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Notes or chords that sound the same but are spelled differently (e.g., C♯ = D♭). Enharmonic reinterpretation can pivot between remote keys.
Enharmonic reinterpretation is a powerful modulation technique. A diminished seventh chord can be respelled to resolve in four different keys. A German augmented sixth can be respelled as a dominant seventh, pivoting to a key a half-step away. Schubert and Chopin exploit this constantly.
Schubert frequently respells diminished seventh chords enharmonically to pivot between remote keys — a technique that gives his music its characteristic harmonic surprise.
Enharmonic is one of 228 terms in the Gradus musical dictionary, where every definition is written around how composers actually use the word.
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