twelve-tone row

In music, a tone row or note row (German: Reihe or Tonreihe), also series or set, is a non-repetitive ordering of a set of pitch-classes, typically of the twelve notes in musical set theory of the chromatic scale, though both larger and smaller sets are sometimes found.

The twelve-tone technique is a style of musical composition that organizes all twelve notes of the chromatic scale into a series called a tone row.

tone row in American English noun. Music. a series of tones in which no tone is duplicated, and in which the tones generally recur in fixed sequence, with variations in rhythm and pitch, throughout a composition. Also called: note row, twelve-tone row.

The pitch material of a strict 12-tone work is entirely (or nearly entirely) derived from a single 12-tone row. A row is an ordered set of the twelve pitch classes of the chromatic scale. Each of the 12 will appear exactly once, and order is paramount.

In classical music and Western music in general, the most common tuning system since the 18th century has been 12 equal temperament (also known as 12-tone equal temperament, 12-TET or 12-ET, informally abbreviated as 12 equal), which divides the octave into 12 parts, all of which are equal on a logarithmic scale, with ...

composer Arnold Schoenberg The Austrian-born composer Arnold Schoenberg is credited with the invention of this technique, although other composers (e.g., the American composer Charles Ives and the Austrian Josef Hauer) anticipated Schoenberg's invention by writing music that in a few respects was similar technically to his 12-tone music.

How to Write a 12-Tone Composition

1. Begin with a 12x12 grid. Label your grid as in the example below:
2. Next, arrange the 12 chromatic pitches in any order you like.
3. Next, calculate the inversion of your row.
4. Fill in your grid by transposing your 12-tone row into each key listed down the left column of the grid.

How to Write a 12-Tone Composition

1. Begin with a 12x12 grid. Label your grid as in the example below:
2. Next, arrange the 12 chromatic pitches in any order you like.
3. Next, calculate the inversion of your row.
4. Fill in your grid by transposing your 12-tone row into each key listed down the left column of the grid.

Twelve-tone composition requires the use of each of the twelve notes without repetition until each note has been played once. After each note has been played once, the next twelve notes must follow the same rules. This continues until the end of the piece. A unique row is a unique permutation of the twelve notes.

The Austrian-born composer Arnold Schoenberg is credited with the invention of this technique, although other composers (e.g., the American composer Charles Ives and the Austrian Josef Hauer) anticipated Schoenberg's invention by writing music that in a few respects was similar technically to his 12-tone music.

One tool analysts create to analyze a twelve-tone composition is a twelve-tone matrix, which shows all 48 row forms in a 12-by-12 grid. Below is a matrix for the row we've been dealing with in this chapter. 🔗

Twelve-tone composition requires the use of each of the twelve notes without repetition until each note has been played once. After each note has been played once, the next twelve notes must follow the same rules. This continues until the end of the piece. A unique row is a unique permutation of the twelve notes.