Serialism

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Serialism

• Breakdown of tonality
• Schoenberg Verklarte Nacht (1899)
• Abandonment of tonality
• Schoenberg Six little pieces for piano (1911)

Schoenberg was also a painter this is a
self-portrait
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Another way?

• Schoenberg felt the need for a new way of writing
  extended pieces without relying on key
• Suite for Piano (1923) was his first serial piece
  ie a piece based on a series or tone row
  (sometimes called a note row)

http//www.bbc.co.uk/music/profiles/schoenberg.sht
ml
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Not just Schoenberg

• Although Schoenberg was credited with the tone
  row idea, another composer seemed to be thinking
  the same way.
• Josef Hauer wrote a song in 1922 which uses 12
  note techniques

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This is a fairly simple example of how to use a
tone row
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More examples

• Stravinsky hopped on the serial bandwagon for a
  time
• Below is an example of one of Stravinskys tone
  rows

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Listen to Stravinskys Fanfare

• Rhythm plays a large part in this, as you would
  expect of a fanfare
• There is very little sense of pulse, but with
  quick repeated notes, the piece sounds very
  exciting

Stravinsky by Picasso
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How a tone row works

• Prime Order (P) is the original note row
• The Prime Order of Stravinskys Fanfare is shown
  below

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• The row can be developed by turning it upside
  down. This is called an inverted order (I)
• To invert, start on the first note and move the
  same intervals, but in the opposite direction.

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• You can also play the row backwards. This is
  called a retrograde order (R).

• A retrograde inversion (RI) would be backwards,
  and upside down!

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Transposition

• You can also transpose the row any number of
  semitones up or down.
• The example below is RI6, the retrograde
  inversion transposed up six semitones.

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Verticalisation

• You can also have chords made from the notes of a
  tone row. This is called verticalisation.

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• Whilst we have been using a Stravinsky piece as
  an example, Stravinsky only used serial
  techniques in a few of his compositions.
• Two big disciples and pupils of Schoenberg
  also worked in Vienna.
• Anton Webern was Austrian, and a pupil of
  Schoenbergs.

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Webern Variations for piano op27

• Listen to the Webern Variations.
• Webern took Schoenbergs serial techniques very
  seriously and used them in most of his pieces.
• Weberns pieces were often very short more
  intense than his serial friends!
• See next slide for a picture of Webern.

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Anton Webern 1883-1945
http//www.wwnorton.com/enjoy/shorter/composers/we
bern.htm
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Canonic Structure

• Webern often used Canonic structure in his
  pieces.
• His canonic pieces were characterised by huge
  melodic leaps, intertwining melodies and much use
  of verticalisation.
• He also structured his piece by use of motives

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Other important characteristics of Weberns
Variations

• Monophonic texture
• Much use of different articulation marks and
  dynamics
• Similar to pointillist
• painting

Seurat Sunday afternoon on the island of La
Grande Jatte
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Alban Berg (1885-1935)

• Berg was another pupil of Schoenbergs
• Bergs brand of serialism was perhaps less strict
• His famous violin concerto is composed using
  serial techniques, but is much more Romantic
  sounding

http//www.karadar.net/Dictionary/berg.html
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Serialism in a nutshell

• Developed in the early 20th century by Arnold
  Schoenberg
• Based on a 12-note row which can be used in Prime
  order (P), inversion (I), retorgrade (R) or
  Retrograde Inversion (RI)

• Dont forget other techniques such as
  transposition and verticalisation
• Berg and Webern, and later Stravinsky, all used
  serial techniques in their work