Publisher's Synopsis
When Arnold Schoenberg revealed his new method of twelve-tone composition it was considered a revolutionary idea, and it has proved to be one of the most influential ideas in the history of music which even Stravinsky, his former rival, adopted in his works during the 1950s.;Drawing upon Schoenberg's papers, sketches and manuscripts as well as the published scores, this book traces the development of his twelve-tone serial idea from its rudimentary beginnings in 1914 to the highly refined works of his mature twelve-tone period, discussing its evolution and Schoenberg's refinement of the technique.;In this book the author reveals that Schoenberg, with merciless self-criticism, sought ways to transform his idea until it embraced the motives, phrases, harmony, melody, metre, developing variation and form of his music.
