▁ 1 9 0 7 ▁by ▁Joseph ▁Marx ▁in ▁a ▁scholar ly ▁study ▁of ▁ton ality , ▁which ▁was ▁later ▁expanded ▁into ▁his ▁doctor al ▁th esis ▁. ▁ ▁Their ▁music ▁arose ▁from ▁what ▁was ▁described ▁as ▁the ▁" c ris is ▁of ▁ton ality " ▁between ▁the ▁late ▁nin ete enth ▁century ▁and ▁early ▁tw enti eth ▁century ▁in ▁classical ▁music . ▁This ▁situation ▁had ▁ar isen ▁over ▁the ▁course ▁of ▁the ▁nin ete enth ▁century ▁due ▁to ▁the ▁increasing ▁use ▁of ▁ambigu ous ▁ch ords , ▁impro b able ▁harm onic ▁inf lections , ▁and ▁more ▁unusual ▁mel od ic ▁and ▁rh yth mic ▁inf lections ▁than ▁what ▁was ▁possible ▁within ▁the ▁styles ▁of ▁t onal ▁music . ▁The ▁distinction ▁between ▁the ▁exception al ▁and ▁the ▁normal ▁became ▁more ▁and ▁more ▁bl ur red . ▁As ▁a ▁result , ▁there ▁was ▁a ▁" con com it ant ▁lo osen ing " ▁of ▁the ▁synth etic ▁b onds ▁through ▁which ▁t ones ▁and ▁harm on ies ▁had ▁been ▁related ▁to ▁one ▁another . ▁The ▁connections ▁between ▁harm on ies ▁were ▁uncertain ▁even ▁on ▁the ▁lowest ▁ch ord - to - ch ord ▁level . ▁On ▁higher ▁levels , ▁long - range ▁harm onic ▁relationships ▁and ▁imp lications ▁became ▁so ▁ten uous , ▁that ▁they ▁hardly ▁function ed ▁at ▁all . ▁At ▁best , ▁the ▁felt ▁prob abilities ▁of ▁the ▁style ▁system ▁had ▁become ▁obsc ure . ▁At ▁worst , ▁they ▁were ▁approaching ▁a ▁uniform ity , ▁which ▁provided ▁few ▁gu ides ▁for