The Harmony Manual by "Arnold Schoenberg"

buy it without thinking! it's a 'cult' but not only... among other things it is paired with another text (which I own but do not currently have at hand) which is also a 'cult' but not only.

paired with another text?

Anyway, yes, one can only define it as a "cult" or a "must-read"; it's not easy, it certainly isn't a proper manual but a short treatise, something to read only if you already have the basic knowledge of the subject. But in many points, it is illuminating

hi thallo, when I bought it online a few years ago, they shipped it to me (unbeknownst to me) packaged together with another text, which, as far as I could later understand, often travels together. the text in question should be titled: "Structural functions in harmony" but I am not so sure; I am on vacation and do not have the text at hand to verify.

I picked up this text when I wasn't exactly at zero knowledge, so I don't have direct experience with "starting from there." It is certainly a manual that requires a certain level of culture to be understood fully and one that covers a wide range of topics.

If the conditions (including economic ones) allow you to buy it, do so because sooner or later you will need it... and it doesn't happen often that one feels like buying a manual.

Take that proposal from Il Saggiatore, with very convenient indices, an excellent preface, excellent content, a piece of history that is immediately felt from the preface to its third edition (I am quoting the closing part), where he "repents" of some skirmishes.

In the preface to the third edition of Arnold Schoenberg's Harmony manual, it reads:

"The phrases that in the first edition accompanied the dedication to Gustav Mahler have been removed because they are considered superfluous today. They were words written immediately after his death in a state of profound emotion, and in them vibrated the pain of having lost him and the indignation at the disproportion between his value and the recognition he had found around him. They were moved and passionate words, battle cries that would sound almost minimizing today, now that the new generation is about to fulfill its task, which is to place his work alongside that of our greatest artists.

The statement that "he was Very Great" acquired almost the force and semblance of a prophecy precisely because it had not been proven. That prophecy wanted to acquire strength in order to be able to give some, but it acquired more than it gave: to the work itself, which lives by all its greatness, it can contribute a great deal and very little at one time."

Thanks to everyone, your suggestions are always very useful

ScalaQuaranta wrote:

"Structural functions in harmony"

ScalaQuaranta, when you get back, could you confirm this for me?...it is a text I have never heard mentioned.

Frank wrote:

Take that proposal from the Saggiatore

Is it circulating around?

yes, that's fine. I will be back in early September, maybe then refresh my memory.

anyway, Structural Functions of Harmony is famous for being the book where Schoenberg theorizes dodecaphony

thallo wrote:

anyway, Structural Functions of Harmony is famous for being the book where Schoenberg theorizes dodecaphony

Absolutely wrong, there is no text where Schoenberg theorizes dodecaphony.

He explains its mechanism and technique in "STYLE AND IDEA", a collection of very interesting essays on musical aesthetics and more.

I confirm that the title of the second text is "STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONS OF HARMONY" by Arnold Schoenberg

ScalaQuaranta wrote:

i confirm that the title of the second text is "STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONS OF HARMONY" by Arnold Schoenberg

ultra-fantastic text =)

... Didn't Schoenberg call it Pantonality?

Feldman wrote:

It explains the mechanism and technique in "STYLE AND IDEA"

The dodecaphonic composition method was described by Schoenberg in a 1923 article, titled “Komposition mit 12 Tönen”, subsequently published in Style and Idea.

How to delve deeper into the subject of Dodecaphony?

Frank wrote:

The dodecaphonic composition method was described by Schönberg in a 1923 article, titled “Komposition mit 12 Tönen”, subsequently published in Style and Idea.

Great, I completely forgot about that article.

Gassy wrote:

How to delve deeper into the subject of Twelve-tone technique?

For those who wish to deepen the discussion, I first suggest these two texts: Roman Vlad, *Storia della Dodecafonia* (History of Twelve-tone Technique) and (precisely) A. Schoenberg, *Style and Idea*.

The first contains a good summary, with a fairly complete historical overview. A little bit tedious due to the constant references to works and infinite footnotes. The book can be read without excessive yawning only in some of its 300-plus pages. Regardless, it is written in understandable Italian.

The second is a collection of essays, articles, and thoughts by Schoenberg. The original is in English, and the reading experience depends a bit on the translation. One gains a vision of Schoenberg's thought, as well as his strong personality.

To the two large volumes mentioned above, I must add Rognoni: *La Scuola musicale di Vienna* (The Musical School of Vienna). It is a must, less difficult compared to the previous two. Especially because it is quite easy to read.

I suggest pairing reading with listening—studying the proposed scores; otherwise, one gets lost in the abstractions of "tone rows" without grasping the essence of the intellectual and artistic discourse proposed, which we must not (or can we?) underestimate.

I got it recently, sometimes it is enlightening.