Which term refers to a tone that sounds on a downbeat and is resolved downward by a step?

• A. Anticipation Tone
• B. Neighbor Tone
• C. Suspension
• D. Overtones

Answer: (C)

Suspension works when a tone from the previous harmony is carried over to the next measure and sounds on the strong beat, creating temporary tension against the new chord. That tension resolves downward by a step to a chord tone of the new harmony. The key idea is a nonharmonic tone that is held over into the new harmony and then steps down to meet the chord tone, which is precisely what defines a suspension.

Anticipation would be a note that belongs to the upcoming harmony and arrives early, not a held-over dissonance on the downbeat. A neighbor tone is an ornament that moves away from and back to a chord tone, not necessarily tied to the strong beat and resolving downward from a dissonance. Overtones are simply harmonic partials of sounds, not a melodic device that resolves by step.