Serialism

[Maciek]

OK, guys. Time to stop derailing this thread. If the boss notices, he might fire me... 0:)

Quick, say something about serialism to distract his attention!

[Maciek]

OK, I'll do it myself then (in keeping with the newly established tradition ):

Something about serialism to distract his attention!

[Maciek]

Wheeeee! That was fun!

And funny too! You're such a funny guy, Maciek!

[Maciek]

Quick, quick! Bring in the strait-jacket!!!

[jochanaan]

Pardon my ignorance, but what are the tonal rows exactly?

The question deserves an answer; we often forget that not everyone here knows exactly what some of us are talking about.

A tone row, or series, is a sequence of notes developed by a composer and used as a basis for a composition.  Most often it uses all twelve possible notes of the chromatic scale--thus, "twelve-tone row"--but it can also use any lesser number of notes.  (Well, I suppose a one-note row would be boring in the extreme! )  You can play them as they're written; backward or "retrograde;" upside-down or "inverted;" or backward AND upside down, "retrograde inversion;" or you can use any of twelve possible transpositions--but in strict serialism, you always use some permutation of the original row.  (Note that in this form of serialization, rhythmic and dynamic values are not specified, giving considerable freedom.  Total serialism, in which rhythms, dynamics, and every other aspect of the music is governed by a row, is a later development.)

Arnold Schoenberg, one of the most far-seeing musicians of all time, developed this system in response to the earlier "free atonality," which he also developed.  He saw that it was not enough to do away with the previous system of tonality; that music needed some kind of order other than pure instinct.  (It wasn't because he didn't have good musical instincts either!  Pierrot Lunaire and the Five Orchestral Pieces should put that idea to rest. )

[Danny]

The question deserves an answer; we often forget that not everyone here knows exactly what some of us are talking about.

A tone row, or series, is a sequence of notes developed by a composer and used as a basis for a composition.  Most often it uses all twelve possible notes of the chromatic scale--thus, "twelve-tone row"--but it can also use any lesser number of notes.  (Well, I suppose a one-note row would be boring in the extreme! )  You can play them as they're written; backward or "retrograde;" upside-down or "inverted;" or backward AND upside down, "retrograde inversion;" or you can use any of twelve possible transpositions--but in strict serialism, you always use some permutation of the original row.  (Note that in this form of serialization, rhythmic and dynamic values are not specified, giving considerable freedom.  Total serialism, in which rhythms, dynamics, and every other aspect of the music is governed by a row, is a later development.)

Arnold Schoenberg, one of the most far-seeing musicians of all time, developed this system in response to the earlier "free atonality," which he also developed.  He saw that it was not enough to do away with the previous system of tonality; that music needed some kind of order other than pure instinct.  (It wasn't because he didn't have good musical instincts either!  Pierrot Lunaire and the Five Orchestral Pieces should put that idea to rest. )

Hey, thanks! 

I'm just an English major who loves reading literature and/or theology.  I keep meaning to learn the technical stuff, but when you already have tons of books you keep meaning to read........................well, that's why I asked here!

Btw, a very lucid explanation it is, jochanaan!

[karlhenning]

Yes, Danny, that's our jochanaan!

[greg]

Quick, quick! Bring in the strait-jacket!!!

ha, at least you made ME laugh 

[greg]

(Well, I suppose a one-note row would be boring in the extreme! ) 

That must explain why Scelsi is such a boring composer.....

now that I think about it, I never knew he was a serial composer- but all this time, I was ignoring the simple truth that he just uses one-note rows all the time 

[karlhenning]

(Well, I suppose a one-note row would be boring in the extreme! )

Well, the challenge is for the composer to make nimble use of the transposition operation 

[Maciek]

ha, at least you made ME laugh 

Thanks, it felt lonely for a while.

Here, at the top of comedy world...

[greg]

Thanks, it felt lonely for a while.

Here, at the top of comedy world...

lol! stop it, you're about to give me a heart attack, i'm too young to die!!!! 

[Maciek]

 0:): Stop derailing the thread this very instant! It brings chaos to the harmonious world of GMG!

: Aw, don't listen to him! It's all in good fun. That's what internet forums are for, isn't it?

0:): Remember you're a Mod! You are responsible for GMG's wellbeing!

ME: What am I to do? Oh, the temptation is so strong...! After all, I am the king of internet forum stand up comedy... I don't think I can resist... If only there was some other, third way...

lol!

Thanks, Greg. You can't even imagine what this means to me. For a minute there I felt like a one-tone row.

(There. We're back on topic. )

[George]

Quick, quick! Bring in the strait-jacket!!!

I guess mods need two...

[greg]

Thanks, Greg. You can't even imagine what this means to me. For a minute there I felt like a one-tone row.

(There. We're back on topic. )

we're all one-tone rows in the game of life 

[karlhenning]

So close, Greg!

You meant, We're all one-tone rows in the magic square of life  0:)

[Steve]

Now, where O where has this little thread gone? 

[greg]

So close, Greg!

You meant, We're all one-tone rows in the magic square of life  0:)

more like magic dodecagon.......



did you know that ancient Antarctican artists started dodecagony and used dodecagon rows?
but they were eventually suppressed by the octagonists and then the triangulists, Antarctica had a bloody history, you don't even wanna know 

[Maciek]

OK, here's a question: How are Panufnik's three-tone "cells" related to serialism (e.g. three-tone rows)? Are they in any way?

[Maciek]

Link (unrelated to the Panufnik question above).