dodecaphony

Dodecaphony, or twelve-tone technique, is a method of musical composition in which the twelve pitch classes of the chromatic scale are organized into a fixed sequence called a tone row. The row governs melodic and harmonic material, and traditional tonal centers are avoided by using the row as the primary source of pitch material. After the row is established, it may be used in various transformations to generate music while preserving the row’s identity: the most common are transposition, inversion, retrograde, and retrograde-inversion.

Origin and development: The technique was devised by Arnold Schoenberg in the early 1920s as a means to structure atonal music. It became a hallmark of the Second Viennese School, and was advanced by composers such as Alban Berg and Anton Webern and later by others in the serialist tradition.

Mechanics and analysis: A tone-row matrix is often used to organize all related forms—transpositions, inversions, and retrogrades. Some rows permit combinatoriality, notably hexachordal combinatoriality, enabling certain half-row segments to pair with a transposed version to form complete aggregates. Derived rows and selective use of forms provide variety within a fixed structural framework.

Impact and reception: Dodecaphony marked a shift toward non-tonal, rigorously organized music in the 20th century. It influenced many composers and styles, though it has also faced criticism for perceived rigidity. Today, twelve-tone procedures remain central in studies of serialism and modernist composition.