The Classical Music Minute

Twelve-Tone Music & The Crisis Of Tonality

August 23, 2021 Steven Hobé, Composer & Host Season 1 Episode 17
The Classical Music Minute
Twelve-Tone Music & The Crisis Of Tonality
Show Notes Transcript

Description
Ever heard of the twelve-tone technique aka dodecaphony aka twelve-tone serialism aka twelve-note composition? I know, it’s a little mind-bending, but worth noting if you love music that breaks the boundaries of tonality. It’s even used in modern broadway shows! Join me, as we take a minute to get the scoop!

Fun Fact
Schoenberg believed that his 12-tone technique would assure the supremacy of Germanic music for another hundred years. In reality, it had far less impact than he had hoped. Even Schoenberg’s star pupil Alban Berg found ways to infuse elements of 12-tone into his scores, but with his own unique flare.

About Steven
Steven is a Canadian composer living in Toronto. He creates a range of works, with an emphasis on the short-form genre—his muse being to offer the listener both the darker and more satiric shades of human existence. If you're interested, please check out his website for more.

A Note To Music Students et al.
All recordings and sheet music are available on my site. I encourage you to take a look and play through some. Give me a shout if you have any questions.

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When you mention 12-tone music, most people may immediately stick their fingers in their ears.

But not so fast. It’s good to understand its roots and the effect it had on subsequent genres.

12-tone was devised by composer Arnold Schoenberg in the early 20th century. 

It was a reaction to what Schoenberg saw as a weakening of the tonal centre by other composers of his time. To him, this was a crisis of tonality.

12-tone composition states that the 12 pitches be put in an order, or “row”. Once a pitch is sounded, it wouldn’t be repeated until the entire row has unfolded. This row can then be placed upside down, in reverse order, and so on. There is more to it, but that’s the upshot. 

Schoenberg believed that his technique would assure the supremacy of Germanic music for years to come.

And although few actually adhered to 12-tone, some composers such as Stravinsky & Bartok, drew loosely from it. And elements of 12-tone are used even today in modern composition in an effort to shake up tonality.