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Tonicisation

The brief treatment of a non-tonic chord as a temporary tonic through the use of its own dominant or leading note.

Category
keys
Pronunciation
/ˌtɒnɪsaɪˈzeɪʃən/
Origin

From tonic + Greek suffix

Length
202 words · 2 min read

About Tonicisation

Tonicisation occurs when a composer momentarily makes a chord other than the tonic sound like a local point of rest by preceding it with its own dominant harmony. Unlike modulation, which establishes a new key for a sustained passage, tonicisation is fleeting — the music quickly returns to the original key.
v1 · 10/04/2026Browse all terms →