twelve-tone system
- noun
- /ˈtwɛlvˌtoʊn ˈsɪstəm/
- Specialized
:
sistema de doce tonos
- Many twentieth-century composers experimented with the twelve-tone system to break free from traditional tonality.
Examples
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The twelve-tone system was pioneered by composer Arnold Schoenberg in the 1920s.
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The twelve-tone system revolutionized modern music.
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Learning the twelve-tone system can be challenging for students accustomed to tonal harmonies.
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Many composers use the twelve-tone system today.
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Many twentieth-century composers experimented with the twelve-tone system to break free from traditional tonality.
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Learning the twelve-tone system can be challenging for students accustomed to tonal harmonies.
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The twelve-tone system was pioneered by composer Arnold Schoenberg in the 1920s.
Synonyms
A way of writing music that uses all twelve notes in a fixed order
A way of writing music that uses the twelve notes in a set order
Surface Forms
Morphology
twelve-tone + system
The phrase is compositionally analyzable: 'twelve-tone' = involving twelve tones and 'system' = a method or procedure, so a learner who knows 'twelve', 'tone' and 'system' can infer it refers to a method based on twelve tones. Although detailed technical aspects (tone rows, inversion, serial technique) are specialist knowledge, the central idea is directly derivable from the constituents.
Etymology
Twelve-tone system comes from composer Arnold Schoenberg in the 1920s. He made a rule to use all twelve different tones in one fixed order called a 'tone row', so no single note is more important, and that's why it means a method of writing music where all notes are treated equally.
