Tristan chord

noun

A chord in musical composition consisting originally of the notes F, B, D♯ and G♯ which can be translated more generally in intervalic terms as: augmented fourth, augmented sixth and augmented ninth above a root. Enharmonically it sounds like a half-diminished seventh chord (e.g. F-A♭-C♭-E♭), though in terms of musical analysis it can be interpreted in several ways.

“Tristan chord (D♯ G♯ F B): 1”

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Meanings

nounTristan chord (plural Tristan chords)

plural Tristan chords

  1. entertainmentA chord in musical composition consisting originally of the notes F, B, D♯ and G♯ which can be translated more generally in intervalic terms as: augmented fourth, augmented sixth and augmented ninth above a root. Enharmonically it sounds like a half-diminished seventh chord (e.g. F-A♭-C♭-E♭), though in terms of musical analysis it can be interpreted in several ways.

    Tristan chord (D♯ G♯ F B): 1

Origin

A reference to the chord used in the opening phrase of Richard Wagner's opera Tristan and Isolde as part of the leitmotif attributed to the character Tristan.

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Cite this entry
APA

Tristan chord. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Tristan%20chord

MLA

“Tristan chord.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Tristan%20chord. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Tristan chord,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Tristan%20chord.

Source: Tristan chord on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.