Importance of Enharmonic Tone Spelling in Computational Analysis of Tonal Structure

Abstract

This paper will discuss various instances of enharmonic spellings of chords. Selected characteristic enharmonic chords in compositions of the tonal period will be presented. The paper's main purpose is to show: (1) the importance of the enharmonic spelling of chords/tones in the automated analysis of tonal music, (2) how the analysis of the relative strength of a given key range is modified when we take into account its enharmonic spellings, (3) the problem of enharmonic spelling in characteristic chords (For example in the Tristan chord), (4) the interdependence between the enharmonic spelling in a given piece of music and the whole tonal structure (relationship between given key ranges).