Serialism

Serial music generally has other elements in addition to pitch determined by some serial
procedure. Milton Babbitt (b. 1916) was one leader in this technique. Sometimes called
Ultrarationality because many elements of music are rationalized.
 After WWII, most composers involved with electronic music also worked with serial
techniques
 Most serial composers began with Webern as point of departure; Webern was concerned
with serialization of pitch; now other elements of music would be explored, e.g. duration,
dynamics, timbres, type of attack, decay of sound
 Babbitt’s Three Compositions for Piano is an example
 Dynamics are serialized in correspondence with pitch; all statements of the prime
form of the row are marked mp; retrograde forms are mf; Inversions are f and
Retrograde inversions are p (“opposite” pitch forms use “opposite dynamics”)
 Rhythm/duration are also serialized in correspondence with pitch: rhythmic or
duration groups are set off by rests or long durations; all primes are 5-1-4-2; retro 2-4-
1-5; inv 1-5-2-4; RI 4-2-5-1
 Other serial explorations: Set Theory: refers to up to 12 note sets
 Hexachordal combinatoriality: where half of one row combines with half of
another to create 12 note set in different order;
 All-combinatorial: where combinatorial rows exist among all forms: with the
prime, at least one transposition, I, RI, and R are combinatorial