The Atonal Symphony
For many composers, elements of symphonic form, from the classical period to the end of the romantic era, have remained relatively static. While certain conventions, such as the substitution of a scherzo for a minuet and trio, have changed from time to time, the classical symphonic form is thought to have been used unchanged or in minute variation. However, the progressive twentieth century symphonist, who has espoused both traditional form and progressive harmonic and melodic ideas, has encountered an interesting problem, which begs the question of how to preserve a form largely based on harmonic movement (or 'progression' and 'development') or thematic contrast in a progressive harmonic idiom. This question is particularly pertinent with the use of sonata-allegro form, in which certain harmonic tendencies have been paramount and a particular balance of tension and release is usually preferred. Techniques such as continuous variations, ostinati, non - periodic melodies, and baroque rhythmic regularity, as well as new harmonic and other organizational practices such as pandiatonicism, free atonality, 12 - Tone method, klangfarbenmelodie, and numerous 'atonal' practices from impressionism to pointillism, can be viewed as a disrupti
Webern's symphony uses the 12 - tone compositional method in the organization of melodic and harmonic materials (Example 1). In this method, the distinction between harmony and melody is blurred. Because all notes are derived from the tone row, melodic lines are often converted to harmonic material, and visa versa. Webern often sounds many of the tones of a row at once and continues with the remaining material as a melodic line (Example 2). As Schonberg stated, "whatever sounds together (harmonies, chords, the result of part writing) plays its part in expression and presentation of the musical idea in just the same way as does all that sounds successively (motive, shape, phrase, sentence, melody, etc), and is equally subject to... comprehensibility. The main difference between harmony and melodic line is that harmony requires faster analysis, because the tones appear simultaneously, while in a melodic line more time is granted to synthesis, because the tones appear successively, thus becoming more readily graspable by the intellect." This way of thinking about harmonic materials allows a door to be opened to a new sort of symphony, as Webern shows in his opus 21 work. While we can no longer define areas by the key, into which they modulate, it is possible to define the areas by what is not quite thematic material and not quite harmonic material, but 'rows,' 'sets,' or 'cells.' The practice of free atonality and 12 - Tone method both require, by approximation or by methodical calculation, total chromaticism. Therefore, no harmonic progression, in the traditional sense, can exist. This creates problems in the abstract conception of sonata - allegro movements. In a form defined by tonal harmonic movement, how may atonality be used? This problem has led many composers of atonal music away from the symphonic genre. However, the form may also be viewed as a symmetrical build up and release of tension. Many composers of atonal music have used a broader conception of the sonata - allegro in their progressive symphonies. A similar problem with sonata - allegro form occurs when combined with pandiatonicism. Without functional harmony, no tension is achieved through tonal wandering. Thus the exposition tonic to dominant 'modulation' would be meaningless in this context. Furthermore, the development must rely on other techniques to build tension. Usually, both pandiatonic and atonal symphonies have used dense counterpoint and an increase in dissonance to build tension in development and homophony and more 'perfect' or 'modal' intervals to relieve it. Anton Webern uses a form in the first movement of his opus 21 symphony, which is an example of this progressive conception of the sonata allegro form. The pandiatonic and synthetic scale symphonies of Ellen Taaffe Zwilich and freely atonal 3rd and 4th Symphonies of Roger Sessions also exhibit examples of this approach. The second movement is much shorter than the first. It uses a rondo form. The cell, which constitutes the 'A' section of the movement is derived from the synthetic scale used for melodic material in the 1st movement theme. Other sections of this movement are based on material loosely associated with the original cell from the first movement, but of considerable contrast, so that the relationship is usually only visible (or audible) after studying the score. A percussion idea from the first movement recurs in this movement. The 3rd movement is played attaca after the 2nd movement. In length, the last two movements are approximately ten minutes, while the first movement is nine. Zwilich commented that the second two movements were intended to 'balance the first movement in weight and proportion.' The third movement is an amorphous section based, like almost all of the material, on the original 'cell' (Example 6). The development in the 3rd movement, as can also be seen in the development of the 3rd movement in her 1st symphony, is based primarily on variations in t
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Approximate Pages = 21 (250 words per page double spaced)
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