MollTonart

MollTonart, literally "minor tonality" in German, is a term used in music theory to describe the tonal system and practice centered on a minor scale as its principal reference. In Western tonal tradition, MollTonart contrasts with DurTonart, or major tonality. A working understanding of MollTonart includes natural minor (aeolian), harmonic minor (which raises the seventh scale degree to form a strong dominant V), and melodic minor (which raises the sixth and seventh degrees when ascending). It also allows modal interchange, borrowing chords from parallel modes, and thus broadens harmonic color beyond a single minor scale.

In functional terms, the tonic is minor (i) and the dominant is typically V or V7, yielding cadences such as i–V–i or i–iv–V–i. Common triads include i, iv, V, VI, and VII in natural minor contexts, with III and VII often altered by borrowed degrees. Relative major keys share the same key signature, but the tonal center remains minor. The concept of MollTonart developed within the broader framework of the common-practice period and remains central in the analysis of Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and contemporary music.

Beyond traditional classical usage, MollTonart informs pedagogy and analysis in film music and popular music, where minor tonality often conveys melancholy, tension, or introspection. In practice, composers negotiate MollTonart through modulation, chromaticism, and modal mixture. The minor tonal system underpins many works that establish a somber or tense mood, while also enabling expressive variety via altered scale degrees and borrowed chords.