atonalism
Absence of key
Atonalism is music that lacks a tonal center—no home key that the ear expects to return to.
The term describes the compositional approach pioneered by Schoenberg and his followers in the early twentieth century, breaking from centuries of Western harmonic tradition.
The atonalism of the Second Viennese School still challenges many listeners.
Lack of harmony
- tensionStretched or strained state
- angularityHaving sharp corners
- fragmentationBreaking into smaller pieces
- abstractionDistilling to essential qualities
complexity · density · disjunction · harshness · jarring · unresolved · expressionism · anxiety
Innovative cultural pioneers
- modernismFavoring contemporary approaches
- expressionismDistorting reality for emotion
- revolutionarySeeking fundamental systemic change
- radicalRoot-indicating symbol
groundbreaking · pioneering · experimental · boundary-pushing · nontraditional · unconventional · twentieth-century
Serialism using all pitches
- serialismFixed-sequence composition technique
- chromaticismUse of non-scale tones
- pointillismDot-based art technique
- aggregateCombined sum total
Schoenberg
Atonal method inventor
- CarterOne who carts
dissonance
Lack of harmony
- tensionStretched or strained state
- angularityHaving sharp corners
- fragmentationBreaking into smaller pieces
abstraction · complexity · density · disjunction · harshness · jarring · unresolved · expressionism · anxiety · alienation
avant-garde
Innovative cultural pioneers
- modernismFavoring contemporary approaches
- expressionismDistorting reality for emotion
- revolutionarySeeking fundamental systemic change
radical · groundbreaking · pioneering · experimental · boundary-pushing · nontraditional · unconventional · twentieth-century
twelve-tone
Serialism using all pitches
- serialismFixed-sequence composition technique
- chromaticismUse of non-scale tones
- pointillismDot-based art technique
aggregate · retrograde · inversion · transposition · permutation