Archive
IJMSTA - Vol. 7 - Issue 2 - July 2025
ISSN 2612-2146
Pages: 8
Unusual Harmonic Resolutions: Expanding the Language of Tonality in Contemporary Composition
Authors: Biagio Russo
Categories: Journal
Abstract - This paper explores the use of non-traditional harmonic resolutions in tonal and post-tonal music, analyzing how composers deviate from classical expectations to generate ambiguity, expressive contrast, and new structural possibilities. The study classifies a range of harmonic strategies-deceptive cadences, chromatic voice leading, pivot chord reinterpretations, and rare modulations-and focuses in particular on exclusive and lesser-known resolution types. Examples from classical, jazz, and experimental idioms demonstrate how unusual resolutions function as both technical and expressive tools in contemporary composition. The research also introduces quantitative models-entropy, tonal salience, and voice leading cost-that frame harmonic resolution within a broader cognitive and algorithmic context. This multidisciplinary approach offers both theoretical insights and practical applications in contemporary composition and music analysis.
Keywords: Harmony, Cadence, Chromaticism, Tonality, Modulation, Contemporary Composition
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