Music 3812
Study Guide #21
Atonality, Serialism, and Recent Developments in Twentieth-Century Europe

Assignment: Grout and Palisca, Chapter 21
            Read: 732-745
            Skim: 745-748
            Read: 748-757

Study Questions:

1. How did Schoenberg’s style change during his second period?--p. 732-733

2. What is atonality? How did it develop from Wagnerian chromaticism?--p. 733

3. What is Sprechstimme?--p. 734 (and NAWM 138)*

4. What is Expressionism? How does it differ from or contrast with Impression-
      ism?--p. 734-736**

5. What is the twelve-tone (dodecaphonic or serial) technique? How does it work?
      How are rows manipulated to create new row forms?--p. 736-737***

6. How does Berg adapt and personalize the style of Schoenberg? How does he
      organize Wozzeck structurally? What singing styles does he use?--p. 739-740
      (and NAWM 140)

7. How does the style of Webern differ from that of Schoenberg and, especially,
      Berg? What constructive devices does he employ? Be able to describe his tex-
      ture and his instrumentation--p. 741-744

8. What is the significance of the Darmstadt group? Who were the two most im-
      portant members of the group?--p. 744

9. What is "total serialism"?--p. 744-745

10. What new instrumental sounds are to be found in the new music?--p. 748****

11. What is musique concrète? What were the consequences of the development of
      electronic music and other advances in technology?--p. 748-750

12. How did the employment of pitch evolve as a continuum in the new music? How
      do Penderecki and Ligeti employ pitch in their works?--p. 750-753

13. What is "indeterminacy"? What contributions to this field have been made by
      Stockhausen and Lutoslawksi? What significant consequence of indeterminacy
      affects performance?--p. 753-757

 *Class discussion will clarify this point further. It involves not only approximation of pitch but also the
      avoidance of sustained pitch. In other words, the pitch drops or decays as in speech, especially on long
      notes.

**This will also be explained in more detail in class. Note that, just as not all of Debussy’s works are good
      examples of Impressionism, so not all works of the Schoenberg school are good representatives of Ex-
      pressionism. In particular later works, especially those of Webern, are devoid of emotion and hence not
      Expressionistic.

***Note that this is a technique, not a style, so it can be used with styles other than those of the Schoen-
      berg school. For example, Stravinsky employs serial technique in his late works and still sounds very
      much like Stravinsky. Also, while this technique is closely compatible with atonality (since it treats
      all twelve tones equally), it may also be used in music that is clearly tonal.

****Note in particular the increasing importance of percussion instruments.