Theory of Music 424

Serialism I & II
According to an entry in the South African Dictionary of Music "Serialism (is a) compositional
procedure according to which the pitch structure of the music is governed by a series
consisting of a specific arrangement of the 12 tones of the scale; this procedure may also be
extended to the parameters of duration, dynamics and timbre."

Creation of twelve-tone rows

When we create a twelve-tone row, the first pitch class is indicated with the integer 0 and the
other pitch classes that follow with an integer that reflects the interval class between the first
tone and the particular consecutive pitch classes. For instance, if the first pitch class is A,
and the second E flat, the integers are 0 and 6 respectively.

Example 1

The first row that we create is referred to as 'Original', abbreviated by 'O'. Some literature
refers to this as the Prime series (P). This row can be transposed 11 times, creating 12
original type rows in all. When transposing row O – let’s take the above example as our
starting point - we can transpose this chromatically, i.e. one pitch class at a time, moving up
in half steps. In such case, starting with pitch class A, the first transposition will commence
on B flat; the second transposition on B etc. Now some people would number these rows –
the one starting on A, and then the one starting on B flat etc - as O1, O2, - O12 respectively.

But some theoreticians actually prefer to do the transposition of the series from the pitch
classes as they occur in the original row, and we shall soon see why. With reference to
Example 1, this means that our first transposition of row O will begin with pitch class E flat,
and the second transposition will start from B etc. Again it seems that there is no consensus
in terms of how the different transpositions should be labelled. On the one hand the row that
begins with pitch class A can be named O1, and the row that starts from E flat as O2.

On the other hand, there are music theory specialists who prefer numbering each row
according to the integer it starts with. So, in the above example the row starting on pitch
class A will be indicated as O0, and the second row starting on E flat (considered as the first
transposition) as O6.

In contrast to writing rows from left to right, we can also write them back to front, i.e. in
retrograde. Again there are 12 versions possible, that is to say R1-R12. The labelling of the
retrograde transpositions can be done in a similar way as with the O rows.
 2.

Example 2

In addition to the above-mentioned 24 versions of the row (12 x O and 12 x R), we can
create an inversion/mirror of it, indicated as I. Finally, we can write the I-row from back to
front, i.e. RI (or IR)

Example 3

If we transpose each of the I- and RI-rows 11 times a semitone up, this will offer another 24
rows. Therefore, in total, there are 48 rows (O, R, I and RI) that initially started as one row.
The same holds true for any 12-tone row we create.

From the aforesaid the impression is created that, for a composer, to create a row with all its
possibilities becomes a major undertaking in itself. We will now discuss the creation of a
matrix from which the various possibilities can be figured out.

We start by writing the pitch classes – refer to the square diagram, containing 48 squares,
below - in the top row, from left to right.
Just to remind you, this is the 1st version of O.
A-Eb-B-D-C-C#-Bb-E-F-F#-G-Ab

The next step is to figure out the Inversion of O, which we write on the square diagram
(matrix) in the first column from top to bottom.
To determine the pitch classes of I, we deduct the integer of each pitch class from 12.
The integers of O are:
0-6-2-5-3-4-1-7-8-9-10-11.
When these are deducted from 12, the next series of integers evolve:
0*-6-10-7-9-8-11-5-4-3-2-1 (*when the answer is 12, we use the integer 0, which refer to the
same pitch class as 12).

By referring to our chromatic scale (example 1), and the integers allocated to each pitch
class, we can now construe the pitch classes of I, writing them in the left column from top to
bottom:
A-Eb-G-E-F#-F-Ab-D-Db-C-B-Bb.
 3.

Twelve-tone matrix

O>
I
>

The next step is to work out the pitch classes of the second row of the matrix, the one that
commences with E flat. Seeing that the integer of E flat is 6 – put differently, the interval
class between A (the first tone) and the E flat is 6 – we now add 6 to each of the intergers of
O. When the total is 12 or more, we deduct 12 from it. In other words, 0+6 = 6; 6+6 = 0; 2+6
= 8; 5+6 = 11 etc.
The row of intergers we should arrive at is:
6-0-8-11-9-10-7-1*-2*-3*-4*-5* (*originally these intergers were 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17, that is
to say more than 12).
The next step is to translate the pitch classes from the integers:
Eb-A-F-Ab-F#-G-E-Bb-B-C-C#-D.
Likewise, the remaining 10 rows of pitch classes can be worked out.
The 3rd row of the matrix begin with G, integer 10. Hence we add 10 to each of the integers
of row O, and deduct 12 from the total when this is required to do so, etc., etc.

The beauty of this approach is that when the pitch classes of all the squares of the matrix
has been worked out – row by row, from top to bottom - we can now read all 48 versions of
the row from it, i.e. O from left to right, R from right to left, I from top to bottom, and RI from
bottom to top.
 4.

But how, one may ask, is music created with such a system of organisation?
To begin with, refer to the two rows below (Example 4). The first one is a row in its original
form (O), whilst the second one is a inversion (I) of O. We will now use these two rows to
illustrate some composition possibilities.

Example 4

Example 5
This is an example of twelve-tone two-part writing. The top voice consists of the pitch classes
from the O series; the bottom voice consists of the pitch classes of I series.

Example 6
Here the top voice (melody) originates from the I-row (series), whilst the accompaniment
stems from the O-row. But it is rather atypical of twleve-tone music to be so blatantly in an
archaic form such as a waltz. Also, the repetition of pitch class C in the bass is unusual.
 5.

Example 7
In this example one row, the pitch classes of O, is divided between the two voices in order to
make up a contrapuntal texture

Example 8
To illustrate how 4-part hamony can by created, we take our O-row and number the pitch
classes as they appear from 1-12. Please note that these numbers should not be confused
with the integers that indicate the different pitch classes.

The chords/harmony is created by arranging/rearranging the 12 pitch classes in different

configurations.

Characteristic rows
The first row (refer to example 9) contains only interval classes 1 and 3 in the first hexachord,
as well as in the second hexachord (sextad). The second group of 3 notes is an inversion of
the first group of three. The 2nd hexachord is an exact transposition of the first one, starting
on B flat which is an interval class 6 removed from the starting note, pitch class E. There it is
again!: the division of the octave in two exact halves. So, one could say that this row has
certain symmetrical qualities.

What is unique about the second row is that it contains one interval class of each type.
We call such a row/series an all-interval series.

The third example is the row upon which the composer Alban Berg based his violin concerto.
This row has tonal qualities: the first 3 notes form a G minor triad; notes 3, 4 and 5 form a D
major triad, i.e. the dominant of G minor. Notes 4, 5, and 6 is A minor, whereas 6, 7 and 8 is
its dominant, E major.

The last four notes are part of a whole tone scale. Also of interest is that the row seems to
hinge on the open strings of the violin, G-D-A and E.
 6.

Example 9

Permutations
Apart from the 48 versions of a row, i.e. 12 possibilities of each O, R, I and RI, additional
variations are possible by means of permutation. What is interesting about this approach is
that the first and last pitch class in the row are fixed.
How permutations are brought about will become clear in the examples below.
The most important condition a permutation should adhere to is that the change (variation)
from one row to the next must be carried out consistently.

The rest of this document contains further music examples, examples of how other
parameters can be serialised, and, finally, a discussion of Messiaen's Mode de Valeurs et
d'Intensités, which is a prime example of what transpires when total serialism is employed,
i.e. when all the parameters are organised according to serialist principles.
This will be dealt with under the heading Serialism Part II.

We shall discuss the aforesaid material, and what follows, during tutorials.