Tone encyclopedia topics

tone. In music, a tone is distinguished from noise by its definite pitch, caused by the regularity of the vibrations which produce it. Any tone possesses the attributes of pitch, intensity, and quality. Pitch is determined by the frequency of the vibration, measured in cycles per second; intensity (or loudness) is determined by the amplitude, measured in decibels. Quality is determined by the overtones (see harmonic), the distinctive timbre of any instrument being the result of the number and relative prominence of the overtones it produces. When two fairly loud tones of equal volume but different pitch are sounded together, a fainter resultant tone, representing either the sum of their two rates of vibration (summation tone) or the difference (difference tone) may be heard. The term whole tone or whole step refers to the interval of a major second or its equivalent; the term half tone, semitone, or half step denotes a minor second (see scale).

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half tone

half tone: see photoengraving; printing.

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Tone, Theobald Wolfe

Tone, Theobald Wolfe, 1763-98, Irish revolutionary. He was called to the bar in 1789 but soon turned his attention to politics. Inspired by the example of the French Revolution, he helped found (1791) the United Irish Society (see United Irishmen), which worked to unite Roman Catholics and Protestants in a common cause against English oppression of Ireland. He played a leading role in the Catholic convention of 1792 that pressed the British government to pass the Catholic Relief Act (1793). In 1794 he was implicated in the intrigues for a French invasion of Ireland, but was allowed to leave the country for the United States. He negotiated (1795) with the French minister concerning French aid in an Irish rebellion and in 1796 went to Paris. He organized several ill-fated expeditions to Ireland, finally joining one intended to aid the 1798 rebellion in Ireland. The force he accompanied was defeated by an English squadron off Lough Swilly (Donegal), and Tone was captured. He was court-martialed and convicted of treason, but he committed suicide before his execution could be carried out. He was the author of a number of political pamphlets. These, with his autobiography and journals, were edited (1826) by his son.

See his letters (ed. by B. Hobson, 1920); biography by M. Moriarty and C. Sweeney (1989).

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symphonic poem

or tone poem

Musical work for orchestra inspired by an extramusical story, idea, or “program,” to which the h1 typically refers or alludes. It evolved from the concert overture, an overture not attached to an opera or play yet suggestive of a literary or natural sequence of events. Franz Liszt, who coined the term, wrote 13 such works. Famous symphonic poems include Bedrhacekich Smetana's The Moldau (1879), Claude Debussy's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun (1894), Paul Dukas's The Sorceror's Apprentice (1897), Richard Strauss's Don Quixote (1897), and Jean Sibelius's Finlandia (1900).

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.

timbre

A mixture of three pure tones (top) yields a complex resultant tone (bottom), such as might be elipsis

Quality of sound that distinguishes one instrument, voice, or other sound source from another. Timbre largely results from a characteristic combination of overtones produced by different instruments. This distinctive combination (which usually varies across the range of pitches) is what principally permits a listener to distinguish a clarinet from a flute, an alto from a tenor, or even a Stradivarius violin from a Guarneri violin, when both are sounding the same pitch. One element of timbre results from the differing methods of producing the sounds (blowing, bowing, striking, etc.), especially audible at the moment a note begins.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.

tone

In linguistics, a variation in the pitch of the voice while speaking. The term is usually applied to languages (called tone languages) in which pitch differentiates words with an identical sequences of consonants and vowels. For example, man in Mandarin Chinese may mean either “deceive” or “slow,” depending on its pitch. In tone languages, what matters is not absolute pitch but the pitch of one word relative to another or how pitch changes within a word.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.

Tone, (Theobald) Wolfe

(born Jan. 20, 1763, Dublin, Ire.—died Nov. 19, 1798, Dublin) Irish republican and rebel. In 1791 he cofounded the Society of United Irishmen to work for parliamentary reform. He organized a Catholic convention of elected delegates that forced Parliament to pass the Catholic Relief Act in 1793. In 1796, seeking to overthrow English rule in Ireland, he convinced France to send an invasion force of 43 ships and 14,000 men, but the ships were dispersed by a storm. Tone again brought an Irish invasion plan to Paris in October 1797, but the principal French military leader, Napoleon Bonaparte, took little interest. In 1798, with only 3,000 men, he again attempted an invasion; captured and sentenced to hang, he committed suicide.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.