Sointiin

Sointiin is a fictional concept in music theory and aesthetics used in a hypothetical or speculative setting. It denotes the formal process by which a musical work or sound event moves from tension to resolution, yielding a perceived state of harmony. The term is inspired by roots related to tone or sound, with the suffix "-iin" indicating a process or state.

In this in-world framework, sointiin comprises stages: initiation (the introduction of contrasting timbres and pitches), maturation (the emergence of stable sonorities through gradual consonance), and resolution (the attainment of a final, stable harmony). It serves as both a compositional guideline and a listening phenomenon, describing how listeners form expectations and how those expectations are fulfilled.

Theoretical positions on sointiin vary. Some treat it as a universal cognitive tendency toward consonance; others emphasize culturally specific scales and timbres. Practitioners in the imagined setting may employ microtonal tunings, resonant acoustic spaces, and algorithmic processes to facilitate sointiin, aiming to create a sense of inevitability in the progression toward harmony.

Culturally, sointiin figures as an aesthetic ideal within worldbuilding, informing ritual music, education, and critique. Scholarly debates in the internal literature consider whether sointiin reflects an inherent property of sound or a socially constructed construct, and whether it operates independently of or in dialogue with other theories of harmony and timbre.

See also: harmony, consonance, dissonance, timbre, microtonality, music theory, worldbuilding. References to in-world texts include The Treatise on Sointiin and Notes on Perceived Harmony (fictional works).