SOUND PATTERNS

A Structural Examination of Tonality, Vocabulary, Texture, Sonorities, and

by PHILLIP MAGNUSON

MICROCOSMS
Chapter 44. Expressionism

EXPRESSIONISM: an appeal to the emotions

EXPRESSIONISM, also known as non-serial atonality, is the historical continuation of the Common Practice Period.
Unlike Neo-classicism, which was a return to the past, Expressionism followed a virtually unbroken line. Arnold
Schönberg, the Expressionist champion, began composing in the 19th century in the Romantic tradition. He soon
expanded and developed his musical materials, particularly in the areas of dissonance and chromaticism. He avoids a
sense of a single tonal center, he delays the resolution of dissonance until there was no resolution, and frees
chromatic pitches of their need to resolve. His melodies shrink to simple motives, then ultimately to just intervals. His
textures change suddenly and often.

Expressionism is most frequently associated with the word ATONAL (which means "without a tonal center"). Strictly
speaking, this is inaccurate, since ALL pitches in Expressionism are considered to be equal in importance. Schönberg
preferred the word PANTONAL (meaning "all pitches equally tonal").

One of the most curious changes that occurs is that melodies and harmonies tend to be constructed alike. There is
little, if any, distinction between vertical and horizontal structures; in the Common Practice Period, melodies had a
predominance of stepwise motions but harmonies were constructed in 3rds. Expressionism tends to use the same
principles in structuring both.

Expressionism developed in the 1920's into Serialism, and many Expressionistic elements continue to be used today.

44.2 COMPOSERS ASSOCIATED WITH EXPRESSIONISM

Arnold Schönberg (1874-1951)

44.3 MUSICAL ELEMENTS

Expressionism Tonality Vocabulary Texture Sonority Time

basically
maintains:

generally
modifies:

completely
x x x x x
changes:

A. Tonality

In the Common Practice Period: The essential organization is around a single pitch, the tonic, which provides a
home base to the ear. All other pitches work to establish the pre-eminence of tonic. Furthermore, an
organization of phrases (generally made up of 4, 8, or 16 measures) expand the establishment of tonic; all
phrases end with a cadence which confirms this sense of tonic.
 In Expressionism:

1. Expressionistic music does not isolate a single pitch as tonic. Although it is somewhat inevitable that
some pitches become more important than others, the basic precept is that all pitches are equal.

2. Generally, clear phrases and cadences are either absent or extremely difficult to isolate.

B. Vocabulary

In the Common Practice Period: The essential vocabulary is a diatonic pattern of seven stepwise pitches called
major and minor scales. Chromatic pitches, the remaining five, can be used, but only to enhance the diatonic
ones.

In Expressionism:

1. The pitch inventory of a piece of Expressionistic music can include all 12 chromatic pitches, and may be
used in any order.

2. Melodies tend to be reduced to short motives.

3. Pitch as a concept is generally less important in defining the music than the intervals between pitches.
Intervals tend to group together into CELLS, or SETS.
a. Sets are analyzed for the total interval content. Please note that there is no real distinction made
between melody, harmony, and counterpoint.

B - G#= m3
G#- G = m2
B - G = M3
____________

Gb- B = P4
Gb- F = m2
Gb- G = m2
B - F = A4
B - G = M3
F - G = M2
____________

E - C = M3 C - B = m2
E - Bb= A4 C - G = P4
E - B = P4 Bb- B = m2
E - G = m3 Bb- G = m3
C - Bb= M2 B - G = M3

b. The interval content is arranged inside brackets showing the number of like intervals in ascending
order [#m2, #M2, #m3, #M3, #P4, #TT], called INTERVAL VECTORS.

