MUTH 378 - Arnold Schoenberg and Composing with 12 Tones

Second Semester. The seminar will examine a number of scores by Schoenberg from his twelve-tone period, with particular emphasis on the Wind Quintet and the Violin Concerto, along with examinations of the two later string quartets, the Piano Concerto, and the Variations for Orchestra. Readings will be assigned from the theoretical literature, including work by Peles, Samet, Babbitt, Mead and Lewin. Among questions to be looked at are: How do we go about understanding this music as heard? How does this music relate to earlier practices? What does it teach us about earlier compositions? and What have other composers made of Schoenberg’s “method for composing with twelve tones related only one to another”?

Prerequisites & Notes
Prerequisite: MUTH 232
Enrollment Limit: 20
Consent of the instructor is required.
Mr. Mead

Credits: 3