Music and Time Annotation << Back On the History of «New Modality» in European Music V.P. Sereda The fundamental issue examined in the article includes the key stages in the formation of the European musical language: • the moment of inception of the tonal system during the age of domination of modal principles; • the fi nal establishment of the tonal system and its consolidation in the works of XVIII-century theoreticians; • the development of the tonal system and the gradual overcoming of its foundations by the European composers of the XVIII–XIX centuries, which created a basis for the formation of «new modality» principles in the music of the XIX–XX centuries. The article is dedicated to the process of renewal in the language of European music, enrichment of its modal foundation, revitalization of its vertical harmonic structure, and transformation of the system of functional relationships in its harmonic texture. The article analyzes the essential properties and mechanisms of tonal functions as a primary means of organizing movement and rest, as well as modal positions as a means of conveying the shades of light and shadows in music. Changes in the interaction of these factors during various historical periods are investigated. The issue of the role played by consonance and dissonance in process organization in musical texture and the problem of «dissonance emancipation» are examined separately. A separate section of the article is dedicated to the growing role of the expressive means of «new modality» in the creation of imagery in musical compositions at different times in history. Another problem, which the article describes in parallel, relates to the painful contradiction between the actual content of musical texts and its inadequate reflection in the system of the imperfect concepts available in the theoretical apparatus of musical education. The shortcomings of the conceptual framework and its inability to adequately reflect musical content require fine-tuning through discussion between professional musicians in various fields. Keywords: archaic modality, classical tonality, new modality, tonal functions and modal positions, vertical functions, «dissonance emancipation», dissonance neutralization. Contacts: E-mail: mu3yka2006@yandex.ru Pp. 28-36.