nontonic

nontonic

(ˌnɒnˈtɒnɪk)
adj
(Phonetics & Phonology) phonetics (of a vowel or syllable) not stressed or tonic
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
References in periodicals archive ?
7 present the idea of a nontonic beginning (C major is now the subdominant in F major).
Significantly, the harmonies do not settle into the tonic key by the end of line 4 but rather cadence in the nontonic key of F minor, thus underlining the restless passion here.
It is not even clear whether the break represents a preparatory passage for a refrain in the center of a rondo form, the midst of a development section in an expanded sonata form, or the start of a nontonic recapitulation in such a sonata form.