Skip to content

Tonart

key

noun TONE-art Rare

Origin: from Ton (tone) + Art (kind)

Also means

tonality

Usage Note

Tonart names the musical key, such as C-Dur (C major) or a-Moll (A minor). Do not confuse it with Tonlage (register/pitch range) or Tonleiter (scale).

Examples

"Das Stück steht in der Tonart D-Dur."

Natural Translation

The piece is in the key of D major.

Literal Translation

The piece stands in the key D-major.

Explore German by topic