Having no allegiance to tonality; not having a key. In atonal practices, ordinary theories of consonance and dissonance have no force. One speaks of certain works of Liszt and Debussy as being nearly atonal; it was probably Schoenberg who most carefully worked out the musical possibilities of atonality. Twelve-tone and serial practices are a highly organized form of atonal composition.
Music from the Twentieth Century that does not use traditional chords or melodies. The primary composers of atonal music were Schoenberg and Berg. ( Lesson 35)
Music that is not in any specific key, usually sounds foreign to most people.
music that lacks tonal center allad A simple song, a song that tells a story
a commonly misused term which refers to music having no perceived tonal center. This perception is often due to the uneducated ears of the listener. Twelve-tone and serial music can almost always be referred to as atonal. Also, many 19th century compositions (Liszt's Nuages gris for instance or the opening section of the Faust Symphony) can also be referred to as atonal (although these works or passages may be more correctly described by the term suspended tonality).
the absence of a tonal center
Music which does not exhibit the traditional hierarchy of chord progressions and key signatures. The term was first used to describe music of Schoenberg, Webern and Berg, who consciously wrote this way.
characterized by avoidance of traditional Western tonality
Music that has no well-defined tonal center; it often also implies the lack of chords or other traditional harmonic structures
Music which lacks tonality, or essentially, lacks a key, is considered atonal. This term can be used broadly, but usually refers to music written with the intention of avoiding tonality. An example of a system of atonal writing is serialism.
Music in which no single tone is the home base or key center.
Music that lacks a tonal center, or in which all pitches carry equal importance.
Music not based on a particular key or scale; dissonant music.
music sung late Saturday night/early Sunday morning
Refers to voice quality that lacks traditional musical tonality or harmonics.
A type of music in which tones and chords are not related to a central keynote.