The Musical Idea and the Logic, Technique, and Art of Its Presentation, New Paperback English Edition

The Gedanke manuscripts, from which The Musical Idea is compiled, are legendary writings of Arnold Schoenberg. Central to his concern was his concept of the "musical idea," which represents the wholeness of the musical work and embraces Schoenberg's notions of motive, gestalt, phrase, theme, rhythm, harmony, and form. Ultimately, the musical idea is the vision of the composer by which a musical work achieves unity in relation to the means by which the work is comprehended in its unity by the listener.

"This book is easy to read because there is no analysis without aim, no theoretical viewing without connections to genuine musical aspects." --Eike Fe, Besprechungen, April 2007 Indiana University Press Indiana University Press

"... [this book] is the single best volume extant if one wishes to learn about the technical conception of music held by one of the greatest composers (and greatest music educators) of modern times." --MLA Notes

Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951) is one of the most prominent figures in 20th-century music and musical thought, perhaps best known for his development of Twelve Tone theory.

Patricia Carpenter (1923-2000) was Professor Emerita, Barnard College, and former Vice President of the Society for Music Theory.

Severine Neff is currently Eugene Falk Distinguished Professor in the Department of Music at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Contents

Foreword (2006) by Walter Frisch

List of Abbreviations of Cited Sources

Editors' Preface

Acknowledgments

Commentary

Schoenberg's View of Art

Schoenberg's Preface

The Musical Idea

Comprehensibility and Coherence

Theory of Form

The Constructive Function of Harmony

Conclusion

The Musical Idea and the Logic, Technique, and Art of Its Presentation

Preface and Overview

Preface

Title Page

Principles of the Presentation of the Idea

Plan of the Book

The Profundity of the Idea and Its Realization as a Standard

The Musical Idea and the Logic, Technique, and Art of Its Presentation

Idea (1 and 2)

The Idea in the Contrapuntal Art of Composition and Its Presentation

Principles of Construction

Comprehensibility

Laws of Comprehensibility

Coherence

The Laws of Musical Coherence

Elements of Form

The Parts of a Piece

Part

Elements of Form

Phrase

Gestalt

Grundgestalt and Motive

The Difference Between Gestalt and Phrase

Features of the Motive

Statement

Stable Formation

Loose Formation

Theme

Melody

Sonority as a Formative Element

Rhythm

Rhythm

Classification of Rhythms

Accentuation and Nonaccentuation

Formal Procedures

[Formal Procedures]

Articulation

Change, Variation, Variant, Varying

Kinds of Variation

Coherence of "New Components"

Mirror Forms

Close

Cadencing

Cadential Fall

Kinds of Connection

Technique of Joining

Condensation

Dissolution, Liquidation

Tendency of the Smallest Notes

The Structural Capacities of the Scale

Wave-Shaped Progression

Contrasts (Contrasting Themes)

Digression from the Main Idea

Principal Idea, Subsidiary Idea

Subordinate Theme

Secondary, Tertiary, etc. Gestalten and Motives

The Shaping of Principal and Subordinate (Accompanying) Voices

Development Section

Sequences

Intensification

Does Repetition Have an Intensifying Effect?

Voice (Independent)

Introduction (1 and 2)

Preparation

Extramusical Means of Coherence

Fantasy

Description of All Forms

Miscellaneous

Performance and Gestalt

The Sense of Rit. and Accel.

Relaxation

Symmetry

Origin of Repetitions

Primitive Principles

Popular Music and Melody

Harmony

The Constructive Function of Harmony

Addendum

Keywords Still to Be Indexed

Keywords

Concordance of Terms

Appendix 1 Descriptions of the Gedanke Manuscripts

Appendix 2 Contents of Manuscript No. 10, Listed in Their Original Order

Appendix 3 German Texts of Unpublished Gedanke Manuscripts Referred to in the Commentary

Notes

Bibliography

Index of Musical Examples

Name Index

Subject Index