Schoenberg''s Atonal Music - Musical Idea, Basic Image, and Specters of Tonal Function

Portrays Schoenberg's atonal music as successions of motives and pitch-class sets that flesh out 'musical idea' and 'basic image' frameworks.

List of contents

1. Tonal oder Atonal? The complicated, contradictory nature of Schoenberg's middle-period music (Op. 11, No. 1); 2. Piano pieces Op. 11, Nos. 2 and 3: The latter movements of a remarkably progressive cycle; 3. Das Buch der hängenden Gärten, Op. 15, Nos. 7 and 11: basic images in two of the earliest atonal pieces; 4. Erwartung, Op. 17: A Leitmotivic Opera and a 'cumulative setting', atomized; 5. Six little piano pieces, Op. 19 (Nos. 2, 3, and 6): musical idea and basic image in miniature; 6. Pierrot lunaire, Op. 21, Nos. 1, 14 and 21: basic image at the apex of its development; 7. Summary, and the way forward to twelve-tone music.

About the author

Jack Boss is Professor of Music Theory and Composition at the University of Oregon. His previous book, Schoenberg's Twelve-Tone Music: Symmetry and the Musical Idea (Cambridge, 2014) received the Wallace Berry Award from the Society for Music Theory in 2015. His articles can be found in the Journal of Music Theory, Music Theory Spectrum, Perspectives of New Music, Music Theory Online, Music Analysis, Intégral, and Gamut.

Summary

The 'prequel' to Schoenberg's Twelve-Tone Music (Cambridge, 2014), this book demonstrates that the term 'atonal' is effective in describing Schoenberg's music from 1908–21. Written for music scholars, performers and conductors, it features detailed analyses that will help them understand the core logic of some of the most difficult pieces of music.

Product details

• Authors: Jack Boss, Jack (University of Oregon) Boss, Boss Jack
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 30.06.2019
• EAN: 9781108419130
• ISBN: 978-1-108-41913-0
• No. of pages: 404
• Series: Music Since 1900; Music Since 1900
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Music > Music history; Individual composers & musicians, specific bands & groups, MUSIC / History & Criticism, 20th century, c 1900 to c 1999, Theory of music & musicology, Music reviews & criticism, Musicians, singers, bands and groups, Composers and songwriters, Music reviews and criticism, 20th Century & Contemporary Classical Music, Art music, orchestral and formal music, Theory of music and musicology