Tonbaserad

Tonbaserad is a Swedish term used in musicology to describe music that is organized around a tonal center or tonic. The concept corresponds to what is commonly called tonal or tonal harmony in English. Tonbaserad music relies on a central pitch class and a system of functional harmony, where chords are understood in terms of their roles as tonic, dominant, and subdominant, and where musical phrases often end in cadences that reaffirm the key.

Key features include the use of diatonic scales (major and minor), resolution toward the tonic, and modulation to related keys through predictable progressions. Melodies are typically shaped by their harmonic framework, and voice leading adheres to established conventions that reinforce the sense of a stable key. Tonbaserad music is closely tied to the common-practice period, though its principles continue to appear in various genres, including film music, jazz, and many forms of popular music.

Historically, tonality developed during the Baroque era and became dominant through the Classical and Romantic periods. In the 20th century, composers explored atonality and other systems, leading to a diversification of approaches. Nevertheless, tonbaserad expression remains widespread, often with expressive innovations such as extended chords, modal mixture, or altered scales that expand but do not fundamentally abandon the tonal center.

In analysis, tonbaserad approaches focus on identifying the key, tonicization and modulation paths, harmonic functions, cadences, and voice-leading. The term helps distinguish music rooted in stable tonal centers from atonal, serial, or non-tonal practices, while recognizing that many works blend tonal foundations with contemporary techniques.