In Western music, a “suspension” is a sound created by a note that is held over from a previous chord that delays or suspends the resolution of the harmony to a new chord. A suspended note is one that is a step away from a consonant chord tone which soon resolves to said tone. Suspensions are as much a rhythmic device as they are harmonic ones because the way we create the suspension is by holding the dissonant note longer than the other notes of the chord it came from. These moments in music truly live up to their name, giving us a sense of lift that catches our ears, creates suspense, and pulls us further into the music.
The most important function of a suspension is to extend or heighten the tension of a harmonic resolution. Harmonic resolutions are a release of the tension that builds as we move through a chord progression of a song or movement. As we move away from our tonic or I chord, the tension builds, and as we return, especially with a V-I (or dominant to tonic) cadence, we feel it release. Along with rhythm and melodic motifs, as well as many more elements, this is one of the central building blocks that create the architecture of music.
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