anharmoonia

Anharmoonia is a neologism used in music theory and criticism to describe a focus on harmonic absence, instability, or non-functional harmony within musical works. The term is formed from the Greek roots an-, meaning without or not, and harmoonia, meaning harmony, with the noun-forming suffix -ia. In scholarly and critical writings, anharmoonia is typically presented as a lens for analyzing practices that de-emphasize traditional chord progressions and functional tonality.

In its conceptual scope, anharmoonia denotes approaches where harmony is not the organizing principle of a piece. Works described as anharmoonic emphasize texture, timbre, rhythm, spatial cues, or spectral relationships over conventional chord functions. The term is often applied to post-tonal, experimental, and electroacoustic music, as well as to certain contemporary genres that foreground sound color and process-driven organization rather than established harmonic goals. It is important to note that anharmoonia is not a single fixed style but a spectrum of attitudes toward harmony and coherence in music.

Historical development and usage of the term are diverse and somewhat contested. Anharmoonia has appeared in late 20th- and 21st-century discussions of modern aesthetics, sometimes alongside concepts like atonality, irregular tuning, and timbre-focused composition. Critics argue that the lack of a precise, universally agreed definition can hinder clear analysis, while proponents see it as a useful descriptor for a broad range of non-traditional harmonic practices.

Related concepts include atonality, spectralism, and texture-driven approaches to composition. Anharmoonia is most often discussed in the context of contemporary concert music, experimental genres, and scholarly discourse on the evolving role of harmony.