[101100]

[210111]

[212221]

c. Intervals are not calculated beyond tritones; larger intervals are simply inversions of the smaller
and are considered to be the same interval class. For example, the M3 is the same interval class
as the m6, and the P4 is the same interval class as the P5. In the second example above, the Gb-
B (an A3) was calculated as a P4 (F#-B). Always calculate to the smallest, most simple interval.
 d. The enharmonic spellings of the 12 chromatic pitches are considered to be absolutely equal
(unlike the Common Practice Period). For example, A# and Bb are the same thing. The proper
spelling for intervals should always reflect the simplest possible interval, using the labels "perfect",
"major", and "minor" as often as possible.

4. Melodies tend to move quickly from one register to another, creating large leaps, creating greater
interest (POINTILLISM).

C. Texture

In the Common Practice Period: The essential texture is created with counterpoint, which is two or more
simultaneous individual and independent lines, each of which confirms the pre-eminence of tonic and utilizes
the vocabulary of a major or minor scale.

In Expressionism:

1. In Expressionistic music there is virtually no distinction made between melody and counterpoint, as seen
above. Texture moves freely between simple melodic line and complex contrapuntal textures.

2. Texture can be achieved through timbre (tone color) and dynamics as well as pitches.
a. Timbre (which includes the color of instruments and the color of articulations, textures, and
densities) tend to be subtle, varied, and notated specifically.
 b. These consistent changes of instrumental color, articulations, textures, and densities can create a
strong sense of forward direction in the music, equal to (and possibly even exceeding) the
importance of pitch and rhythm. This is called KLANGFARBEN (literally, in German, "sound-
color").

There is an interesting example of klangfarben in One Note Band. While not Expressionistic music,
the flow of the piece is governed by the changing timbres as much (if not more) than the pitches.

A more characteristic example of klangfarben in Expressionistic music is the third movement,

c. Dynamics tend to be varied and notated specifically.

d. Dynamics tend to change suddenly rather than to following traditional crescendos and
decrescendos.

D. Sonorities

In the Common Practice Period: The essential sonority (chord) is consonant and is a group of three notes (a
triad) arranged in thirds (tertian). Dissonance is used, which could be a group of four notes arranged in thirds (a
tertian tetrad) or non-chordal embellishments (passing and neighboring tones, suspensions, and pedals, among
others). All dissonances are required to resolve.

In Expressionism:

1. In Expressionistic music there is virtually no distinction made between melody and harmony, as seen
above. There is no separate procedure for creating sonorities as compared to creating melody.

2. Dissonance is completely emancipated, and has no requirement to resolve to consonance.

E. Time organization

In the Common Practice Period: The essential time organization is based on simple or compound meters, with
2, 3, or 4 consistent beats per measure. The first beat is always the strongest, and the others take on various
degrees of strength.

In Expressionism:

1. Rhythms are generally subtle and irregular (those which demonstrate great variety and do not occur in
regular repeated patterns). Please note: no matter how irregular rhythms become, they are always
notated to show where the main beats are located. This frequently requires many ties.

2. The complexity created from these subtle and irregular rhythms can also be achieved through constantly
changing meter signatures as well.
ASSIGNMENTS:

SUGGESTED LISTENING

Arnold Schönberg: Five Pieces for Orchestra, op.16 (1910) [ATM #4]
Arnold Schönberg: Pierrot Lunaire, op.21, no.1 "Mondestrunken" (1912) [MA #441] Listen to a performance
Arnold Schönberg: Sechs Klavierstucke, op.19, no.1 Listen to a performance
Arnold Schönberg: Sechs Klavierstucke, op.19, no.3 Listen to a performance
Arnold Schönberg: Sechs Klavierstucke, op.19, no.4 Listen to a performance
Arnold Schönberg: Sechs Klavierstucke, op.19, no.5 Listen to a performance
Arnold Schönberg: Sechs Klavierstucke, op.19, no.6 Listen to a performance
Anton Webern: Five Movements for String Quartet, op.5, no.4 [MA #442] Listen to a performance
Alban Berg: Altenberg Lieder, op.4 (1912) [ATM #14] Listen to a performance