12säveljärjestelmä

The 12-tone system, also known as dodecaphony or twelve-tone technique, is a compositional method developed by Austrian composer Arnold Schoenberg in the early 1920s. It is a systematic way of organizing atonal music, ensuring that no single pitch dominates over others. The fundamental principle of the 12-tone system is the use of a tone row, also called a set or series. This row consists of all twelve pitches of the chromatic scale in a specific order, and each pitch must be used exactly once before any pitch is repeated.

The tone row serves as the basic material for a composition. It can be presented in its original form, known as the prime. From the prime row, four other permutations can be derived: the retrograde (the row played backward), the inversion (the intervals between pitches are inverted), and the retrograde-inversion (the retrograde of the inversion). These four forms can also be transposed to start on any of the twelve chromatic pitches, creating a total of 48 possible row forms. Composers use these row forms to create melodies, harmonies, and overall structure within their pieces. The strict adherence to the tone row aims to achieve a form of musical democracy, where all pitches are treated equally, thus avoiding the tonal hierarchies inherent in traditional Western music. While initially associated with Schoenberg and his pupils Alban Berg and Anton Webern, the 12-tone system influenced many composers throughout the 20th century and beyond, becoming a significant technique in modern classical music.