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Structural Analysis Through Ordered Harmony Transformations in the Early Works of Arnold Schoenberg

Abstract Details

2010, Doctor of Musical Arts, Ohio State University, Music.

Arnold Schoenberg’s early period (1894 - 1907) is traditionally considered “Romantic” and discussed alongside late nineteenth century composers such as Hugo Wölf and Alexander Scriabin, despite its consistently challenging the limits of tonality. Because the music in Schoenberg’s second period (1908 - 1922) is generally described as “freely atonal,” a prelude to his dodecaphonic system, this first period is often discussed similarly as “atonal” or “pre-atonal.” As a consequence, a repertoire of early Schoenberg works slip through the analytic cracks for being “too chromatic” for nineteenth century analysts and “too tonal” for theorist of atonal and serial works.

Although music in his later period is indeed non-tonal, I believe Schoenberg’s early works to be an extension of chromatic tonality that is colored by the possibility of its becoming, not dependent upon it. This belief stems from the music in question’s many gestures that quite simply sound tonal but may not be functional (that is, a sonority may be aurally understood as a dominant seventh although it may not resolve in a manner proceeding by tonal expectations), as well as the abundance of triads that regularly permeate the music in this period.

This document proposes both a method by which Heinrich Schenker’s analytical system may be broadened to include organic atonal works as well as proposes a new system by which these works may be reduced to one of several possible tonal structures. The system presented herein is intended as a compositional tool by which a tonal structure may be composed-out by means of a variety of Ordered Harmony Transformations. By utilizing this system in reverse—as a tool for analysis rather than composition—the analyst is able to generate through reduction a harmonic paradigm that suggests a connection to a particular tonal structure as perceived by the listener. This system is open-ended so as to present infinitely many possible reductions of a single piece, a necessity in dealing with an individual’s particular aural perception which will likely vary depending upon the audience.

Thomas Wells (Committee Chair)
Gregory Proctor (Committee Member)
Jan Radzynski (Committee Member)
David Huron (Committee Member)
155 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Henson, B. R. (2010). Structural Analysis Through Ordered Harmony Transformations in the Early Works of Arnold Schoenberg [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1274721477

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Henson, Blake. Structural Analysis Through Ordered Harmony Transformations in the Early Works of Arnold Schoenberg. 2010. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1274721477.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Henson, Blake. "Structural Analysis Through Ordered Harmony Transformations in the Early Works of Arnold Schoenberg." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1274721477

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)