Edition: Paperback Book

FOREWORD:

This book is intended to give the student of modern music a basic understanding of twelve-tone techniques. Twelve-tone writing is the most important compositional development of the 20th century. This alone is sufficient reason for gaining an understanding of it.

Furthermore, it is a valuable method of music writing for those interested in motion picture, TV, radio, and other areas of dramatic background writing, as well as modern composition generally. It has not filtered down to popular song writing, (at least, not yet) but atonal jazz is with us, and the average listener is much more prepared to accept music which is less "key-oriented" than he was.

This book examines the fundamental processes of atonal music writing. It does not purport to survey all of the possibilities. Nevertheless the student who achieves a knowledge of the processes outlined in this book will, with a little imagination, be able to see further implications and techniques.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Chapter I - THE ROW (OR "SERIES")
Chapter 2 - ROW DERIVATIVES
Chapter 3 - MELODY WRITING
Chapter 4 - TILE CONTRAPUNTAL USE OF TILE ROW
Chapter 5 - THE HARMONIC USE OF TILE ROW
INDEX