Atonal Music definition of Atonal Music in the Free Online Encyclopedia.

Atonal Music

a concept pertaining to music that does not have a tonal organization of sounds.

Atonal music arose at the beginning of the 1900’s and was connected with the work of a new Viennese school (A. Schönberg, A. Berg, and A. Webern). The basic characteristic of atonal music is the absence of a unifying correlation between tones and the main center of a key, the tonic; this results in amorphousness of musical discourse, disintegration of the structural functions of harmony, dissonance, and so forth. The lack of tonal and harmonic centers makes it extremely difficult to understand the music, although various major composers have at times created impressive atonal works. Particularly sharp, expressive timbre and rhythm, intense theatrical situations, and poetic texts are used in the monodrama Erwartung (1909) and the suite Pierrot Lunaire (1912) by Schönberg, the opera Wozzeck by Berg (1921), and other works.

In 1922, Schönberg devised a method of composition “with twelve tones which are related only to one another” (this was later called dodecaphony); its purpose was to introduce strict order into the anarchy of atonal music. Atonal music is the basis of many systems of composition that have entered the arsenal of avant-gardism. The aesthetic principles of atonal music are closely related to expressionism. The method, devices, and elements of atonal music are found among composers of different schools (C. Ivés, B. Britten, B. Bartók, A. Honegger, and others).

REFERENCES

Druskin, M. “Puti razvitiia sovremennoi zarubezhnoi muzyki.” In the collection Voprosy sovremennoi muzyki. Leningrad, 1963.
Shneerson, G. O muzyke zhivoi i mertvoi. Moscow, 1964.
Mazel’, L. “O putiakh razvitiia iazyka sovremennoi muzyki.” Sovetskaia muzyka, 1965, nos. 6, 7, 8.
Berg, A. “What Is Atonality?” In N. Slonimsky, Music Since 1900. New York, 1949.
Schönberg, A. Style and Idea. New York, 1958.
Rognoni, L. Espressionismo e dodecafonia. Turin, 1954. (Bibliography, pp. 355–95.)
Reti, R. Tonality, Atonality, Pantonality. London, 1958.
Perle, G. Serial Composition and Atonality. Berkeley-Los Angeles, 1962.
Austin, W. Music in the 20th Century. New York, 1966. (Bibliography, pp. 552–662.)

G. M. SHNEERSON

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No references found	You will need a dark room or dark outdoors, candles, firewood (if applicable), flashlights, atonal music, and a really low voice. How to Tell Good Ghost Stories by Benedict Smythe / Fashion, accessories and textiles community The Quebec Symphony Orchestra was in great form under the attentive and assured direction of Jacques Lacombe, who highlighted every detail of Bartok's rich score and brought clear-cut counterpoint to the atonal music of Erwartung. Bluebeard's Castle/Erwartung by Desmeules, Raynald / Opera Canada Ross in 2007, describing his book, The Rest Is Noise, as follows : The culmination of 10 years’ worth of work, Noise is a rereading of the conventional wisdom about 20th-century classical music: that avant-garde, atonal music was the important music of the century and that in some ways all modern classical music is derived from it. Alex Ross, Genius by Matt Haber / The New York Observer	atomic theory atomic time atomic underground burst atomic underwater burst atomic unexcited state atomic units atomic vibration atomic volume atomic weapon atomic weight atomic-beam frequency standard atomic-beam resonance atomicity Atomism atomization Atomizdat atomizer atomizer burner atomizer mill atomizing humidifier atomizing-type humidifier Atomnaia Energiia atoms-in-molecules method Aton atonal Atonal Music atonality atonement Atonement, Day of atony atopic allergy atopic dermatitis atopite atopy Atos Fava ATP ATP synthase ATPase ATR ATR tube ATRAC ATRAC3 Atractidae Atragene atran Atrash, Al- Atrato atrazine Atre, Prahlad Keshav Atrek atresia	Atomnaia Energiia Atomology Atomos Atomos Atomos Atomoxetine Atomoxetine HCl Atomoxetine hydrochloride ATOMQ Atomredmetzoloto Atoms Atoms Atoms Atoms Atoms for Peace Atoms in Molecules Method Atoms Per Formula Unit atoms-in-molecules method Atomsicherer Unterstand ATOMSW Atomsymbol Atomsymbol atomy Aton Aton Aton atonable atonable atonal atonal Atonal Music atonalism atonalism atonalist atonalist atonalistic atonalists atonalists atonalities atonalities atonality atonality atonally atonally Atonaltzin Atonaltzin Atonamaton Atonamaton atone atone atone atone for atone for atoneable atoneable atoned atoned atonement atonement atonement Atonement Lutheran Church

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You will need a dark room or dark outdoors, candles, firewood (if applicable), flashlights, atonal music, and a really low voice.

How to Tell Good Ghost Stories by Benedict Smythe / Fashion, accessories and textiles community

The Quebec Symphony Orchestra was in great form under the attentive and assured direction of Jacques Lacombe, who highlighted every detail of Bartok's rich score and brought clear-cut counterpoint to the atonal music of Erwartung.

Bluebeard's Castle/Erwartung by Desmeules, Raynald / Opera Canada

Ross in 2007, describing his book, The Rest Is Noise, as follows : The culmination of 10 years’ worth of work, Noise is a rereading of the conventional wisdom about 20th-century classical music: that avant-garde, atonal music was the important music of the century and that in some ways all modern classical music is derived from it.

Alex Ross, Genius by Matt Haber / The New York Observer