What term is used for the tritone?

What term is used for the tritone?

• A. Vox Principalis
• B. Popular Singing Timbre
• C. Diabolus in Musica
• D. Vox Organalis

Answer: (C)

The tritone is an interval spanning six semitones, such as from C to F♯. In medieval and Renaissance theory, this unsettling interval earned the name diabolus in musica, meaning “the devil in music,” because its dissonant sound contrasted sharply with the consonant intervals of the time. This label reflects historical attitudes toward dissonance in sacred music, where such tension was often avoided or carefully resolved. Over time, composers used the tritone deliberately to heighten expressive impact and then resolve it to a stable pitch. The other terms aren’t used for the tritone. Vox principalis and Vox organalis refer to different voices in polyphonic texture, not to the interval itself. Popular Singing Timbre is a description of vocal color, not a musical interval. Therefore, the term that correctly names the tritone is diabolus in musica.

The tritone is an interval spanning six semitones, such as from C to F♯. In medieval and Renaissance theory, this unsettling interval earned the name diabolus in musica, meaning “the devil in music,” because its dissonant sound contrasted sharply with the consonant intervals of the time. This label reflects historical attitudes toward dissonance in sacred music, where such tension was often avoided or carefully resolved. Over time, composers used the tritone deliberately to heighten expressive impact and then resolve it to a stable pitch.

The other terms aren’t used for the tritone. Vox principalis and Vox organalis refer to different voices in polyphonic texture, not to the interval itself. Popular Singing Timbre is a description of vocal color, not a musical interval. Therefore, the term that correctly names the tritone is diabolus in musica.