Tension (music)

In music, tension is the perceived need for relaxation or release created by a listener's expectations. For example, dissonance may give way to consonance. Tension may also be produced through reiteration or gradual motion to a higher pitch (DeLone, "et al." 1975, p.290).

ee also

*Conclusion (music)
*Variation (music)

References

*DeLone "et al." (Eds.) (1975). "Aspects of Twentieth-Century Music". Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall. ISBN 0-13-049346-5.