What is the 12-tone theory?

Twelve-tone technique—also known as dodecaphony, twelve-tone serialism, and (in British usage) twelve-note composition—is a method of musical composition devised by Austrian composer Arnold Schoenberg (1874–1951). All 12 notes are thus given more or less equal importance, and the music avoids being in a key.

What is a 12-tone scale?

Definition. The chromatic scale or twelve-tone scale is a musical scale with twelve pitches, each a semitone, also known as a half-step, above or below its adjacent pitches. As a result, in 12-tone equal temperament (the most common tuning in Western music), the chromatic scale covers all 12 of the available pitches.

When a 12 tone row is played backwards and upside down this is called?

The inversion form is the melodic inversion of the original, all intervals written upside down, all interval directions changed. The Retrograde inversion is created by writing all of the notes of the inversion in reverse order. One can use modulo 12 arithmetic to describe any form of a row.

What are the 12 notes?

In Western music, there are a total of twelve notes per octave, named A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G and G#. The sharp notes, or ‘accidentals’, fall on the black keys, while the regular or ‘natural’ notes fall on the white keys.

How do you make 12 tone rows?

Create a Twelve-Tone Melody With a Twelve-Tone Matrix

1. Introduction: Create a Twelve-Tone Melody With a Twelve-Tone Matrix.
2. Step 1: Write Numbers in the Top Row.
3. Step 2: Populate the First Column.
4. Step 3: Fill in the Second Row.
5. Step 4: Fill in the Remaining Rows.
6. Step 5: Translate the Numbers to Pitches.
7. Step 6: Write Music!

Which is the retrograde form of the twelve tone row?

This form of the row is called a Retrograde, or simply R: Twelve-Tone Technique Page 3 By Dan Román We can also flip the tone row as if we put a mirror right below it: the direction of the intervals is inverted so that, for example, an ascending minor third becomes a descending minor third.

How does a retrograde form of a row work?

A retrograde form of the row takes a prime form and exactly reverses the pitch classes. Its interval content, then, are the reverse of the prime forms. Retrograde forms are labeled R followed by a subscript denoting the last pitch class in the row.

When to use a twelve tone row in music?

There are some general rules for using a twelve-tone row, though as I said, individual approaches are always different: 1. Pitch classes are played in order; 2. Once a pitch class has been played, it isn’t repeated until the next row. A twelve-tone row might be used as a theme or as a source for motives.

How are inversions and retrogrades used in music?

This is a technique used in music, specifically in twelve-tone technique, where the inversion and retrograde techniques are performed on the same tone row successively, “[t]he inversion of the prime series in reverse order from last pitch to first.”.