Monotonality

Monotonality is a theoretical concept, principally deriving from the theoretical writings of Arnold Schoenberg and Heinrich
Schenker, that in any piece of tonal music only one tonic is ever present, modulations being only regions or prolongations within, or
extensions of the basictonality.

History
Schoenberg laid out his concept of monotonality in his book Structural Functions of Harmony, writing that: "According to this
principle, every digression from the tonic is considered to be still within the tonality, whether directly or indirectly, closely or
remotely related. In other words, there is only one tonality in a piece, and every segment formerly considered as another tonality is
only a region, a harmonic contrast within that tonality...subordinate to the central power of [its] tonic. Thus comprehension of the
harmonic unity within a piece is achieved."[1]

See also
Homotonality
Progressive tonality
Prolongation
Schenkerian analysis

References
1. Schoenberg, Arnold (1969).Leonard Stein, ed. Structural Functions of Harmony(rev. ed.). New York: W.W. Norton &
Company. p. 19. ISBN 0-393-00478-3.

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This page was last edited on 27 October 2013, at 05:05.

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