From Chords to Simultaneities: Chordal Indeterminancy and the Failure of Serialism
One of the momentous events in twentieth century music was the advent of atonality and serialism, and the consequent proliferation of such avant-garde genres as total serialism, electronic music, and aleatory music. This book examines serialism and its progeny, formulates criteria that are applicable both to serialism and to the traditional harmony from which it developed, and focuses on the failure of serialism to solve the problem of coherent harmonic progression. Rather than seeking to denounce serialism, the work attempts to restore a balance by questioning whether its esteem is justified.

In this work, Schoffman applies the criterion of the degree of indeterminacy of the chords to both traditional functional harmony and to serial and avant-garde music. Consequently, serialism and avant-garde music are placed in a historical perspective and evaluated in terms of their chordal behavior. The study is divided into four separate sections, examining the indeterminacy of progression, the indeterminacy of members of chords, chords in serial music, and destructive aspects of indeterminacy. Also included is an extensive list of musical examples, a guide to references, and a comprehensive index. With its correlations to literature, painting, and history, this volume will be an important addition to academic and public libraries, university music departments, and academies of music, as well as a valuable resource for courses in music theory and analysis, esthetics of music, and music history.

1132778231
From Chords to Simultaneities: Chordal Indeterminancy and the Failure of Serialism
One of the momentous events in twentieth century music was the advent of atonality and serialism, and the consequent proliferation of such avant-garde genres as total serialism, electronic music, and aleatory music. This book examines serialism and its progeny, formulates criteria that are applicable both to serialism and to the traditional harmony from which it developed, and focuses on the failure of serialism to solve the problem of coherent harmonic progression. Rather than seeking to denounce serialism, the work attempts to restore a balance by questioning whether its esteem is justified.

In this work, Schoffman applies the criterion of the degree of indeterminacy of the chords to both traditional functional harmony and to serial and avant-garde music. Consequently, serialism and avant-garde music are placed in a historical perspective and evaluated in terms of their chordal behavior. The study is divided into four separate sections, examining the indeterminacy of progression, the indeterminacy of members of chords, chords in serial music, and destructive aspects of indeterminacy. Also included is an extensive list of musical examples, a guide to references, and a comprehensive index. With its correlations to literature, painting, and history, this volume will be an important addition to academic and public libraries, university music departments, and academies of music, as well as a valuable resource for courses in music theory and analysis, esthetics of music, and music history.

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From Chords to Simultaneities: Chordal Indeterminancy and the Failure of Serialism

From Chords to Simultaneities: Chordal Indeterminancy and the Failure of Serialism

by Nachum Schoffman
From Chords to Simultaneities: Chordal Indeterminancy and the Failure of Serialism

From Chords to Simultaneities: Chordal Indeterminancy and the Failure of Serialism

by Nachum Schoffman

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Overview

One of the momentous events in twentieth century music was the advent of atonality and serialism, and the consequent proliferation of such avant-garde genres as total serialism, electronic music, and aleatory music. This book examines serialism and its progeny, formulates criteria that are applicable both to serialism and to the traditional harmony from which it developed, and focuses on the failure of serialism to solve the problem of coherent harmonic progression. Rather than seeking to denounce serialism, the work attempts to restore a balance by questioning whether its esteem is justified.

In this work, Schoffman applies the criterion of the degree of indeterminacy of the chords to both traditional functional harmony and to serial and avant-garde music. Consequently, serialism and avant-garde music are placed in a historical perspective and evaluated in terms of their chordal behavior. The study is divided into four separate sections, examining the indeterminacy of progression, the indeterminacy of members of chords, chords in serial music, and destructive aspects of indeterminacy. Also included is an extensive list of musical examples, a guide to references, and a comprehensive index. With its correlations to literature, painting, and history, this volume will be an important addition to academic and public libraries, university music departments, and academies of music, as well as a valuable resource for courses in music theory and analysis, esthetics of music, and music history.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780313266461
Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date: 04/20/1990
Series: Contributions to the Study of Music and Dance Series , #17
Pages: 184
Product dimensions: 6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile: 1200L (what's this?)

About the Author

NACHUM SCHOFFMAN attended the Juilliard School of Music, the University of London, and the Hebrew University, and is currently teaching at Ben-Gurion University, Beersheba, Israel. He is one of the founding members of Kibbutz Kisufim in Israel and has performed and lectured extensively in Israel, taught at the Hebrew University, and is the author of numerous analytical studies on the works of Ives, Bartok, and Schoenberg, as well as articles in the theory of harmony.

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction
Indeterminacy of Progression
Indeterminacy of Members of Chords
Chords in Serial Music
Destructive Aspects of Indeterminacy
References
Index

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