Heinrich Schenker

Full biography Heinrich Schenker

Heinrich Schenker (1868-1935) was an Austrian composer, music theorist, and critic who made valuable contributions to the field of music. Schenker is most well known for his work developing a theory of tonal music that emphasized the fundamental structure of compositions and their underlying harmonic progressions.

Although Schenker trained as a composer, he turned more toward theoretical and critical analysis after failing to gain recognition in the composition field. He wrote extensively on music theory and analysis, and developed a unique approach that emphasized the concept of "Urlinie," or "fundamental line," in which he examined the underlying melodic and harmonic structure of tonal music.

Schenker's theories have been both highly influential and highly criticized in the world of music scholarship. Some scholars have argued that Schenker's focus on tonal music excludes important contributions from non-Western traditions, while others point to his virulent racism and anti-Semitism as reasons to re-examine his work today.

Despite these criticisms, Schenker's work remains relevant to the fields of music theory and composition. His ideas about tonal structure and fundamental harmonic progression have influenced generations of music scholars and performers, and are still studied and debated by scholars today.