Any of 24 major or minor diatonic scales that provide the tonal framework for a piece of music.

synonym: key.

Roget 420: light, ray, beam, stream, gleam, streak, pencil; sunbeam, moonbeam; aurora.    day; sunshine; light of day, light of heaven; moonlight, starlight, sunlight etc. (luminary) 432; daylight, broad daylight, noontide light; noontide, noonday, noonday sun.    glow etc. v.; glimmering etc. v.; glint; play of light, flood of light; phosphorescence, lambent flame.    flush, halo, glory, nimbus, aureola.    spark, scintilla; facula; sparkling etc. v.; emication^†, scintillation, flash, blaze, coruscation, fulguration^†; flame etc. (fire) 382; lightning, levin^†, ignis fatuus [Lat.], etc. (luminary) 423.    luster, sheen, shimmer, reflexion [Brit.], reflection; gloss, tinsel, spangle, brightness, brilliancy, splendor; effulgence, refulgence; fulgor^†, fulgidity^†; dazzlement^†, resplendence, transplendency^†; luminousness etc. adj.; luminosity; lucidity; renitency^†, nitency^†; radiance, radiation; irradiation, illumination.    actinic rays, actinism; Roentgen-ray, Xray; photography, heliography; photometer etc. 445.    [Science of light] optics; photology^†, photometry; dioptrics^†, catoptrics^†.    [Distribution of light] chiaroscuro, clairobscur^†, clear obscure, breadth, light and shade, black and white, tonality.    reflection, refraction, dispersion; refractivity.    ... show more

Roget 413: melody, rhythm, measure; rhyme etc. (poetry) 597.    pitch, timbre, intonation, tone.    scale, gamut; diapason; diatonic chromatic scale^†, enharmonic scale^†; key, clef, chords.    modulation, temperament, syncope, syncopation, preparation, suspension, resolution.    staff, stave, line, space, brace; bar, rest; appoggiato^†, appoggiatura^†; acciaccatura^†.    note, musical note, notes of a scale; sharp, flat, natural; high note etc. (shrillness) 410; low note etc. 408; interval; semitone; second, third, fourth &c.; diatessaron^†.    breve, semibreve [Mus.], minim, crotchet, quaver; semiquaver, demisemiquaver, hemidemisemiquaver; sustained note, drone, burden.    tonic; key note, leading note, fundamental note; supertonic^†, mediant^†, dominant; submediant^†, subdominant^†; octave, tetrachord^†; major key, minor key, major scale, minor scale, major mode, minor mode; passage, phrase.    concord, harmony; emmeleia^†; unison, unisonance^†; chime, homophony; euphony, euphonism^†; tonality; consonance; consent; part.    [Science of harmony] harmony, harmonics; thorough-bass, fundamental-bass; counterpoint; faburden^†.    piece of music etc. 415 [Fr.]; composer, harmonist^†, contrapuntist (musician) 416.    ... show more

Dutch: tonaliteit
Polish: tonalność