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BETWEEN TONALITY AND ATONALITY: STRUCTURAL POLARITIES IN ARNOLD SCHÖNBERG’S OP. 19, NO. 4
Abstract
ABSTRACT
This paper examines Arnold Schönberg’s Sechs Klavierstücke, Op. 19, No. 4 (1911) as an important example of the fluid interplay between tradition and innovation in Schönberg’s oeuvre.
While written in a free atonal framework, the piece retains strong ties to tonal conventions through phrase structures, rhetorical gestures, and rhythmic punctuations. In this scope the analysis proposes a multifaceted approach that combines set-theoretical methods with tonality guided perspectives, discussing its formal structure and tension-resolution relationships in regard to pitch structure. The possibility of multiple readings of macroform highlights Schönberg’s critique of schematic formalism and underscores his insistence on expressive necessity in composing music. On the micro-level, pitch-class sets and intervallic structures reveal a dynamic interplay between two Whole-Tone collections (WT0-WT1), whose juxtaposition generates a pseudo-tension-resolution relationships, which function as the deeper structural engine of the piece. This dual emphasis on continuity and rupture exemplifies Schönberg’s progressive rethinking of form and tonality.
Keywords
Supporting Institution
Yaşar University
Project Number
1
Ethical Statement
I hereby declare that this study is an original work; that I have conducted all stages of the study—including preparation, data collection, analysis, and presentation of information—in accordance with the principles and rules of scientific ethics; that I have cited all data and information obtained within the scope of this study and listed these sources in the references; that no alterations were made to the data used; and that I have complied with ethical duties and responsibilities by accepting all terms and conditions of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). I further declare that no experiments on animals or interviews with humans were conducted in this study. I acknowledge that, should any violation of this declaration be detected at any time, I accept all resulting moral and legal consequences.
As the corresponding author, I declare that, based on the above statement, the mentioned article does not require Ethics Committee approval. I also declare that Yegah Musicology Journal will not be responsible for any legal consequences that may arise, and that full legal responsibility lies with me.
20. 10. 2025
Füsun Köksal İncirlioğlu
References
- Baroni, M. (2003). The macroform in post-tonal music: Listening and analysis. Musicae Scientiae, 7(2), 226.
- Born, G., & Hesmondhalgh, D. (2000). Introduction: On difference, representation, and appropriation in music. In G. Born & D. Hesmondhalgh (Eds.), Western music and its others (pp. 1–58). University of California Press.
- Caplin, W. E. (2013). Analyzing classical form (p. 105). Oxford University Press.
- Dunsby, J. (2007). Thematic and motivic analysis. In T. Christensen (Ed.), The Cambridge history of Western music theory (p. 912). Cambridge University Press.
- Forte, A. (1973). The structure of atonal music. Yale University Press.
- Hyer, B. (2007). Tonality. In T. Christensen (Ed.), The Cambridge History of Western Music Theory (pp. 726-728). Cambridge University Press.
- Rougnon, P. (1925). Principes De La Musique. In Encyclopèdie de la Musique et Dictionnaire du Conservatoire (1st ed., Vol.2, 183-363). Paris: Librairie Delagrave.
- Salzman, E. (1974). Twentieth-century music: An introduction. Prentice-Hall.
Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Theories of Music
Journal Section
Research Article
Authors
Early Pub Date
November 18, 2025
Publication Date
December 31, 2025
Submission Date
September 30, 2025
Acceptance Date
November 9, 2025
Published in Issue
Year 1970 Volume: 8 Number: 4