atonally
In no key
Atonally describes music performed or composed without a tonal center—no home key that the ear expects to return to.
The term belongs to discussions of twentieth-century classical music and experimental composition: The piece moves atonally through dissonant clusters.
It can describe any sound that lacks conventional harmonic grounding.
Fixed-sequence composition technique
- chromaticRelating to color
- integralAntiderivative or crucial component
- clusterGathered group nearby
- microtonalUsing non-standard pitch intervals
Testing new methods
- avant-gardeInnovative cultural pioneers
- modernistAdvocate of experimental forms
- dissonantLacking harmonic agreement
- angularSharp-edged or rawboned
abstract · nontraditional · unconventional · challenging · cerebral · complex · dense · fragmented
Harsh, clashing sounds
- discordLack of agreement
- disharmonyAbsence of agreement
- jarringDisturbingly incongruous
- gratingCrossed bars or harsh
harshness · clash · inharmonious · unmelodic · stridency · raucousness · abrasiveness · roughness
serialism
Fixed-sequence composition technique
microtonal · polytonality · freeform · improvisation · combinatorial
experimental
Testing new methods
- avant-gardeInnovative cultural pioneers
- modernistAdvocate of experimental forms
- dissonantLacking harmonic agreement
angular · abstract · nontraditional · unconventional · challenging · cerebral · complex · dense · fragmented · sparse
cacophony
Harsh, clashing sounds
- discordLack of agreement
- disharmonyAbsence of agreement
- jarringDisturbingly incongruous
grating · harshness · clash · inharmonious · unmelodic · stridency · raucousness · abrasiveness · roughness · screeching
berg
Floating mass of frozen water
atonallytonally
Concerning pitch variation
diatonically · harmonically · melodically · chromatically · modally
atonallyharmoniously
In pleasing agreement
melodiously · consonantly · tunefully · euphoniously · sweetly
- atonal musicMusic without key