Music A-Level
Atonality
What Atonality means in Music A-Level, as defined for AQA.
Definitions of Atonality
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Reference: AQA
The lack of a traditional tonal centre, which strict twelve-tone composition ensures by not repeating a pitch until all other eleven have been sounded.
Music that lacks a tonal centre or key, breaking away from traditional functional harmony.
Topics that use Atonality
- Area of study 7: Art music since 1910 - Musical elements (AQA A-Level)
Related terms
- 20th-century chord structures
- 20th-century compositional techniques
- 20th-century rhythmic innovation
- A cappella
- Additive and subtractive processes
- Alternatives to functional tonality
- Atonality and tonality
- Auditory perception
Using Atonality in the exam
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