Milton Babbitt
Three Compositions for Piano (1947)
structural features:
1) all-combinatorial set:
P with transpositoins of itself (P0/P6, mm. 1-2;
P with I (P0/I1 = R0/RI1, mm. 2-4)
I with R (I1/R6, mm. 7-8)
P with R (equivalent to I7/RI7, mm. 5-6)
2) use of durational sets: P = 5, 1, 4, 2;
R=2, 4, 1, 5;
I = 1, 5, 2, 4;
RI = 4, 2, 5, 1
integer identifies number of sixteenth-notes that occur before a longer note or a rest intervenes to signal pattern closure; associations of durational sets conforms with pitch sets
3) dynamic leavels associated with serials forms: mp with P; mf with R; f with I; p with RI.
4) registral choices determined by serial procedure
Composition for 12 Instruments (1948, rev. 1954)
extended technique to use of "chromatic" duration scale of Messiaen
dissatisfied with incompatibilities of serial procedures used for pitch and rhythm led to the idea of "time oint" in 1957; various note values are identified by thier positoin at the point of attack within the bar; need for clear and audible metric organizatino is acute if such an organization is to be perceived by the listener; uses idea in All Set
"Some Aspects of 12-tone Composition"
clarifies combinatorial principles, derived from study of Schoenbergs works;
derivative sets;
answers European serialists for failing to note implications of the classics of serial repertoire
can be considered a response to Boulezs "Schoenberg is Dead"
"Who Cares If You Listen?"
states implications of serialism not only as a compositional ideal but as a performer-listener challenge
makes 4 points relevant to music of his domain:
1) music is more efficient, reducing "redundancy" of language; demands more of performer and listener;
2) total serialization creates a interrelational structures; failure to perform or perceive values correctly will lead to false identification of other elements;
3) piece-specific work structure; performer/listener has less to draw upon in their experience
4) more responsibility is placed upon performer/listener to understand constructional basis
Articles/Books that relate to 20th C Music Composition
Josef Rufer-Composition with 12 Tones
Hindemith-The Craft of Musical Composition
Schoenberg-Style & Idea
Karlheinz Stockhausen-How Time Passes
Milton Babbitt-Some Aspects of 12-Tone Composition
Milton Babbitt-Who Cares If You Listen
Miton Babbitt-12-Tone Structure As a Compositional Determinant
Milton Babbitt-Twelve-Tone Rhythmic Structure and the Electronic Medium
John Cage-Silence
Stravinsky-The Poetics of Music
G. Rochberg-The Aesthetics of Survival
Luigi Russolo-The Art of Noises
Hindemith-Craft
exhaustive survey of properties of overtone series; recommends a theory based upon chromatic scale; chromatic scale is in turn constructed with intervals measured by the proportions of the overtone series, rather than through mathematical division of the octave; notes peculiar properties of the 7th overtone
presents his theory of tone significance; ranks them; criticizes systems that he feels are based on a lack of understanding of the tones
interest in a rational order for harmony and melody led to his theory, that contains two important points:
1) 12 degrees of chromatic scale have an innate hierarchical relationship based on acoustic principles of overtone series; they demonstrate a diminishing relationship to the first note in the series:
7, 5, 9, 4, 3, 8, 2, 10, 1, 11, 6
2) harmonic intervals may be similarly grouped in invertible pairs (except octave and tritone)