The pitch that is the tonal center, which is the tonic.

The tonal characteristics determined by the relationship of the notes to the tone.

The organization of all the tones and harmonies of a piece of music in relation to a tonic.

A system of chordal relations based on the attraction of a tonal center (loyalty to a tonic). Fully established in the late Baroque era. The stabilization and codification of the tonal language first appears consistently in Corelli's sonatas.