In music, tonality is the way a piece is organised around one central note — its key. When a song is 'in C major', C is home: the tune keeps pulling back to it, and the chords are built to make you feel that pull. That whole system, and the particular colour a given key gives a piece, is its tonality.

In music在音樂裡，tonality is the way a piece is organisedtonality指的是一首曲子組織起來的方式，around one central note圍繞著一個中心音，its key也就是它的調。When a song is 'in C major'當一首歌是「C大調」的時候，C is homeC就是主音，the tune keeps pulling back to it旋律會一直被拉回到它身上，and the chords are built而和弦的寫法to make you feel that pull就是要讓你感覺到那股拉力。That whole system這整套系統，and the particular colour a given key gives a piece以及某個調賦予一首曲子的特殊色彩，is its tonality就是它的tonality。

Musicians also use the word for the bigger idea: music that works this way is 'tonal', and music written on purpose without a home note is 'atonal'. So when a critic writes 'the piece abandons tonality halfway through', they mean the sense of home disappears.

Musicians also use the word for the bigger idea音樂人也會用這個字來講更大的概念，music that works this way is 'tonal'用這種方式運作的音樂叫做「tonal」，and music written on purpose without a home note而故意不設中心音寫成的音樂is 'atonal'叫做「atonal」。So when a critic writes所以當樂評寫，'the piece abandons tonality halfway through'「這首曲子寫到一半就放棄了tonality」這種話，they mean他們的意思是，the sense of home disappears那種回家的感覺消失了。

Outside music the word gets borrowed for colour, especially by painters, photographers and designers — 'the warm tonality of the photograph' means the overall range and feel of its tones. That use is common in art writing and rare in speech.

Outside music在音樂之外，the word gets borrowed for colour這個字被借去講色調，especially by painters, photographers and designers尤其是畫家、攝影師和設計師會用，'the warm tonality of the photograph'像「這張照片溫暖的tonality」這句話means the overall range and feel of its tones指的是整體色調的範圍和感覺。That use is common in art writing這種用法在藝術類文章裡很常見，and rare in speech但在口語裡很少見。

Careful with one thing: in ordinary English, 'tone' can also mean the feeling in someone's voice or writing, but 'tonality' is not usually used that way. For that you say 'tone'.

Careful with one thing要小心一件事，in ordinary English在一般英文裡，'tone' can also mean the feeling in someone's voice or writing「tone」也可以指一個人語氣或文字裡的感覺，but 'tonality' is not usually used that way但「tonality」通常不會這樣用。For that要講那個意思，you say 'tone'你要說「tone」。