| Series |
Music in the twentieth century
Music in the twentieth century. ^A275257
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| Contents |
Towards a general theoretical framework. Introduction ; 'Composing with notes' ; Composing with formal prototypes and their idioms ; Integration of tonally evasive material and historical forms ; Schoenberg's model of musical unity and the twelve-tone method ; Towards a new 'Doric architecture of sound' ; Trying out the new resources independently ; Roots of Schoenberg's later musical syntax -- Structural hierarchies in the 'Ouverture' of the Septet (Suite), Op. 29. Introduction ; The relational kernel ; Prolongation and development in the first group ; The material of the second group ; Continuity and textural types ; The formal crux: the retransition ; Set invariants and phrase construction in the 'Landler' theme ; The compositional sketches ; Preliminary drafts: composing sets and themes ; Final draft and fair copy ; Conclusion -- Tonal thought as a compositional determinant in the third movement of the Fourth String Quartet, Op. 37. Introduction ; Effecting tonal functions in a non-triadic context ; Large-scale developing variation ; Completion and resolution: the recapitulation ; Conclusion -- Musical continuity and prolongational procedures in the Ode to Napoleon Buonaparte. Introduction ; 'Antecedent a', the introduction ; 'Antecedent c', second to fifth stanzas ; 'Consequent' and 'antecedent b', first instrumental interlude and sixth stanza ; Large-scale design ; Composing with numbers ; Formal symmetries and thematic processes ; Conclusion -- Towards a general theoretical framework. Introduction ; Composing with a 'harmonic source-set' ; Combinationality and tonal thought ; Pitch-class association and developing variation ; 'Composing with notes' ; Conclusion. |
| Abstract |
The author proposes a reconstruction of Schoenberg's conception of compositional process in his twelve-tone works, which challenges the prevalent view that this music is to be appropriately understood exclusively in terms of the new method. Her claim that in Schoenberg we encounter hierarchical pitch relations operating in a twelve-tone context is supported by in-depth musical analysis and the commentary on the sketch material, which shows tonal considerations to be a primary concern and even an important criterion in the composition of the set itself. This book addresses the conflicting interaction between theory and practice in Schoenberg, exploring the extent to which the techniques of developing variation, the notion of formal prototypes, and the use of balancing phrase construction, as described in his didactic writings, represent the elements of his actual compositional thought. The core of the book consists of detailed analytical studies; yet its heavy reliance on factors outside the score (such as the sketch material, the composer's theoretical and philosophical writings, his musical development, and cultural milieu) places this work beyond the boundaries of textual analysis into the field of the history of musical ideas. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 205-210). |
| LCCN | 90021851 |
| ISBN | 0521390494 (hardback) |
