twelve-tone system

Học thuật
Thân thiện
Definition

Noun: - A method of musical composition developed by Arnold Schoenberg in the early 20th century. It is a form of serialism where all twelve notes of the chromatic scale are treated as equal, organized into a specific sequence or "tone row" that serves as the basis for a composition. The system avoids establishing a traditional tonal center or key.

Usage

The term is used to describe the compositional technique itself, the body of music written using it, or the theoretical framework. - Schoenberg's development of the twelve-tone system revolutionized modern classical music. - This piece is composed strictly according to the twelve-tone system. - Students of music theory often study the twelve-tone system.

Advanced Usage
  • "Twelve-tone technique" or "dodecaphony": These are synonymous terms for the twelve-tone system.
  • "Tone row" or "series": The specific ordered arrangement of the twelve pitch classes that is the foundational element of a composition in the twelve-tone system.
  • "Serialism": The twelve-tone system is considered the first and most famous form of serialism, which later expanded to serialize other musical elements like rhythm and dynamics.
Variants and Related Words
  • Twelve-tone music (n): Music composed using the twelve-tone system.
  • Twelve-tone row (n): Another term for the tone row.
  • Serial music (n): A broader category of music that uses serial techniques, which includes the twelve-tone system.
  • Atonal music (n): Music that lacks a tonal center; the twelve-tone system is one method for composing atonal music.
Synonyms
  • Dodecaphony
  • Twelve-tone technique
  • Serial technique (in its specific, pitch-based form)
Related Phrases and Concepts
  • "Inversion": A standard transformation of the tone row where the intervals are reversed in direction.
  • "Retrograde": Playing the tone row backwards.
  • "Retrograde inversion": Playing the inverted row backwards.
  • "Prime form": The original, stated form of the tone row.
Noun
  1. a type of serial music introduced by Arnold Schoenberg; uses a tone row formed by the twelve semitones of the chromatic scale (and inverted or backward versions of the row)

Từ đồng nghĩa