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BAIN MUSC 725
Contemporary Styles II

Prime Row Composition

Please be sure to clearly number each assignment and exercise.


Assignments: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Project 1

No.DescriptionDue Date
2.
  1. Compose a 12-tone row which could form the basis for a full-length serial composition.
    Try to use serial principles associated with Schoenberg, Berg, Webern, Babbitt or Boulez to construct your aggregate (see Fig. 1).
    Typed (1-2 pages):
  2. Note important structural features of the row.
  3. Which of the 48 row forms would you employ above the others and why?
  4. What compositional techniques, associated specifically with the serialists, might you employ and why?
  5. What instrumentation and form might a full-length composition based on your row take?

Fig. 1: Compositional techniques associated with a variety of composers. Specific works are in parentheses.
ComposerCompositional Technique (Work)
Schoenberglyrical melody vs. accompaniment (String Quartet No. 4), hexachordal combinatoriality (Variations for Orchestra, Op. 31), sonata form (Piano Piece, op. 33a)
Bergtonal reference (Violin Concerto), use of 2 distinct prime rows (Lyric Suite)
Webernpalindromic symmetry (Symphony, Op. 21), fixed registration & registral symmetry about a single pitch (Variations for Piano, Op. 27; Symphony, Op. 21), row form overlap (String Quartet, Op. 28), serial use of articulation or dynamics (Variations for Piano, Op. 27), binary form (Variations for Piano, Op. 27), color canon (Symphony, Op. 21)
Babbittserialized control of dynamics, rhythm and pitch (Three Compositions for Piano)
Boulezintegral serialism (Structures)
Friday, January 28

Updated: January 24, 2000