Musical Hexagon Example - Atonality

Musical Example #1

String Quarter, Op. 28

                                                                  Anton Webern

Musical Example #6                                                                               Musical Example #2

Little House I Used to Live In                                                                 Pierrot Lunaire (First Part)

Frank Zappa                                                                                          Arnold Schoenberg

ATONALITY

 - music that lacks a tonal center

                                                                                                         

Musical Example #5                                                                               Musical Example #3

Octandre'                                                                                               Bagatelle sans tonalite

Edgar Varese                                                                                         Franz Liszt

Musical Example #4

Wozzeck, Act 1, Scene 1 (Opera)

Alban Berg

The reason this example was not handed out, is that Atonality is a 20^th century convention… making the rubric impossible to achieve.

A quick note about atonality, though –

As you listen to the examples, please be aware that it is NOT music by people who simply don’t care.  Truth be told, this is simply another link in musical evolution.  These composers saw the conventions of typical classical music, and threw them out the window, creating their own rules, conventions, and soundscapes to fit the reality they saw around them.

Examples 1 through 5 are complete examples of atonality.

Example number 6 is an example that last for the piano introduction, the first 1:41 of the piece.