How is music organized?
Tonality – a system where tones move from a central tone and create tension which resolves when the central tone is reestablished. Tonality developed over many centuries through the combining of melody and harmony. As harmonies became more complex, the strong pull of the central tone began to loosen. Many composers in the early 20th century abandoned tonality as a system, although some believed that it was a force of nature. Serialism and other attempts at atonality challenged composers and audiences for several decades. For many contemporary composers, Jazz, folk music, and for much of the world music today, tonality remains the principal organizing system. Structures – Every musical event has structure, from the individual note (pitch, duration, timbre) to the most complex combinations, all exhibit form. Composers have generally worked with the principle of contrast and balance to create extended musical forms. Binary form – a simple musical statement in two parts, the first part com
