CHROMATIC EFFECT

Our association of chromatic mediant movements with a sense of magic and wonder dates back to tactics employed by composers of the 19th century romantic period. For example, the Italian composer Rossini was keen on the use of chromatic mediants to accompany sudden surprise, rage or frustration in a character in one of his operas. This trend of classical composers to reinforce emotion with chromatic mediants has permeated through the ages into the modern movie soundtrack industry and subsequently into the collective consciousness of music consumers as a whole.