Written by Arnold Schoenberg in 1967. Outlines the process of composing in a systemic way from the smallest to the largest form.
Schoenberg’s approach, both in terms of harmony and development, was very influential in 20th-century music. Inventor of 12-tone technique, a means of order that would make his musical texture simpler and clearer.
(unless otherwise noted, all quotes in this section are from Fundamentals of Music Composition)
Take or apply as much of these definitions as you see fitting, but they can provide a useful lens through which to view organization and development of a piece of music.
…form means that a piece is organized; i.e. that it consists of elements functioning like those of a living organism.
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The chief requirement for the creation of a comprehensible form are logic and coherence. The presentation development and interconnection of ideas must be based on relationship. Ideas must be differentiated according to their importance and function.
Phrase is the smallest structural unit. A musical molecule consisting of multiple musical events “possessing a certain completeness and well adapted to combination with other musical events”.
The term phrase means, structurally, a unit approximating to what one could sing in a single breath.
… the motif should produce unity, relationship, coherence, logic, comprehensibility and fluency.
This is your main “point”. Your idea that you want to explore. The thing you will permute, vary, dichotomize, compare, etc.
The use of the motive requires variation… But changing every feature produces something foreign, incoherent, illogical.
What constitutes a motive? What is the role of repetition vs variation?
The initial motif of the symphony has sometimes been credited with symbolic significance as a representation of Fate knocking at the door.
A complete musical idea… These structures usually appear in Classical music as part of larger forms (e.g. as A in the ABA form).
in many classical examples one finds a relationship between first and second phrase similar to that of dux (tonic form) and comes (dominant form) in the fugue. This kind of repetition, through its slightly contrasting formulation, provides variety in unity.
Purple Rain Intro - Same melody over different chords
You’ll hear these kinds of relationships everywhere.
Variety needs no justification. It is merit in itself.
Smaller parts may be expanded by means of internal repetitions, sequences, extensions, liquidations, and broadening of connectives… Larger forms develop through the generating power of contrasts. There are innumerable kinds of contrast; the larger the piece the more types of contrast should be present to illuminate the main idea.