1the character of a piece of music as determined by the key in which it is played or the relations between the notes of a scale or key:the sonata is noteworthy for its extensive variations of mood and tonality
[count noun] the harmonic effect of being in a particular key:the first bar would seem set to create a tonality of C major
the use of conventional keys and harmony as the basis of musical composition:these pieces are more dissonant than my earlier works, yet I did not give up tonality
2the colour scheme or range of tones used in a picture:the five canvases are predominantly blue in tonality [count noun]:she incorporates brilliant colours with enormously varied tonalities
