ABSTRACT
Most tonal works convey their tonality unambiguously, stating their tonic triad, departing from it to generate tension, and returning to the tonic triad to release tension and complete a tonally unified gesture. Such procedures are standard on small and large scales. Some compositions express their tonality in more subtle and complicated ways. One chief strategy is to begin a work on a non-tonic harmony or in a non-tonic key area. The phrases and complete pieces search for their tonal identity rather than stating it from the onset. Then there are initial passages that avoid a central pitch altogether. These openings illustrate what Schoenberg calls “suspended tonality.” Because the harmonic and melodic language of initial passages is familiar to listeners of common-practice tonality, it would be a stretch to call them atonal. Hector Berlioz enhances the feeling of closure by scoring the bass in a low register. The ensuing coda lacks the deep bass of the previous measures.
