to composers. Look for these elements when analysing music of the time to better comprehend the composers’ intentions and the piece’s emotional dynamics.