Dissonare

Dissonare is an Italian verb meaning to sound discordant or to create dissonance. In musical usage, it describes the act or result of producing dissonant sound, in contrast to consonance. The noun form is dissonanza, and the related adjective is dissonante. In English-language scholarship the term is rarely used outside Italian contexts, where it often appears in discussions of historical harmony and voice-leading.

Historically, dissonare and its cognates appear in medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque music theory to describe moments when harmony briefly departs from established consonances. Dissonances were typically prepared and resolved by step, often on unaccented beats or through specific figures such as suspensions and passing tones. The treatment of dissonance varied by era and stylistic school, but the general principle was that dissonance should be managed so that it leads back to a consonant sonority.

In contemporary Italian discourse, dissonare remains a standard term for describing discordant sound within musical texture. In English, speakers more commonly use phrases like “contain dissonances” or the verb “to dissonate,” though the latter is infrequent. The concept underpins foundational ideas in harmony and counterpoint, where the balance between tension (dissonance) and release (consonance) shapes musical expression.

See also: dissonance, consonance, harmony, counterpoint.