Music A-Level
Static harmony
What Static harmony means in Music A-Level, as defined for AQA.
Definitions of Static harmony
Exam boards and our study guides word this term in slightly different ways. Learn the version your board uses.
Check what you remember
Read the wording for your board, then hide it and explain Static harmony in your own words. Rough notes are fine. This is a self-check, with no mark or grade.
Reference: AQA
A musical passage where the underlying chord remains unchanged for an extended period, creating a sense of suspended time and a lack of forward harmonic motion.
Minimalist music often features static tonality, relying on repetition and slow harmonic rhythm rather than traditional cadential resolutions.
Topics that use Static harmony
- 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
- Atonality and tonality
Using Static harmony in the exam
Check the command word and mark scheme for your exact question. After comparing your explanation with the reference, use the term in an answer on the linked topic. This practice does not predict an exam mark.
Practise Music questions
Create a free account to answer exam-style questions on this topic and get feedback on your answers.
Start free
All Music A-Level termsA week of Premium from your first lesson · Then the free plan continues · No card, no charge