Chromaticism

Chromaticism (Greek chroma,"color"), in a musical composition, the use of tones that do not belong to the musical scale on which the composition is based. Essentially, a chromatic tone is one produced by raising or lowering, by a half step (for example, F to F-sharp), an individual tone in the basic seven-note diatonic scale-A B C D E F G (A).

In medieval chant and in early polyphony (multipart music) certain notes were sometimes altered (notably, B to B-flat) to conform to given aesthetic rules. In the late 16th century some Italian composers of vocal music introduced daring chord sequences made possible only by the use of chromatic tones. By about 1650 the use of chromatic tones was systematized as part of the hierarchy of tones and chords that characterized the newly evolved system of tonality based on major and minor scales. In the 17th and 18th centuries chromaticism was used mainly for special effects or as a tool to modulate to a new key. The use of chromaticism increased radically in the 19th century, creating the lush, expressive harmonies of late romantic music but at the same time weakening the sense of key for the listener. By about 1900 such extensive chromaticism led to a breakdown of the major-minor key system, and to the development of a new concept of a chromatic scale, the twelve tone system.

See also Scale.



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